Intro:

BMC's Ben Hermans shook off IAM's David Tanner with just under four kilometres left to win the Brabantse Pijl one-day cycle race in Belgium, Hermans' home country, on Wednesday.

Script:

They might have started in the shade but the riders in this race would enjoy or endure constant sunshine in Leuven.

The Brabantse Pijl is a 205.4km one-day race and part of the Flanders Classics.

In it's 55th year a three-man breakaway was reduced to two as Alex Kirsch failed to keep pace with Thomas de Gendt and Anthony Delaplace with around 68 kilometres to go.

All three of them were clear of this mess behind them.

But De Gendt and Delaplace were caught by the peloton 39 kilometres from the finish.

Around six kilometres later, Belgium's Ben Hermans and Australia's David Tanner broke free at the front.

The Belgian shook off Tanner with around 3.7 kilometres to go and that allowed him to cruise over the finish line, with no problems and no hands.