Deceuninck Quick-Step rider Kasper Asgreen won the bone-clattering E3 Belgian classic on Friday crossing the line 30 seconds ahead of a chasing group unable to foil his long-range effort. The 26-year-old Dane, who won the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne in 2020, made a spectacular move from 66km and his teammates did all they could to hinder any reel-in on the one-day race featuring 18 hills and cobbled sections galore. Asgreen's team got their tactics right with another Quick Step man Florian Senechal second as their most feared threat, the emerging classics star Mathieu van der Poel, came third. "Deceuninck had five or six riders who could have won today, I didn't want to be in a defensive situation but they are always very strong in the classics," said van der Poel. The race is seen as a form indicator for next week's Tour of Flanders but, as a classic in its own right, the newly named 'E3 Saxo Bank Classic' is a prestigious win for Asgreen. bnl/dmc/bsp