Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg (Argos-Shimano) took his first victory of the 2013 season, and his first ever in the professional ranks, as he sprinted ahead of the peloton on the uphill cobbled finishing straight of Binche-Chimay-Binche/Memorial Frank Vandenbroucke. The 24-year-old South African responded to a late attack from Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) in the closing moments of the 187.6km race, with Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil-DCM) in tow, and managed to beat both Belgian riders to the line.
Leukemans managed to beat Van Avermaet to the finish, one second behind Janse van Rensburg, with Lars Boom (Belkin) leading the peloton over four seconds back.
"Van Avermaet put in a big attack in the last few hundred metres and I went after him together with Bjorn Leukemans," said an elated Janse van Rensburg. “We were all on our last legs but I was able get across and I kept on going.
"I was so whacked and I hoped that there was nobody behind me, there wasn't. I had enough gap to celebrate the victory which always make it special.
"The team was really focussed from the beginning as we knew there was a good chance that a breakaway would go, so we were always in control and near the front,” the South African explained.
"After the Vuelta I have felt better and better. It took me a couple of days to get back to good racing form, and in Franco Belge [Tour de l'Eurométropole - ed] I was able to support John Degenkolb in his two stage wins and there I knew that I was feeling really good.
"This victory means a lot to me, it's my first win of the season and first since turning pro; and it comes after a long and hard season,” he added. “I now have just two races left on my program, Paris-Tours and Putte Kapelle.”
The race - formerly known as Binche-Tournai-Binche, but changed as the out-and-back leg switched from a westerly one to Tournai to a southerly one to the Trappist brewery town - saw a breakaway from Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Thomas Degand (Accent.jobs-Wanty), Maxim Belkov (Katusha), Bert-Jan Lindeman (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Tom Dernies (Wallonie-Bruxelles), who managed to stay away until the second of the four laps of a 16.2km local circuit.
Once the five-man had been caught, a 19-man group broke away from the head of the peloton, but it was all back together as the final lap began.
There was a late break from Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing), Olivier Pardini (Vérandas Willems), Evaldas Siskevicius (Sojasun), Maarten Tjallingii (Belkin) and Romain Zingle (Cofidis), who managed to escape. They were little more than ten seconds clear with three kilometres to go, and were caught as they reached the flamme rouge at the start of the final kilometre.
Onto the cobbled finishing straight, Van Avermaet made his bid for glory, but was chased down by Janse van Rensburg and Leukemans, with the South African then jumping away to take victory.
In other good news for Argos-Shimano, Janse van Rensburg’s teammate Ramon Sinkeldam took the race’s intermediate sprint after 49km, winning himself his own weight in 11% Chimay beer.
Result
1. Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg (RSA) Team Argos-Shimano
2. Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM @ 1s
3. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
4. Lars Boom (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling @ 4s
5. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto-Belisol
6. Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
7. Jetse Bol (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
8. Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis, solutions crédits
9. Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
10. Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Cofidis, solutions crédits