Who’s stopping him anymore? Tadej Pogacar wins his third Tour of Flanders

Who stops him anymore? Tadej Pogacar conquers his third Tour of Flanders, winning alone after an intense battle on the cobblestone walls and leaving behind Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel. With twelve Monument Races in his trophy cabinet, the Slovenian outclassman surpasses Roger De Vlaeminck and takes alone the second place in the all-time ranking, behind only Eddy Merckx (19 wins).

After the recent triumph at the Milano-Sanremo, Pogacar remains on track for a feat he has never achieved: winning all five Monuments in the same season. The next test will be the Paris-Roubaix. In Flanders he made the difference with an irresistible move: sprint after sprint he picked off the peloton until the decisive sprint on the last passage of the Old Quaremont, 18 km from the finish, replicating a pattern already seen in his previous victories.

Van der Poel was the last to hold on, passing just 15 seconds on the Paterberg, but in the flat finish he finally gave up, finishing second at 40 seconds. Evenepoel, making his debut in the race, took third place after a long solo action. Behind them Wout van Aert finished fourth, once again close to the podium, preceding Mads Pedersen.

For Pogacar, this is his third success in the Flemish classic, an achievement that allows him to reach the record shared with big names such as Fiorenzo Magni, Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara. Now the Slovenian arrives fully launched at the “Hell of the North,” where he will try to win the only Monument still missing from his palmarès.