Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) put his rainbow jersey on display with another solo victory, this time at the Ethias Cross in Bredene, where he rode away from Toon Aerts (Telenet-Baloise) midway through the race to win with relative ease.
Aerts held on for second, having lost contact on lap five after puncturing, while Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) came in a distant third over Gianni Vermeersch.
Curtis White (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld) got the hole shot after a quick start off the front row, but it was a short lived time in the lead as Van der Poel, Gianni Vermeersch (Credishop-Fristads), Aerts and Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) came to the fore.
By the end of the third lap, Vanthourenhout was left behind by the leading trio after sliding out in one of the many slippery off-camber rises, while Vermeersch lost touch on the next lap, leaving Aerts and Van der Poel in the lead.
A puncture for Aerts gave Van der Poel all the gap he needed to cruise to victory after the halfway point.
Aerts held on for the runner-up spot over Vanthourenhout, whose brother Diether was racing in his final 'cross event before retirement.
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix | 0:59:03 |
| 2 | Toon Aerts (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:01:01 |
| 3 | Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:01:42 |
| 4 | Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Credishop-Fristads | 0:01:48 |
| 5 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) Group Hens-Maes Containers | 0:01:59 |
| 6 | Diether Sweeck (Bel) Credishop-Fristads | 0:02:05 |
| 7 | Nicolas Cleppe (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:02:11 |
| 8 | Tim Merlier (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix | 0:02:23 |
| 9 | Yentl Bekaert (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:02:32 |
| 10 | Anton Ferdinande (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal | 0:02:43 |
| 11 | Curtis White (USA) Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld |
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