Tim Wellens crossed the Brabant-Pailles line in third place, but the post-race result sheet showed the Belgian in ninth place and relegated after he deviated from the line in the closing sprint.

At the end of the 205km race in Flanders Brabant, the leader of the Lotto-Soudal was one of the contenders for the podium behind lone winner Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers).

Wellens took the lead with 200 meters to go, but the Belgian sprinted across the road and moved to the left to accelerate Remco Evenpole (Quick Step Alphavinil) toward the barriers and brakes. Benoit Cosnefrois (AG2R Citroën Team) still managed to slip by Wellens to finish second.

The leader of Quick Step Alfa Vinyl protested the move vigorously in the remaining meters of Brabants Pile, and Wellens was demoted shortly after the finish, with Warren Barguil (Alcare Sumsic) inheriting third place. After the race, however, Wellens said he did not feel he was at fault.

"In the sprint I wasn't going too fast," he said. 'I started the sprint and went left, but apparently I went too far left, which was kind of disappointing. It wasn't a conscious move. But I'll never forget the strong race I had today."

"It was still within the limit for me, but I haven't seen the video. It's a different sprint to start at 20 km/h instead of 60 km/h. Of course, if you do a full sprint at 60 km/h, you won't move like this. If you start at a lower speed, I think the sky's the limit."

Despite the race's outcome, Wellens said he was happy with the 205 km that had gone by. He was leading an elite group when Ineos Grenadiers' Ben Turner made a decisive move with 51 km to go.

But he, like the rest of the lead group, was without a teammate, and Tom Pidcock had also made his move, facing three Ineos riders. Wellens and the other solo riders were always at a disadvantage.

"I'm happy with my race," Wellens said. "I knew it was going to be an aggressive race with parcours and cobblestones. So on the second lap I managed to get away with seven or eight riders and finished second.

"I knew that Ineos was the team to beat in the final. [It's one thing to be with three guys in the final, but you also need the legs to stay in front. Congrats on the win. He was one of the strongest riders in the group."