Following a well-timed attack in the final kilometer Ramon Sinkeldam managed to stay ahead of the sprinting bunch to take the victory at the Belgian one-day race Binche-Chimay-Binche.

The 2015 Binche-Chimay-Binche, also known as Memorial Frank Vandenbroucke, was held on a 195km course through Wallonia, Belgium. Eight riders made up the leading group in the finale, as for a while it looked like Niki Terpstra (Etixx – Quick Step) would take the win with a solo.

But when the race moved into the final 5km the bunch started to chase and with roughly two km to go everything came back together. Several attacks followed as Sinkeldam managed to break away with 800m to the finish and held off the reduced bunch sprint to take the victory. In tenth place Roy Curvers again showed a strong performance at Binche today.

Ramon Sinkeldam said: “We were well represented in the group in front in the finale, and the team did a great job to get me in a good position. Roy brought me into a good position on the final climb, and we didn’t race full gas on the climb so I was able to make a strong attack and eventually that was enough to win.

“I was actually not sure if I was racing for the win or if there was someone in front, and I didn’t know what was happening behind me on the hard cobblestones. So it was exciting until the end.

“I didn’t expect to win today, because I didn’t feel great during the race, so it’s extra special to add this victory to my palmarès at the end of the season.

"I felt bad throughout the day and was ready to assist my teammates in a possible sprint, but I had really good legs in the finale and so I asked at the start of the last lap if I could take my chance.

"I can be very satisfied with my season. In the Tour, I had to give up after two weeks due to illness, but then I made every effort to re ready for the end of the season. On Sunday I hope to end my year in a good way at Paris-Tours."

Coach Addy Engels added: “It was a great race today, very attractive and aggressive. From the beginning there was a group of 15 riders away, including Fredrik Ludvigsson from our team. Shortly afterward a group of 30 riders attacked, and we had Ramon Sinkeldam, Koen de Kort and Max Walscheid in it. A group with Roy Curvers and Bert De Backer also made the jump to the front of the race, and finally all the groups came together except Terpstra, who was alone in the break.

“It was never our plan to control things, because of the open character of the race, but if everything was still together in the finale, Ramon would be our card to play. The team started to work together with IAM to bring Terpstra back, and it worked out. In the finale Roy led Ramon out in the run-up to the final climb, and there Ramon made a great jump and no one was able to follow his wheel. The team was always attentive, and we got a great outcome.”