The Exact Cross in Maldegem turned into a one on one battle between the two leaders of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal,
Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout. This was a consequence of Pim Ronhaar's ill-timed fall which allowed Iserbyt to ride towards victory.
"It was a shame that Pim fell, but I was just about to make my attack. I was behind it and was in the mood, I wanted to give it everything," he explains in a quick interview afterwards. After Ronhaar's crash, Iserbyt rode Vanthourenhout's wheel for a while, but then he still chose to attack. "Niels Vandeputte came back, so I wanted to add an extra gear just to be sure."