Francesco Chicchi (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) took his second sprint victory of the week, winning the Handzame Classic in Belgium. The 31-year-old Italian won the mass sprint ahead of Marcel Kittel (Project 1t4i) and Adam Blythe (BMC Racing Team).
It was the 18th win this season for the Belgian ProTeam, and Chicchi's fifth. His most recent win was only two days earlier, at the Nokere Koerse.
"The magic state I'm in continues," said Chicchi. "I'm very happy with this victory. We rode strong all day long. Fortunately, Keisse was in the 15-man break that marked the race, and he allowed us to sit on tires and save energy. In the final we all had perfect legs. The team did a fantastic job and I managed to clinch the double just a few days off my victory in Nokere.
"I want to dedicate this success to all the families of the victims of the disaster at Sierre, a terrible tragedy which we will never forget. All my teammates join me in this dedication."
A 15-man group got away early on the race comprised of Walt De Winter, Francesco Van Coppernolle (Jong Vlaanderen), Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto-Belisol), Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil-DCM), Pieter Serry (Topsport Vlaanderen), Wim De Vocht (Accent Jobs-Verandas Willems), Mart Ojavee (Champion System), Tobias Ludvigsson (Project 1t4i), Victor Manakov (RusVelo), Rony Martias (Saur-Sojasun), Will Routley (Spidertech), Blaz Jarc (NetApp) and Niko Eeckhout (An Post-Sean Kelly).
Their lead never exceeded a minute and a half, and the group slowly fell apart as the sprinters' teams put the pressure on.
With 11km to go the last of the escapees were caught again, setting up the expected mass sprint finale.
| 1 | Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | 4:10:00 |
| 2 | Marcel Kittel (Ger) Project 1T4i | |
| 3 | Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team | |
| 4 | Guillaume Boivin (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
| 5 | Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 6 | Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team | |
| 7 | Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) An Post - Sean Kelly | |
| 8 | Boy Van Poppel (Ned) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 9 | Kenny De Haes (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 10 | Nikolay Trusov (Rus) RusVelo | |
| 11 | André Schulze (Ger) Team NetApp | |
| 12 | Jonas Ahlstrand (Swe) Team Cykelcity.se | |
| 13 | Yoeri Havik (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke | |
| 14 | Hugo Houle (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
| 15 | Roy Jans (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly | |
| 16 | Steve Schets (Bel) Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | |
| 17 | Sven Jodts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
| 18 | Remco Te Brake (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke | |
| 19 | Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony | |
| 20 | Frederique Robert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 21 | Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Leopard - Trek Continental Team | |
| 22 | Matthias Friedemann (Ger) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 23 | Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
| 24 | Christophe Laborie (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
| 25 | Jarl Salomein (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
| 26 | Jacobe Keough (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 27 | Robert Förster (Ger) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 28 | Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Team NetApp | |
| 29 | James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's | |
| 30 | Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 31 | Andrew Fenn (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | |
| 32 | Henrik Abom (Swe) Team Cykelcity.se | |
| 33 | Kevin Verwaest (Bel) Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | |
| 34 | Philippe Legrand (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole | |
| 35 | Benjamin Verraes (Bel) Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | |
| 36 | Baptiste Plackaert (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony | |
| 37 | Coen Vermeltfoort (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | |
| 38 | Kurt Hovelynck (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony | |
| 39 | Alexander Mironov (Rus) RusVelo | |
| 40 | Fabio Polazzi (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole | |
| 41 | Kevin Ista (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's | |
| 42 | Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's | |
| 43 | Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 44 | Sean Patrick Downey (Irl) An Post - Sean Kelly | |
| 45 | Jonas Vangenechten (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 46 | Rob Goris (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's | |
| 47 | Nikita Eskov (Rus) RusVelo | |
| 48 | Quentin Bertholet (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole | |
| 49 | Caleb Fairly (USA) Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
| 50 | Jens Vandenbogaerde (Bel) Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | |
| 51 | Bert De Backer (Bel) Project 1T4i | |
| 52 | Rikke Dijkxhoorn (Ned) Geofco - Ville D'alger | |
| 53 | Olivier Chevalier (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole | |
| 54 | Sjef De Wilde (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's | |
| 55 | Dmitry Kozontchuk (Rus) RusVelo | |
| 56 | Philip Vandaele (Bel) Colba - Superano Ham | |
| 57 | Wouter Mol (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 58 | Martin Gilbert (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
| 59 | Jos Van Emden (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | |
| 60 | Mark Christian (GBr) An Post - Sean Kelly | |
| 61 | Benjamin Day (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 62 | Sjoerd Kouwenhoven (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke | |
| 63 | Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
| 64 | Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | |
| 65 | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | |
| 66 | Kenneth Van Bilsen (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly | |
| 67 | Markus Eichler (Ger) Team NetApp | |
| 68 | Jeroem Lepla (Bel) Jong Vlaanderen Cycling Team | |
| 69 | Dominic Klemme (Ger) Project 1T4i | |
| 70 | Arthur Van Overberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
| 71 | Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 72 | Tim Declercq (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
| 73 | Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | 0:00:10 |
| 74 | Pieter Ghyllebert (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly | |
| 75 | Andy Cappelle (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's | |
| 76 | Sander Cordeel (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 77 | Pit Schlechter (Lux) Leopard - Trek Continental Team | |
| 78 | Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Project 1T4i | |
| 79 | Ryan Anderson (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
| 80 | Johan Landstrom (Swe) Team Cykelcity.se | 0:00:14 |
| 81 | Michael Olsson (Swe) Team Cykelcity.se | 0:00:16 |
| 82 | Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | 0:00:22 |
| 83 | Timon Seubert (Ger) Team NetApp | |
| 84 | Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | 0:00:24 |
| 85 | Marcello Pavarin (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 86 | Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | 0:00:38 |
| 87 | Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team NetApp | 0:00:49 |
| 88 | Simon Lambert-Lemay (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10 | 0:00:50 |
| 89 | Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | 0:01:09 |
| 90 | Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
| 91 | Mats Boeve (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke | 0:01:25 |
| 92 | Christian Bertilsson (Swe) Team Cykelcity.se | |
| 93 | Bradley White (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | 0:01:45 |
| 94 | Henryk Cardoen (Bel) Geofco - Ville D'alger | 0:03:28 |
| 95 | Matvey Zubov (Rus) RusVelo | |
| 96 | Jonathan Breyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony | |
| 97 | Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 98 | Jacek Morajko (Pol) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 99 | Will Routley (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
| 100 | Kun Jiang (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 101 | Etienne Tortelier (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
| 102 | Rony Martias (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
| 103 | Sven Van Den Houte (Bel) Colba - Superano Ham | |
| 104 | Jurgen Francois (Bel) Colba - Superano Ham | |
| 105 | Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) BMC Racing Team | |
| 106 | Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
| 107 | Alexandr Pliuschin (Mda) Leopard - Trek Continental Team | |
| 108 | Joel Zangerle (Lux) Leopard - Trek Continental Team | |
| 109 | Bob Jungels (Lux) Leopard - Trek Continental Team | |
| 110 | Marco Bandiera (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | |
| 111 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | |
| 112 | Koen Barbe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony | |
| 113 | Blaz Jarc (Slo) Team NetApp | |
| 114 | Laurent Evrard (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole | |
| 115 | Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Project 1T4i | |
| 116 | Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Team NetApp | |
| 117 | Pengda Jiao (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 118 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Project 1T4i | |
| 119 | Ronan Van Zandbeek (Ned) Project 1T4i | |
| 120 | Huub Duyn (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke | |
| 121 | Philip Lindau (Swe) Team Cykelcity.se | |
| 122 | Niko Eeckhout (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly | |
| 123 | Dion Beukeboom (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke | |
| 124 | Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 125 | Pieter Serry (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
| 126 | Christoph Pfingsten (Ger) Cyclingteam De Rijke | |
| 127 | Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 128 | Maarten Neyens (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 129 | William Clarke (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 130 | Bas Stamsnijder (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke | |
| 131 | Jetse Bol (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | |
| 132 | Barry Markus (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
| 133 | Kin San Wu (HKg) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | 0:05:11 |
| 134 | Robert Pölder (Swe) Team Cykelcity.se | 0:05:52 |
| 135 | Giorgio Brambilla (Ita) Leopard - Trek Continental Team | 0:06:34 |
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