A decisive move on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont saw Tadej Pogačar triumph once again at the Tour of Flanders, as he claimed a record-equalling third victory at the race and the twelfth Monument win of his career.
The World Champion managed to drop Mathieu van der Poel on the penultimate climb of the race, before going solo to the finish in Oudenaarde, with the Dutchman forced to settle for second place, as he continued 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.”
It was an impressive Tour of Flanders debut for Remco Evenepoel, as the Olympic Champion managed to hang on for third place after being dropped by Pogačar on the Paterberg. Wout van Aert also continued his return to the top in the Classics with another fourth place finish for the third-consecutive year.
“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.
How It Happened
A thirteen-rider breakaway went up the road at the beginning of the day, with Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) and Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Premier Tech) among those at the head of the race.
Their gap was kept at around three minutes by the peloton, until a level crossing came down with 213km to go and effectively split the bunch in half. The commissaires then neutralised the main group, forcing the riders in the front half of the split to wait for those behind, which allowed the gap to the breakaway to expand to over five minutes.
With Dillier up the road, Alpecin-Premier Tech left the other teams to do the vast majority of the work in the peloton during the early part of the race. The fight for position then began as they approached the first cobbled sectors, which saw the gap to the breakaway come down rapidly.
After the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, the favourites’ teams all came to the fore once again in the run-in to the Molenberg, with Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) leading the group as they made the left turn onto the climb with 103km to go. The Belgian rider then made a massive effort to split the race, as he drew a group of sixteen riders clear as they went over the top of the climb.
All of the main pre-race favourites had made the split, with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) all in attendance, and they quickly built advantage, as those behind struggled to organise a chase.
The group of favourites then caught the early breakaway with 78km to go, with some of the riders able to offer up support to their teammates who had joined them at the head of the race, before Pogačar and Evenepoel began to press on again on the Berg Ten Houte. Both riders keen to drop any dead weight from the newly enlarged group, but it was far from enough to unsettle any of the other contenders.
Pogačar then made his first major attack on the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont with 57km to go, with Van Aert, Pedersen and Evenepoel immediately in the wheel, whilst Van der Poel was caught slightly out of position as they began the climb and had to force his way through to the front of the group.
Approaching the top of the climb, Pedersen began to lose contact as Pogačar continued to push on, with Van Aert also then buckling under the pressure being applied by the World Champion, as he was distanced as they turned off the cobbled sector.
The leading trio were then quickly onto the Paterberg, with Evenepoel going to the front as they hit the bottom of the climb in an attempt to press on. However, that effort would ultimately be his undoing, as Pogačar and Van der Poel gradually came around him and began to open up a gap to the Olympic champion.
He was still within sight of the two at the front over the top of the climb, but every time it looked as though he would catch back on, the Pogačar stamped on the pedals once more and put a bit more distance into the gap, as the World Champion was clearly keen to keep his Belgian rival behind.
Van der Poel made a half-hearted attempt to put Pogačar under pressure on the Taaienberg with 38km to go, before the Slovenian rider then returned the favour on the Oude Kruisberg. However, both riders knew that the race would ultimately be decided on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont.
Onto the penultimate climb of the race, Pogačar wasted no time in going to the front, as he made one of his typical seated accelerations and instantly began to distance Van der Poel. The Dutchman managed to keep the gap in check at first, but then gradually began to slip backwards as they neared the top of the climb.
As they turned off the cobbles, Pogačar had a six-second gap to Van der Poel, which had only grown as they hit the Paterberg, where the sole leader then pressed on once again to further extend his advantage.
Over the top of the final climb with 13km to go, Pogačar began time trialling his way to the finish, with Van der Poel unable to reduce his deficit, which only continued to grow as they approached Oudenaarde.
The long straight road to the finish gave Pogačar plenty of time to sit up and celebrate his third victory at the Tour of Flanders, punching the air in celebration as he crossed the line, whilst Van der Poel and Evenepoel rolled in to complete the podium. Behind them, Van Aert had dropped Pedersen on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont and ultimately finished more than forty seconds ahead of him to take fourth place, whilst the Dane settled for fifth.
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
