Pogacar clinches Tour of Flanders title

OUDENAARDE: UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogacar won an epic see-saw showdown at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, soloing home from 15km, with Mads Pedersen edging Mathieu Van der Poel to second at the line a minute later with tiebout Van Aert fourth.

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The Slovenian and defending champion Van der Poel played out across the 17 hills in bright sunshine before Pogacar broke away.

World champion Pogacar, who won both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in 2021, collected his third one-day Monument, moving ahead of one-day specialist Van der Poel on seven.

“The goal was to win but at the end it’s hard to believe. I cannot be more proud of the team,” said a beaming Pogacar, who rides for UAE, at the end of the 270km slog before 70,000 boisterous roadside fans.

“Tadei pulled off a great show for cycling,” said UAE manager Mauro Gianetti.