The Bpost Bank Trophy in Lille not only offered an exciting route, but also interesting races. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) had the best start in the elite. First followed by Rob Peeters (Vastgoedservice) and Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) on his rear wheel. However, Peeters could not keep up with the pace of the two-time world champion and had to let Albert and Meeusen go.
After about a third of the race, Meeusen sought his salvation in flight. And at first glance he seemed to be doing it well. Although Albert made a strong impression at the beginning, he now fell behind and had to overtake Sven Nys (Crelan - AA-Drink), Lars van der Haar (Rabobank) and Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) as the race progressed permit.
With three laps to go, Nys finally caught up with Meeusen. At the beginning of the last lap, Van der Haar also made contact. Meeusen, who had had a strong race up to that point, increased the pace but had to let Nys pass. The reigning Belgian champions were able to create a small gap, but they didn't have the necessary punch to get rid of Meeusen and Van der Haar. The decision was only made on the home straight.
In the end, Nys was able to celebrate his 15th win of the season. He relegated Dutchman Van der Haar to second place. Meeusen, who had fought bravely up to that point, finished third due to technical problems.
The women didn't give each other anything either. In the sprint, Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP) won ahead of Marianne Vos (Rabo-liv) and Helen Wyman (Kona).
Result
01. Sven Nys (Crelan AA drink) 1:03:06
02. Lars van der Haar (Rabobank) 0:00:00
03. Tom Meeusen (Telenet Fidea) 0:00:04
04. Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb Napoleon Games) 0:00:38
05. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) 0:01:08