Blythe survives puncture to win Franco-Belge

Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step) won the final stage of the Circuit Franco-Belge in a bunch sprint in Tournai, while Adam Blythe (Omega Pharma-Lotto) survived a late puncture to secure overall victory in the four-day race.

The stage was marked by a ten-man breakaway that broke up in the hills 30km from the line. Here, Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) and Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil) went clear and maintained a slender advantage over the peloton into the closing stages.

At the 5km to go point, just as the two remaining escapees were about to be swept up by the bunch, race leader Adam Blythe punctured and his overall victory, which had seemed a formality, was now in serious doubt. Fortunately for the Briton, he was able to get back on to the pack thanks to the heroic aid of his teammate Olivier Kaisen and save his overall lead.

The final sprint was dominated by Belgian riders, as Weylandt took a fine win over Gert Steegmans (RadioShack) and Bert de Backer (Skil-Shimano) to bring the curtain down on the event.

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