Bosgracht

55:59 Iván Solana brings up the rear at 3 minutes. One rider did not make it to the line.

55:53 Xander Wauters crosses the line 28th, at 2:26.

55:40 Niels Tanghe crosses the line 27th, at 2:13.

54:03 Bavo Debruyne crosses the line 3rd, at 0:36.

54:03 Nicolas Chevalier crosses the line 2nd, at 0:36.

53:27 Julien Chevalier wins by 36 seconds.

52:10 They are nearly all taking the same side through the little climb at the back now; the other line is finished.

51:50 Rémi Lefevre dives past Julien Bernard in the mud strip.

51:30 The line through the steep side is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

51:00 Loïc Fontaine takes Niels Tanghe back in the hollow.

50:40 The pits are working flat out.

49:50 It is getting harder through the loose corner in the sand with every lap that goes by.

49:40 The little climb at the back is drying out on the side the sun is on.

49:10 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

49:00 Rémi Lefevre takes the other line through the hurdles and comes out ahead of Tibo Verbeke.

46:50 The ground in the hairpin has been ridden rock hard.

46:10 The gap to the first chaser is 17 seconds.

45:00 Half the field is running the hollow by now.

44:30 In the little bridge Tomáš Procházka gains a place on Arne Bruggeman.

44:10 In the steps Loïc Fontaine gains a place on Iván Solana.

43:30 Mathijs Cools goes past Mathijs Demeyer in the mud strip.

43:20 There is 13 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

43:10 Jasper Roelants has to let Daan Maertens go in the second sand pit.

42:40 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.

42:20 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.

42:00 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

41:40 Julien Chevalier is out on their own at the front.

41:30 Mathijs Cools is too quick for Vince Vandevelde in the hairpin and lies 16th now.

41:20 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.

41:00 Julien Chevalier has opened a gap and is alone up there.

39:30 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.

38:40 Ride the slippery descent instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

38:30 Radek Dvořák takes Arne Bruggeman back in the slippery descent.

38:20 There are holes in the line through the sequence of corners that nobody is riding out any more.

38:00 The line through the off-camber is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

37:40 It is getting harder through the loose corner in the sand with every lap that goes by.

36:20 Dust over the wet meadow — there is no grip left in the corners.

36:10 Lowie Ceulemans takes the other line through the hairpin and comes out ahead of Toon Herteleer.

35:40 The steep side is drying out on the side the sun is on.

34:50 The pits are working flat out.

34:44 Vince Steyaert punctures in the sand pit and pulls out. No spare bike.

34:00 In the hollow Radek Dvořák gains a place on Mathijs Casteels.

33:30 The sand pit is getting looser with every lap.

32:50 There is 4 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

32:40 It is dusting up in the deep furrow; anyone at the back is riding in a cloud.

31:50 Kobe Truyens dives past Tomáš Procházka in the loose corner in the sand.

30:40 The sequence of corners is costing a few seconds more every lap.

30:20 Nicolas Chevalier goes past Seppe Vanhee in the sequence of corners.

30:00 Kobe Truyens has to let Tomáš Procházka go in the little bridge.

29:40 Get the little bridge wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

29:00 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

28:40 In the loose corner in the sand Julien Chevalier gains a place on Vince Roelants.

28:40 Julien Chevalier goes past Vince Roelants and takes the lead.

28:10 They are nearly all taking the same side through the steep side now; the other line is finished.

28:00 Toon Herteleer had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Quentin Moreau in the deep furrow.

27:20 Mathijs Demeyer takes Lowie Ceulemans back in the steep side.

26:40 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.

25:30 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.

25:00 It is getting harder through the loose corner in the sand with every lap that goes by.

24:50 The sand in the loose corner in the sand is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.

24:10 All five are hunting a different line through the off-camber; none of them is finding the good one.

24:00 The entrance to the little bridge is littered with abandoned bikes.

23:30 Toon Herteleer is too quick for Loïc Barbier in the deep furrow and lies 18th now.

23:20 Tibo Verbeke dives past Arne Bruggeman in the sequence of corners.

22:35 Vince Roelants goes past Bavo Debruyne and takes the lead.

22:20 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

22:00 There is 6 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

21:50 With 4 up front, and Bavo Debruyne on the front of it.

21:40 The gap to the first chaser is 4 seconds.

21:20 Toon Naessens takes the other line through the sand strip and comes out ahead of Jasper Roelants.

21:00 Julien Chevalier goes past Jasper Roelants in the steep side.

20:50 In the mud strip Loïc Fontaine gains a place on Radek Dvořák.

19:30 The lines are fixed on a course this dry; they are all riding the same rut.

19:10 Vince Roelants moves up to 3rd at Julien Chevalier's expense.

18:50 The line through the wet meadow is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

18:45 Bavo Debruyne goes past Jasper Roelants and takes the lead.

18:40 Tibo Verbeke has to let Rémi Lefevre go in the little bridge.

18:30 Mathijs Cools had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Quentin Moreau in the wet meadow.

17:40 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.

17:30 Vince Roelants takes Toon Naessens back in the off-camber.

17:10 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

16:50 Toon Naessens had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Bavo Lambrecht in the sand pit.

16:40 Ride the slippery descent instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

16:00 The ground in the sand pit has been ridden rock hard.

14:50 Jasper Roelants has opened a gap and is alone up there.

13:50 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.

13:10 Bavo Lambrecht goes past Nicolas Chevalier in the wet meadow.

12:20 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.

11:30 Vince Roelants dives past Vince Vandevelde in the loose corner in the sand.

11:00 Jasper Roelants goes past Bavo Debruyne and takes the lead.

10:40 Arne Bruggeman is too quick for Rémi Lefevre in the hairpin and lies 7th now.

9:50 Quentin Moreau takes the other line through the second sand pit and comes out ahead of Mathijs Demeyer.

8:30 Half the field is running the second sand pit by now.

8:00 In the slippery descent Loïc Barbier gains a place on Vince Vandevelde.

7:10 All five are hunting a different line through the little bridge; none of them is finding the good one.

6:50 They are nearly all taking the same side through the little bridge now; the other line is finished.

5:10 The pits are working flat out.

4:50 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.

4:40 There are 2 of them at the front.

4:10 The mud strip is drying out on the side the sun is on.

3:59 Jens Vercammen goes down in the mud strip and loses 18 seconds.

3:51 Quentin Moreau punctures in the little climb at the back, changes bike and loses 7 seconds.

2:30 Get the mud strip wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

2:10 They are still riding as one big group, and nobody is pulling.

1:50 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

1:00 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.

0:10 Up front Lowie Ceulemans goes past Nicolas Chevalier — 3rd now.

0:05 Bavo Debruyne goes past Julien Chevalier and takes the lead.

0:00 Bosgracht: dry course, 7 laps. Mostly mud and sand.