Britain's Mark Cavendish won his second successive Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen, after edging out Belgian Tom Boonen in a mass sprint to the finish.

The 22-year-old, who won a gold medal alongside Bradley Wiggins in the Madison at the World Championships in Manchester last month, caught Boonen by surprise at the end of the race, and passed the 2004 and 2006 champion as he lifted his arms in premature celebration.

2002 champion Robbie McEwen came third.

The Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen is Belgium's oldest classic race, having been run for the first time in 1907. The famous 207km race favours sprinters and is always run on the Wednesday following the Paris-Roubaix

Notable previous winners include Eddy Merckx, Rik van Looy and Mario Cipollini.

For Cavendish the victory marked another high-point in his burgeoning career. The "Manx Express" has now won 13 times since his win in Belgium 12 months ago.

Will Tidey / Eurosport