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Like every first Sunday in April, the Tour of Flanders (officially called De Ronde van Vlaanderen) did not disappoint. The second monument of the season featured the off-roader Mathieu Van der Poelwho withstood Tadej Popgacar’s attacks in the cobbled ramps that characterize this race to win the sprint in the last meters. With this pinpoint triumph, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor achieves his second victory in the Tour of Flanders.
The Slovenian prodigy He arrived in Belgian lands ready to make history. Since the ‘Cannibal’ Merckx, no Tour de France winner had managed to also triumph in Flanders. In fact, the last Grand Tour rider to win this monument was Gianni Bugno in 1994.
But Pogacar, at kilometer 55 , at the Oude Kwaremont, he attacked and shook up the classic. With defending champion Kasper Asgreen relegated due to a breakdown, the Balkan tried to get rid of Van der Poel on the cobbled slopes, but the heroic Dutchman withstood every attack.
The Tour of Flanders was going to be decided by the sprint and, therefore, Mathieu’s chances of crowning this historic event for the second time in a row were increasing. Furthermore, Van der Poel was calculating: he slowed down his breakaway with the Slovenian, waited for the pursuing Van Baarle and Madouas to reach his wheel and attacked in the final 50 metres. victory royale of a total cyclist.
Pogacar, visibly angry, complained that both Van Baarle and Madouas covered the gap for him to launch his attack. The young Balkan was finally quarter.
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