For the second consecutive year, the GP Pino Cerami was won by a rider from Lotto-Belisol. After an aggressive race, Jonas Vangenechten held off Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil) in a final bunch kick.
The 47th edition of the Belgian one-day race GP Pino Cerami was an attacking affair. Throughout the race, riders looking for success tried to create a successful escape, but nobody succeeded.
Instead, the race was decided in a dramatic bunch sprint. Around 50 riders approached the finish line together, and after 202km it was Jonas Vangenechten (Lotto-Belisol) who raised his arms ahead of a visibly frustrated Romain Feillu.
The race was characterized by a constant changing situation with a number of groups going up the road. Finally, a big group got a serious gap and for a moment they seemed to have a good chance of holding off the peloton. However, they had to tackle a smaller climb with around 10km to go.
When the front group hit the climb, Davide Malacarne (Europcar) attacked, and he managed to create a gap to his fellow escapees. Behind, the group was caught by the peloton, and the Italian was now chased by a 50-rider group.
With 5km remaining, the Europcar rider was caught, and everything was now set for a final bunch kick. However, Florian Vachon (Bretagne) tried to foil the sprinters with a gutsy attack inside the final 2km.
In a thrilling final, he seemed to have a good chance until Romain Feillu opened up a powerful sprint. Vachon was caught close to the finish line, but the Vacansoleil sprinter could not keep up the speed and ended up being passed by Vangenechten on the line. Feillu had to settle for second while Andris Smirnovs (Doltcini-Flanders) was third.
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