Mark Cavendish has won the Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne classic race in Belgium.
There were big crowds out in Kuurne for the start of this annual classic race which attracted a strong field including Mark Cavendish, who was amongst the favourites to win along with the winner of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Ian Stannard.
The break took it's time to form and it was not until over thiry kilometres had been raced that Jimmy Engoulvant (Europcar), Xandro Meurisse (AN Post) and Thomas Vauborzeix (Veranclassic-Ekoi) launched the first attack of the day in a race which features nine climbs over 196.3kms
They were soon joined by Mattia Pozzo (Nippo - Vini Fantini) Sjoerd van Ginneken (Team Roompot), Fredrik Backaert, Dimitri Peyskens (Team 3M) and Zupha, the Albanian after forty kilometres.
Over La Houppe and the lead was three minutes but the peloton were starting to work and a further forty seconds were wiped away from their advantage before the peloton eased up on a cloudy day in West Flanders.
The pace went back up and the escapers had a lead of 1.34 with seventy six kilometres to go.
After several crashes had split the peloton and Tom Boonen had briefly attacked, the gap as the escapers took on the Oude Kwaremont, the gap dropped to 41 seconds before going up to 47 seconds with Mark Cavendish and Ian Stannard doing plenty of work to stop the group of Boonen and Seb Vanmarkce from getting too far in front.
With just under sixty kilometres left, the early escapers has been caught and Matteo Trentin was on the front with Ian Stannard in his wheel along with Mark Cavendish, Irishman Sam Bennett and British rider Scott Twaites in a group of around twenty riders, that included those who had been in the break and comprised of Bennett, Boonen, Cavendish, Drucker, Engoulvent, Gilbert, Kluge, Kristoff, Lampaert, Maes, Meurisse, Stannard, Stybar, Thwaites, Vanmarcke, Viviani and Wynants.
Over the final climb and the lead of this very strong group was a minute clear but was down to a few seconds with 35kms left and the peloton was seventy strong a kilometre later when the group was caught.
Katusha led taking the bell lap and were still on the front going into the final ten kilometres with around eighty riders still left in the peloton.
Phillipe Gilbert of BMC got away on his own with 4.7kms to go and quickly established a six second lead, as an An Post rider over-cooked it on a bend.
Gilbert was extending his lead over the peloton led by Ian Stannard and was ten seconds ahead going into the final two kilometres.
Lotto Soudal led the chase as Gilbert had a few metres lead going under the flam rouge.
Gilbert was caught and it was now Lotto on the front with 300m left. Alexander Kristoff went on the left but Mark Cavendish was on his wheel and got past him to win in 4.28.56 and take his second Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne victory, ahead of Kristoff, Viviani, Ashbroeck, Colli, Drucker, Debusschere, Sbaragli, R Kreder and Pelucchi
Cavendish said about his win: "You only had to see the lead out but the team were incredible day. All the riders believed in me and were like five guys and set me up for the sprint. Because of the headwind in the last corner, we used our guys. I had to follow Kristoff and I knew it was going to be hard but I am super proud to have got the victory for Etixx Quick Step."
Source: DSG
