Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Tour of Flanders - or the Ronde van Vlaanderen to the Flems or traditionalists. It's the second Monument of the season - the one filled with both cobbles and climbs - and it promises to be a corker.

"I still don't believe it," Bettiol said. "I was feeling really good on the Kwaremont, I closed my eyes and just went. I looked back and had a good gap so I kept on pushing. After the Paterberg I was still in the lead. It was the longest 14km in my life. But I knew that I had Sebastian Langeveld behind me working hard. We are a really good team and from now on you should look more on the front for the pink."

Not only was that Alberto Bettiol's first professional win, it was the first Italian win in the Ronde since 2007 (Alessandro Ballan) and his team's first Monument scalp in almost five years.

Kasper Asgreen holds on for second place with Alexander Kristoff winning the sprint for third.

VICTORY FOR ALBERTO BETTIOL!

Under the flamme rouge goes our lone leader. This is his fourth Ronde van Vlaanderen: he didn't finish two of them, and came 24th in 2017.

Now Kasper Asgreen had ridden clear in pursuit - but it'll be for second place. Alberto Bettiol has this one in the bag - even with a puncture...

Still no organisation behind as Bettiol goes under the 3km banner with 19 seconds. Now it's the world champion who briefly riders out of the saddle - but it looks like they're going for second place today.

Here was the moment Alberto Bettiol put in his decisive attack on the Oude Kwaremont...

Before today, Alberto Bettiol had never won a professional bike race. Is that about to change?

The likes of Kristoff and Sagan look like they're gambling on it coming down to a sprint - but it won't if they don't help out. Still 22 seconds for Bettiol.

Jungels is back now so QuickStep have three after all. But he has no sprint. Benoot now takes it up - but no one will help him, certainly not Langerveld, who is Bettiol's team-mate. 25 seconds now for out lone leader.

Alberto Bettiol may win this because there's no cohesion behind. The gap grows to 18 seconds - and now Van Avermaet puts in an attack.

Still 15 seconds now for Bettiol. Sagan is forced to lead the chase with Lampaert behind. My apologies, Lampaert, in the Belgian colours, is also Deceuninck, so it's not just Asgreen.

Asgreen leading the chase now - the only Deceuninck-QuickStep rider left, amazingly. We have some fast men in this group with Matthews, Sagan, Kristoff... even Naesen and Van Avermaet.

Van der Poel has a small gap over Naesen, Van Avermaet and Valverde, who in turn are about to be joined by Sagan and the other chasers.

And Van der Poel comes through! Valverde and Sagan aren't far off the pace either, although Jungels and Van Baarle have lost ground. Bettiol over the top in pole with van der Poel about 10 seconds behind.

It's Van Avermaet, Naesen and Van Aert who are leading the chase on the climb.

I count 17 riders in this chase group. Bettiol arrives at the foot of the climb with 18 seconds to play with.

It's been a long time that we've seen so many riders together ahead of the final climb of the Ronde van Vlaanderen. It's anyone's guess. Bettiol now has 20 seconds as he negotiates the narrow concrete farm track that shoots down towards the foot of the Paterberg.