Steenweg

34:55 Bavo Steyaert brings up the rear at 2 minutes. Everybody finished.

34:39 Ruben Desmet crosses the line 29th, at 1:22.

34:33 Nand Vanacker crosses the line 28th, at 1:16.

33:40 Karel De Clercq crosses the line 3rd, at 0:23.

33:29 Joran Vranken crosses the line 2nd, at 0:12.

33:17 Matthias Dierckx wins by 12 seconds.

33:00 Toon Bruggeman takes the other line through the hollow and comes out ahead of Nand Vanacker.

32:40 The derailleurs are packed with mud; shifting has become a gamble.

32:30 Ride the deep furrow instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

32:20 Simon Steyaert is too quick for Karel Peeters in the wide section and lies 24th now.

31:50 There are holes in the line through the finishing straight that nobody is riding out any more.

31:10 The mechanics are standing ready with the pressure washer; a clean bike every lap.

31:00 Simon Steyaert had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Tuur Wauters in the steep side.

30:30 The long straight is getting deeper with every lap.

30:10 Brecht Verhoeven dives past Tibo Goossens in the slippery descent.

29:20 The off-camber is costing a few seconds more every lap.

28:50 In the steps Simon Steyaert gains a place on Ruben Desmet.

28:40 The line through the slippery descent is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

28:20 Tibo Herteleer takes Matthias Vandaele back in the hairpin.

27:50 Lennert Vranken goes past Kobe Maes in the steps.

27:00 Ruben Desmet has to let Seppe Geens go in the hairpin.

26:40 They are nearly all taking the same side through the pit now; the other line is finished.

26:40 Matthias Dierckx goes past Joran Vranken and takes the lead.

26:10 Tuur Wauters has to let Lennert Vranken go in the hurdles.

25:00 Matthias Vandaele takes Sander Dhaene back in the wet meadow.

24:20 The line through the little climb at the back has opened right up.

23:20 In the little climb at the back Jorne Depoorter gains a place on Dries Beyens.

23:00 Ruben Desmet has to let Tibo Herteleer go in the hollow.

22:50 Tibo Herteleer had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Lennert Vranken in the hollow.

22:30 Brecht Verhoeven dives past Ruben Desmet in the little bridge.

22:10 Jorne Roelants has to let Karel Dierckx go in the pit.

21:50 Karel Dierckx dives past Toon Ceulemans in the steps.

21:10 The entrance to the hollow is littered with abandoned bikes.

21:03 Vince Vranken slides out in the little climb at the back and loses 4 seconds.

20:57 Brecht Verhoeven punctures in the steep side, changes bike and loses 7 seconds.

20:56 Lennert Vranken slides out in the steep side and loses 10 seconds.

20:30 Tibo Herteleer is too quick for Seppe Geens in the steep side and lies 24th now.

19:50 The gap to the first chaser is 7 seconds.

18:15 Joran Vranken goes past Matthias Dierckx and takes the lead.

18:10 Ride the mud strip instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

17:50 There is a line through the mud strip that gets narrower lap after lap.

17:15 Matthias Dierckx goes past Jorne Roelants and takes the lead.

17:00 The steep side is getting deeper with every lap.

16:50 Toon Ceulemans had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Jarne Wauters in the sequence of corners.

16:10 Sander Dhaene takes the other line through the hairpin and comes out ahead of Elias Geens.

15:50 There is 4 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

15:30 The mechanics are standing ready with the pressure washer; a clean bike every lap.

15:20 Jarne Wauters takes the other line through the hairpin and comes out ahead of Dries Beyens.

15:10 Toon Ceulemans goes past Dries Beyens in the mud strip.

15:00 In the steps Michiel Nuyts gains a place on Pieter Beyens.

14:30 Bikes are changing every lap — the steps eats equipment.

14:00 The derailleurs are packed with mud; shifting has become a gamble.

13:20 Jorne Roelants goes past Matthias Dierckx and takes the lead.

12:40 They are nearly all taking the same side through the steep side now; the other line is finished.

12:20 Jorne Roelants takes Karel De Clercq back in the sequence of corners.

12:10 There are holes in the line through the wet meadow that nobody is riding out any more.

11:40 The water is standing in the long straight; dive in too fast and you are down.

11:10 Matthias Dierckx goes past Dries Beyens and takes the lead.

10:50 Matthias Vandaele has to let Tibo Wauters go in the finishing straight.

10:40 The hollow is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

10:20 There are 7 of them at the front.

10:10 The field is one mud bath; everybody is riding on feel.

9:40 Matthias Dierckx dives past Karel De Clercq in the slippery descent.

9:20 Matthias Dierckx takes Elias Geens back in the hurdles.

9:00 Jorne Roelants had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Lars Segers in the deep furrow.

8:30 Toon Ceulemans is too quick for Pieter Beyens in the steep side and lies 9th now.

8:10 There is a line through the slippery descent that gets narrower lap after lap.

8:00 They are riding on a third of their tyres; the rest is packed with earth.

7:50 The pits are working flat out.

7:40 The rain of the last few days is still sitting in the wet meadow.

6:30 Half the field is running the steep side by now.

6:00 On a day like this it is not the strongest who wins, it is whoever runs least.

5:50 The brakes are dragging with mud; everyone is stopping too early in the wet meadow.

5:20 The line through the steep side has opened right up.

5:00 The line through the steps has closed up completely; it is going to be a run.

4:40 They are nearly all taking the same side through the steep side now; the other line is finished.

4:30 There is not a dry thread left on anybody.

4:20 Nothing has split at the front yet; Dries Beyens is leading it.

4:12 Bavo Steyaert slides out in the steep side and loses 3 seconds.

4:10 They are still riding as one big group, and nobody is pulling.

3:40 The gap to the first chaser is 5 seconds.

3:30 Bikes are changing every lap — the deep furrow eats equipment.

3:20 The little climb at the back is getting deeper with every lap.

3:10 The derailleurs are packed with mud; shifting has become a gamble.

2:30 The water is standing in the steep side; dive in too fast and you are down.

2:20 All five are hunting a different line through the hollow; none of them is finding the good one.

2:00 The leader's jersey stopped being recognisable a long time ago.

1:30 The field is still all together at the front.

1:20 Get the slippery descent wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

0:40 They are riding on a third of their tyres; the rest is packed with earth.

0:30 The slippery descent is drying out on the side the sun is on.

0:10 Elias Geens goes past Karel De Clercq in the off-camber.

0:05 Dries Beyens goes past Matthias Dierckx and takes the lead.

0:00 Steenweg: wet course, 4 laps. Mostly climbing and mud.