With one day remaining, the veteran has taken a big step towards the final victory, even if the bonuses put into play during the last stage maintain a slight suspense.
Better placed than his opponents thanks to the seconds acquired during his victory at Mont-Saint-Eloi on Thursday, Gilbert was the first of the group of favorites to attack 1.5km from the line.
The peloton, which had just caught up with the Briton Samuel Watson (Groupama-FDJ), the last member of the morning breakaway, exploded into several small groups.
Vermeersch and Naesen were the only ones able to follow Gilbert, who maintained a high tempo by favoring the general standings over the stage victory.
Constantly stuck in the wheel of the former winner of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Vermeersch, a specialist in cobblestone events, made a decisive acceleration 100m from the line, while the Briton Jake Stewart (Groupama-FDJ), returned from the finish, finished third and deprived Philippe Gilbert of 4 seconds of additional bonuses.
Sunday, the 6th and last stage, without difficulty, will link Ardres (Pas-de-Calais) to Dunkirk (North) over 182.9km.
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