An eight-man break had animated the early part of the day’s racing – Britain’s Mark McNally (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) among them – but it was on the Muur, back on the route for the first time since 2011, the race exploded into life.

Gilbert and team-mates Tom Boonen and Matteo Trentin were perfectly placed on the run-in to the climb, and with Team Sky joining the pace-setting on the cobbles the elastic snapped in the strung out peloton.

It led to an elite front group forming, with the QuickStep Floors trio joined by Luke Rowe (Team Sky), Sep Vanmarcke (Cannondale-Drapac) and Sylvain Chavanel (Direct Energie) among others.

With the numerical advantage, QuickStep were required to do the bulk of the work but with Sagan, Van Avermaet and Lotto-Soudal’s several leaders all missing the move, the elite group all worked well together.

Sagan’s move was sufficient to launch a new chasing group, with Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen (Ag2r-La Mondiale) for company, while Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Drapac) and Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo) were further up the road.

Gilbert’s lead continued to hover around the minute-mark, however, and the Belgian champion barely missed a beat as he battled over Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg for the final time.

Behind him, Sagan’s collision with a barrier took down Van Avermaet and Naesen too and proved the final straw for the chase’s hopes of bringing Gilbert back.

Van Avermaet remounted, but even when Gilbert tired on the final run-in to the line the chasing group had too much to do.

With a look over his shoulder he dismounted and carried his bike across the line above his head, celebrating a victory perhaps even bigger than his Ardennes Classics clean-sweep in 2011.

Van Avermaet won the race for second place, ahead of Gilbert’s team-mate Niki Terpstra, but it was not to be for the Olympic champion.

Tour of Flanders 2017: result

1) Philippe Gilbert (BEL) – QuickStep Floors – 6.23.45hrs
2) Greg van Avermaet (BEL) – BMC Racing +28”
3) Niki Terpstra (NED) – QuickStep Floors – ST
4) Dylan van Baarle (NED) – Cannondale-Drapac
5) Alexander Kristoff (NOR) – Katusha-Alpecin +52”
6) Sacha Modolo (ITA) – UAE Team Emirates – ST
7) John Degenkolb (GER) – Trek-Segafredo
8) Pippo Pozzato (ITA) – Wilier Triestina
9) Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) – Direct Energie
10) Sonny Colbrelli (ITA) – Bahrain-Merida