It may have been unexpected for him, but Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) once again showed himself as the man for the big occasion at the E3 Saxo Classic as he surged away from the field on the Paterberg.
His timing was perfect after he had softened the field up enough to blast away solo, but also in that it was just as long-term rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) crashed at the foot of the climb and saw the rainbow jersey disappear into the distance.
