[4] The race's hilly route covered 197.7 kilometres (122.8 mi) from Brakel in East Flanders to Haacht in Flemish Brabant.

The last hill, the Hulstbergstraat, was crested with just under 20 kilometres (12 mi) to go, and from there, the conclusion of the race was net downhill to the finish line near Boortmeerbeek/Wespelaar in Haacht, just outside a Primus brewery.

[4][5] The first major selection of favourites happened with just over 40 kilometres (25 mi), with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Fenix) and defending world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) the first to initiate attacks.

A few kilometres later, further attacks reduced the group to just five riders; these were Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto–Soudal), Simon Clarke (Team Qhubeka NextHash), Jasper Stuyven (Trek–Segafredo), and the Deceuninck–Quick-Step duo of Mikkel Frølich Honoré and Florian Sénéchal.

Consecutive accelerations from both Deceuninck–Quick-Step riders dropped Clarke, who managed to catch back up in the final kilometre.