Tadej Pogacar started 18 kilometers before the finish of the Flanders Tour-and as so often, nobody could follow the dominant cycling professional. He took twelve seconds at the third and last crossing of the Oude Kwaremont. Wout van Aert (fourth) and Mads Pedersen (second) also no longer had the strength to stay on the rear wheel. All world-class drivers who are the best of what cycling has to offer. But they have no chance against Pogacar. “The plan was to attack there,” said the winner when he was at the finish line after almost 5:59 hours and 269. “Fortunately, despite the pechs we had with falls.” The manager of his racing team UAE Team Emirates-XRG spoke of an “incredible show” that Pogacar had delivered. Activate external content The form had indicated that either he or van der Poel would take the race. Before the start, the Slovenian was asked how he could beat van der Poel after the defeat at Milan -Sanremo, which is as difficult for him due to the largely flat route as hardly any other race. “In Sanremo there are five or six climbs, here I cannot say exactly how many there are,” he said. What that means: The Tour of Flanders is a completely different race with the 19 small, sometimes extremely steep hills. There are hard position fights in front of everyone. A constant displacement competition.126 kilometers before the finish crashed hard for the first time. A driver fell, eleven more followed. Van der Poel got it. John Degenkolb also curved on the ground. While the German had to give up, Van der Poel went forward again. But that cost strength that he may be missing later, and the race only really started. The outlist group was prominently occupied with Filippo Ganna, Stefan Küng and Tiesj Benoot. Pogacar’s team almost had to manage the instruction work alone. Many helpers were used up almost 70 kilometers before the finish. Activate external content. Then a number of attacks followed. First Pogacar attacked on the second Kwaremont crossing, then van der Poel am Paterberg. It was the beginning of a spectacle. Again and again Pogacar and van der Poel attacked each other. Again and again they were only able to follow each other before their group put together again. And then it was Pogacar who still had strength for the deciding attack. It was the next demonstration of power of the Tour-de France winner, which starts for the first time on Sunday at Paris-Roubaix, the “Queen of Classics”. “It will be a completely different race. Flanders are a little better,” he said: “But in the form I am in, I should try.”
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