Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) took his third Tour of Flanders crown as he outsprinted Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin Pro Cycling) at the end of a scintillating afternoon of racing.
The defending champion moved clear of the peloton with a decisive attack on the Oude Kwaremont, with only Vanmarcke able to follow, before the duo bridged across the earlier escapees of Van Avermaet and Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma-Quickstep).
With pre-race favourites Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Peter Sagan (Cannondale) caught in a chase group fighting among itself, it was the four men out front who would contest the sprint in Oudernaarde, with Cancellara proving the strongest at the end of the 259km race.
Hectic racing for the first hour meant that it took a full 40km for the break to form, with Davide Appolonio (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Stig Broeckx (Lotto-Belisol), Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge), Raymond Kreder (Garmin-Sharp), Wesley Kreder (Wanty-Group Gobert), Alexander Kuchynski (Katusha), Andrea Palini (Lampre Merida), Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing), James Vanlandschoot (Wanty-Group Gobert), Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen) and Romain Zingle (Cofidis) making the move.
A puncture for Appollonio after 80km meant we were left with a 10-man break, gaining a maximum advantage of just after 6 minutes over the peloton controlled by Omega Pharma-Quickstep and Trek Factory Racing.
With 115km to go Tom Boonen lifted the pace on the Molenberg, briefly opening a small gap. If nothing else, this put the Belgian ahead of a large crash which caught out a number of riders including Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and two-time winner Stijn Devolder (Trek Factory Racing).
This caused a temporary split, although with a steady stream of crashes and punctures there was a lack of impetus at the front of the main peloton as the race entered the final 100km.
With 70km remaining the action began in earnest, as Manuel Quinziato (BMC Racing) attacked on the Kanarieberg, followed by Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Bernhard Eisel (Team Sky).
The trio enjoyed a brief advantage, but were caught as the race hit the Oude Kwaremont for the second time. Meanwhile, the break was slowly disintegrating, and by the time they crested the Paterberg with 50km remaining, it was only Broeckx and Impey who could stay with the searing pace of Phinney, who will surely be among the favourites for Paris-Roubaix next Sunday.
But with Boonen and Niki Terpstra setting the pace up the cobbled 22% gradient of the Koppenberg the remnants of the break were quickly swallowed up, with a group of about 15 riders moving clear as the race entered the final 40km.
If the Koppenberg was a war of attrition, the Taaienberg provided a launching pad for attacks, with Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) and Dries Devenyns (Giant-Shimano) going clear and opening a 10 second gap.
Behind the group had slimmed down, but they were working well together, and quickly brought Boasson Hagen and Devenyns back into the fold.
Van Avermaet was the next to attack at 30km, dragging Vandenbergh clear and opening a gap of 30 seconds over the chasers, with Sagan, Vanmarcke, and Cancellara forced to work on the front. The move looked threatening and, as the groups slowed behind, the advantage grew to almost a minute as they hit the Oude Kwaremont for the third and final time.
And it was on this final ascent that the decisive move was made. Cancellara attacked out of the chasers, with only Sep Vanmarcke able to cling to his wheel, and the two set off in pursuit of Van Avermaet and Vandenbergh, catching them over the top of the Paterberg, and giving us four leaders for the 15km run to the finish in Oudenaarde.
It would be these four men who would contest the win, as they began to work well together while the chasing group was hit by a number of counterattacks, most notably by Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Terpstra, who would go on to take fifth and sixth respectively.
With no noted sprinters among the leaders there were bound to be attacks in the final few kilometres, and it was Vandenbergh who obliged, putting in a couple of threatening moves as Cancellara appeared to be under pressure.
But the Swiss rider was clearly bluffing, and as he launched his sprint with 150m to go there was no answer from his companions, allowing the Trek Factory Racing rider to cross the line and complete a successful defence of his Tour of Flanders title.
Results
1. Fabian Cancellara (Sui) Trek Factory Racing 6:15:18
2. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing
3. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling
4. Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
5. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha +0:08
6. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quickstep +0:18
7. Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep +0:35
8. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky +0:37
9. Bjorn Leukemans (Bel) Wanty-Group Gobert +0:41
10. Sebastian Langeveld (Bel) Garmin-Sharp +0:43
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