Gerben Thijssen wins photo-finish sprint to conquer Bredene Koksijde Classic

The Bredene Koksijde Classic came down to a sprint and Intermarché-Circus-Wanty got away with another victory as Gerben Thijssen crossed the line first.

The day started out with four riders going up the road. Thomas Joseph, Tomas Kopecký, Timo de Jong and Andreas Goeman whose gap reached six minutes at maximum but did never threaten the victory on the day. It was a tense day in the peloton, with Victor Campenaerts abandoning in a crash that also involved pre-race favourite Tim Merlier.

These affected the race more than the terrain itself, but Merlier did return to the peloton later on. The breakaway was caught with 41 kilometers to go and an almost compact peloton formed with just over 30 kilometers to go. Then, the preparation for a bunch sprint began.

Team DSM looked strong in the leadout, and yesterday's GP de Denain winner Juan Sebastián Molano entered the final straight in front leading out Pascal Ackermann. It looked like the perfect work as Molano was already celebrating, but over the line Gerben Thijssen took the victory - this time with the photofinish being clear.

Ackermann did finish second and it was Sam Welsford who finished in third position, whilst Merlier wasn't present in the fight for the victory.