Nicole Cooke outsprinted her rvials in Belgium

The relatively flat 90km circuit around Dottignies meant that the pelaton was still bunched together after more than two hours of cycling.

That produced a mass sprint finish that saw Safi-Pasta Zara rider Cooke hold off attacks from Australian pair Katie Brown and Oenone Wood to win.

Cooke stays in Belgium for Wednesday's World Cup race La Fleche Wallonne.

"It was just a case of sitting in and then getting the sprint right," Cooke told her official website.

"I took Wood's wheel when she hit the front and then came round her in the final 100m, so obviously I'm very happy."