3:12PM The leading group now comprises five riders: Mathieu Van Der Poel (Corendon-Circus), Anthony Turgis (Direct Énergie), Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Tiesj Benoot (Lotto-Soudal) and Bob Jungels (Deceuninck-Quick Step).

2:20PM One of the favourites for today, the in-form Mathieu Van Der Poel (Corendon-Circus), is in a five-man chasing group alongside Anthony Turgis (Direct Énergie), Iván García Cortina (Bahrain-Merida), Dries De Bondt (Corendon-Circus) and Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step).

Those riders, by the way, are Zhandos Bizjigitov (Astana), Kris Boeckmans (Vital Concept-B&B Hotels), Michael Hepburn (Mitchelton-Scott), Jonas Koch (CCC), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Mihkel Raim (Isreal Cycling Academy) and Ramon Sinkeldam (Groupama-FDJ) and they have a 2min 30sec advantage on the pack with 80km of the race remaining.

Today's race is considerably shorter than Sunday's big one, but at 182.8 kilometres the cheeky little spin from Roeselare to Waregem should be enough to give the riders and their team directors a clearer indication of where they are ahead of the Tour of Flanders.

Defending champion Yves Lampaert is here and is being ably supported by Deceuninck-Quick Step team-mates Philippe Gilbert , Kasper Asgreen , Florian Sénéchal , Alvaro Hodeg , Bob Jungels and Iljo Keisse .