Het Kanaal

1:03:13 Tuur Nuyts brings up the rear at 2 minutes. 4 riders did not make it to the line.

1:02:39 Wout Decock crosses the line 25th, at 1:52.

1:02:35 Ruben Maertens crosses the line 24th, at 1:48.

1:01:11 Ward Deschepper crosses the line 3rd, at 0:24.

1:00:58 Warre Brouwers crosses the line 2nd, at 0:11.

1:00:47 Lennert Vermote wins by 11 seconds.

1:00:47 Lennert Vermote goes past Warre Brouwers and takes the lead.

1:00:40 Dust over the mud strip — there is no grip left in the corners.

1:00:30 In the sequence of corners Antoine Moreau gains a place on Jonas Vandenberghe.

1:00:20 Ruben Dhaene is too quick for Ondřej Černý in the little bridge and lies 18th now.

58:30 Nicolas Lefevre punctures in the loose corner in the sand and pulls out. Nobody in the pit.

58:10 The line through the sand pit is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

57:30 The little bridge is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

57:20 The ground in the off-camber has been ridden rock hard.

56:30 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

54:20 Half the field is running the second sand pit by now.

54:10 Kobe Steyaert goes past Nacho Ferrer in the sequence of corners.

53:40 It is dusting up in the deep furrow; anyone at the back is riding in a cloud.

53:30 With 2 up front, and Warre Brouwers on the front of it.

53:00 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.

52:45 Warre Brouwers goes past Lennert Vermote and takes the lead.

51:30 All five are hunting a different line through the hairpin; none of them is finding the good one.

51:20 Simon Coppens takes Antoine Moreau back in the sequence of corners.

50:00 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

49:50 Get the off-camber wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

49:20 The sand in the wide section is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.

47:10 The wide section is costing a few seconds more every lap.

46:20 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

46:10 There is 18 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

45:30 The pits are working flat out.

45:00 Sander Vermeulen had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Ruben Dhaene in the slippery descent.

44:40 Dust over the pit — there is no grip left in the corners.

44:30 A front group of 2, and they are watching each other.

44:00 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.

43:30 Simon Coppens takes the other line through the start straight and comes out ahead of Vince Wauters.

43:10 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.

42:30 Lennert Vermote is out on their own at the front.

42:20 The little bridge is drying out on the side the sun is on.

42:00 Vince Wauters has to let Arne Maes go in the deep furrow.

41:30 Ride the off-camber instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

41:20 Jakub Procházka goes past Wout Decock in the hairpin.

41:10 Arne Maes takes Arne Cuypers back in the off-camber.

41:00 Jakub Procházka takes Niels Willems back in the sequence of corners.

40:40 The gap to the first chaser is 8 seconds.

40:20 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

40:10 The line through the pit is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

39:40 Jonas Vandenberghe has to let Tibo Rombouts go in the off-camber.

39:30 They are nearly all taking the same side through the wide section now; the other line is finished.

39:20 Get the slippery descent wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

39:10 The ground in the sand pit has been ridden rock hard.

38:50 Lennert Vermote has opened a gap and is alone up there.

38:40 In the slippery descent Sander Vermeulen gains a place on Théo Fontaine.

38:20 There is 12 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

37:50 The line through the long straight has opened right up.

37:08 Lennert Vermote goes past Warre Brouwers and takes the lead.

36:50 Vince Wauters had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Antoine Moreau in the wide section.

36:10 Half the field is running the sand pit by now.

36:00 Vince Wauters had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Arne Cuypers in the long straight.

34:50 Niels Willems takes the other line through the little bridge and comes out ahead of Sander Vermeulen.

34:29 Cedric Deschepper punctures in the sequence of corners and pulls out. No spare bike.

34:10 Vince Wauters is too quick for Quentin Lefevre in the off-camber and lies 9th now.

33:30 Antoine Moreau dives past Quentin Lefevre in the hurdles.

33:20 The entrance to the hairpin is littered with abandoned bikes.

32:40 A front group of 3, and they are watching each other.

30:40 With 2 up front, and Warre Brouwers on the front of it.

30:30 Ruben Maertens goes past Robbe Geens in the sand strip.

30:00 The mud strip is getting looser with every lap.

29:10 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

28:10 In the mud strip Wout Decock gains a place on Sander Vermeulen.

28:00 Antoine Moreau dives past Simon Coppens in the second sand pit.

27:40 Sander Vermeulen is too quick for Ruben Vanacker in the slippery descent and lies 16th now.

27:20 Antoine Moreau dives past Vince Wauters in the little bridge.

27:00 The pits are working flat out.

26:50 Théo Fontaine takes Cedric Deschepper back in the finishing straight.

26:30 Ride the deep furrow instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

26:24 Robbe Geens punctures in the off-camber and pulls out. No spare bike.

26:20 Quentin Lefevre goes past Baptiste Marchand in the pit.

26:00 Simon Coppens has to let Jonas Vandenberghe go in the pit.

25:50 Antoine Moreau had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Nacho Ferrer in the off-camber.

25:40 In the wide section Arne Maes gains a place on Felipe Solana.

25:00 Get the wet meadow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

24:40 Quentin Lefevre dives past Robbe Geens in the finishing straight.

24:30 The hairpin is costing a few seconds more every lap.

24:20 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

23:40 There are holes in the line through the little bridge that nobody is riding out any more.

23:10 Tuur Nuyts takes the other line through the mud strip and comes out ahead of Mathijs Vanhoutte.

23:00 In the slippery descent Baptiste Marchand gains a place on Jonas Vandenberghe.

22:20 Arne Maes takes the other line through the sequence of corners and comes out ahead of Sander Vermeulen.

22:05 Warre Brouwers goes past Ward Deschepper and takes the lead.

22:00 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.

21:50 Jakub Procházka takes Siebe Vandaele back in the little bridge.

21:40 The line through the hairpin is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

21:20 In the start straight Ruben Vanacker gains a place on Antoine Moreau.

20:50 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.

20:40 The line through the long straight has opened right up.

18:54 Mathijs Vanhoutte punctures in the long straight and pulls out. No spare bike.

18:10 The little bridge is drying out on the side the sun is on.

18:00 Arne Cuypers is too quick for Quentin Lefevre in the wide section and lies 8th now.

17:50 All five are hunting a different line through the sequence of corners; none of them is finding the good one.

17:00 Lennert Vermote is too quick for Quentin Lefevre in the wet meadow and lies 6th now.

16:40 Antoine Moreau has to let Felipe Solana go in the long straight.

16:20 Lennert Vermote takes the other line through the sequence of corners and comes out ahead of Mathijs Vanhoutte.

16:10 The start straight is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

16:00 Quentin Lefevre has to let Simon Coppens go in the deep furrow.

15:30 Ruben Vanacker goes past Théo Fontaine in the slippery descent.

15:20 Robbe Geens dives past Vince Wauters in the deep furrow.

15:10 Baptiste Marchand is too quick for Mathijs Vanhoutte in the off-camber and lies 7th now.

15:00 Vince Wauters had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Robbe Geens in the pit.

14:20 They are nearly all taking the same side through the off-camber now; the other line is finished.

14:00 Arne Maes goes past Niels Willems in the sequence of corners.

13:50 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.

13:30 Ward Deschepper is out on their own at the front.

13:00 Ruben Dhaene takes Ruben Maertens back in the little bridge.

12:50 Lennert Vermote takes the other line through the off-camber and comes out ahead of Vince Wauters.

11:50 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

10:50 It is getting harder through the slippery descent with every lap that goes by.

10:40 The gap to the first chaser is 10 seconds.

10:20 In the little bridge Lennert Vermote gains a place on Cedric Deschepper.

9:50 Vince Wauters takes Ruben Maertens back in the wide section.

9:20 Cedric Deschepper has to let Vince Wauters go in the slippery descent.

9:10 Simon Coppens dives past Antoine Moreau in the slippery descent.

8:40 The start straight is costing a few seconds more every lap.

8:30 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.

8:10 A front group of 2, and they are watching each other.

7:23 Ward Deschepper takes the lead.

6:20 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.

6:00 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.

5:50 The pits are working flat out.

5:40 The ground in the finishing straight has been ridden rock hard.

4:50 There is 5 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

4:30 The hairpin is drying out on the side the sun is on.

4:20 The lines are fixed on a course this dry; they are all riding the same rut.

3:50 The deep furrow is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

3:30 The sand strip is getting looser with every lap.

3:10 Dust over the slippery descent — there is no grip left in the corners.

2:40 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

2:30 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

2:10 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.

2:00 Get the little bridge wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

1:30 The sand in the wide section is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.

1:20 The line through the wet meadow has opened right up.

1:10 The line through the hairpin is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

0:20 They are nearly all taking the same side through the hurdles now; the other line is finished.

0:00 Het Kanaal: dry course, 8 laps. Mostly technique and mud.