Tadej Pogačar triumphed once again at the Tour of Flanders, as he soloed to victory for a record-equalling third time. He made his decisive move on the third ascent of the Oude Kwaremont to drop Mathieu van der Poel, who had been the only rider able to follow him on the previous climbs.
The World Champion then soloed to the finish in Oudenaarde to claim the twelfth Monument victory of his career, whilst Van der Poel was forced to settle for second place, continuing his impressive run of seven-consecutive podium finishes at this race.
“It was a really crazy race today,” said Pogačar in his post-race interview. “It was super hard and then it was a little bit of a waiting game. Still, it was an effort, pulling on the pedals all the time. When the group formed, I was happy that we kind of cooperated a bit and it was in good favour for me.”
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“For sure I didn’t want Remco back into the group,” Pogačar stated. “I know how much endurance he has as a rider. He can always overcome in the end and beat you, so I really tried to make a gap and it was good.”
Pogačar has taken the victory in all three races that he has so far ridden this season, two of which have been Monuments. He has also now won four-consecutive Monuments, with Paris-Roubaix being the only one that he is yet to win.
“I don’t race too much, so when I race there is pressure to win. So far everything has gone perfectly for me, so I can be more than happy. Coming next week to Roubaix, I can be motivated and try to enjoy the cobbles,” Pogačar concluded.
Results
Tour of Flanders Men 2026: Antwerp > Oudenaarde (278km)
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 6:20:07
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Premier Tech, +34s
3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +1:11
4. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike, +2:04
5. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek, +2:48
6. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, +4:28
7. Florian Vermeersch (Bel) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, at same time
8. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious, +4:30
9. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike, +5:22
10. Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time
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