Dorian Godon wins De Brabantse Pijl with teammate Benoît Cosnefroy 3rd

Dorian Godon won a thrilling edition of the men's Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday, while Silvia Persico won the women's equivalent in circumstances that were just as exciting, in the interlude between the cobbled and Ardennes Classics

The pair were alone from around 16km to go after dropping their fellow leading companions, Rémi Cavagna (Soudal Quick-Step), Andrea Kron (Lotto-Dstny), Lucas Eriksson (Tudor Pro Cycling), and Tord Gudmestad (Uno-X).

Cavagna had forged off the front with 58km to go, picking off the remains of the day's break, and was later joined by his other protagonists with 54km to the finish in Overijse.

Dorian Godon said afterwards, "This is the most beautiful victory of my career. When you look at the record of the Flèche Brabançonne. There are only great riders who have won. This success comes after a really difficult race because of the weather. There were no moments of respite. The team rode all day to settle the race. Then, I followed the attacks with 50 kilometers to go. I felt that I had a very good feeling and that a sprint finish in a small group could be to my advantage. That's what happened. This victory is good for my morale. Even if I had some difficult moments, I never gave up. To share this podium with Benoît (Cosnefroy) is the icing on the cake. It doesn't happen every day so I want to savor it. This day is the perfect start to our Ardennes classics campaign. We should continue with this same state of mind by taking our responsibilities. We showed today that it pays off.

In the women's race, Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) claimed a stunning victory at Brabantse Pijl, overcoming the defending champion Demi Vollering (SD Worx) in a six-woman sprint at the top of the S-Bend climb in Overijse. The 25-year-old launched straight into action as Vollering, winner of Strade Bianche and Dwars door Vlaanderen, opened the sprint after being led out by teammate Marlen Reusser.

VIDEO: De Brabantse Pijl Men's Race Highlights

De Brabantse Pijl Men's Race Top 10

1  GODON Dorian AG2R Citroën Team 4:32:20
2  HEALY Ben EF Education-EasyPost 0:01
3  COSNEFROY Benoît AG2R Citroën Team 0:21
4  CAVAGNA Rémi Soudal - Quick Step 0:24
5  ZINGLE Axel Cofidis 0:25
6  KAMP Alexander Tudor Pro Cycling Team 0:25
7  DE LIE Arnaud Lotto Dstny 0:25
8  BAGIOLI Andrea Soudal - Quick Step 0:25
9  SKUJINŠ Toms Trek - Segafredo 0:25
10  HEIDUK Kim INEOS Grenadiers 0:25