The powerful German came out on top for the newly-named Argos-Shimano squad as the sprinters fanned out across the road in Schoten.

Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) was less than a wheel-length behind in second while Theo Bos (Rabobank) rounded out the podium to mark the event’s centenary.

A number of crashes marred the finish and meant a reduced peloton contested the bunch kick, with riders even crashing across the line on the treacherous painted surface.

Team Sky had arrived on the front to push the pace inside the final 10 kilometres but it would be Kittel who emerged from the carnage to add his name to a race won by a who’s who of top sprinters in the past.

Drama

Earlier under kinder skies in Antwerp, 202km lay ahead on what was the historic 100th edition of the sprinter’s Classic.

After a number of early attacks it was a while before seven riders were finally allowed to make a bid for freedom and build up an advantage of eight minutes and 15 seconds.

A number of men in the bunch clearly had an eye on Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, nowhere more so than when they crossed the seven cobbled sections which peppered the parcours.

On the finishing circuit around Schoten the sprinter’s teams arrived on the front with both Lotto-Belisol and Omega Pharma-Quickstep lining out the peloton, Tour of Flanders winner Tom Boonen taking big turns for the latter.

The threat of rain hanging in the air finally made its presence felt with 30km to go, a few members of the peloton coming to grief ahead of the penultimate lap on the wet cobbles.

A split in the bunch didn’t make life any easier for the riders, but with 10km to go a determined Kevin Hulsmans (Farnese Vini) was finally caught.

That set the scene for Team Sky who hit the front with numbers, Mathew Hayman putting the power down over the Broekstraat cobbles while behind a large crash split the bunch again on treacherous roads.

Yet in the final metres Kittel demonstrated once again why he is a force to be reckoned with in the bunch sprints.