Mathieu van der Poel wins Tour of Flanders as Tadej Pogacar finishes fourth in two-horse race

Updated 03/04/2022 at 18:04 GMT

What were you doing, Tadej Pogacar? The Slovenian threw away a podium on his Tour of Flanders debut as a rookie mistake allowed Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas into the mix in the final showdown. It could have been a disaster for Mathieu van der Poel, who also took a huge gamble in slowing the pace, but he showcased his immense straight line speed to cling on for a second career Ronde win.

‘Never seen anything like this!’ – Van der Poel wins sprint thriller after huge gamble

An outstanding 106th edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen saw Mathieu van der Poel stick to debutant Tadej Pogacar like glue on the dual ascents of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg as the race’s two big-hitters rode clear to the finish. But an easing up in the final kilometre opened the door to a chasing duo of Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas, with Pogacar losing his place on the podium in dramatic fashion.

Victory – his second in three years – went to Dutchman Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) who showed nerves of steel to hold off compatriot Van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) and Frenchman Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) in an extraordinary sprint that left Slovenia’s Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) licking his wounds after an out-of-character mistake from the 23-year-old Ronde rookie.

Both Van der Poel and Pogacar approached the finish in Oudenaarde locked on 37 professional victories – and while the 2020 champion was clearly a faster finisher on paper than his debutant rival, the Dutchman would have had his eleventh-hour loss to Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen from last year fresh in his memory.

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With remarkable poise and self-confidence, Van der Poel delayed his sprint until the chasing duo had closed in on the leaders – surging clear to secure a memorable triumph while Pogacar was left boxed in by the passing Van Baarle and Madouas duo, who had made up a 30-second deficit after been distanced earlier on the Kwaremont.

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Van der Poel’s second Ronde victory came off the back of his midweek win at Dwars door Vlaanderen and capped an astonishing Flanders Week for the 27-year-old following his late start to the season off the back of injury.

“It’s incredible – I worked so hard for this one. At first, it was not even sure that I would make the classics. But to win Flanders after Dwars door Vlaanderen is incredible,” he said.

“I was trying to hold the wheel of Tadej on the Kwaremont and Paterberg – he was incredibly strong out there. Especially the Paterberg, where I was really on the limit. But I had a few kilometres to get the legs back working and then focus on the sprint.”

Van der Poel was full of praise for the man who somehow contrived to finish fourth in what appeared to be a two-horse race – and even had some words of wisdom for the double Tour de France champion.

"Pogacar was maybe the strongest in the race and he rode offensively. I would have applauded him if he’d won – and I applaud him even when he didn’t. Maybe he just needs to sprint a couple more times here to get it right," he said.

'I was not stressed' - Van der Poel on the bizarre sprint finale with Pogacar

No joy for Quick-Step or Jumbo-Visma

Defending champion Asgreen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) had a race to forget, the 27-year-old suffering a mechanical near the top of the Koppenberg climb with 44km remaining just as Pogacar threw down the hammer with his decisive attack. Asgreen rallied but could only take 23rd place – the highest finish for his Quick-Step team, who will be hoping for an end to their barren run in Paris-Roubaix in a fortnight.

In the absence of their leader Wout van Aert, Jumbo-Visma hardly fared much better. Tiesj Benoot and Christophe Laporte – despite a nasty crash with 80km remaining – were part of a chasing group which never settled. Laid low after testing positive for Covid midweek, Belgium champion Van Aert would have watched in frustration as Frenchman Laporte came ninth and his compatriot Benoot 13th.

On a different day, things may have been different for QuickStep. An interesting 14-man move with 85km remaining caught Van der Poel’s Alpecin-Fenix and Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates napping, with Yves Lampaert, Jannik Steimle and Zdenek Stybar all going clear for the Belgian team alongside, most notably, Mads Pedersen of Trek-Sagafredo and the 2019 winner Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost). But it all proved immaterial once Pogacar made his move.

Pogacar pulverises field on debut

A break of nine riders – including the specialist Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) went clear within 15km of the 272.5km test as the riders snaked through the Flemish countryside towards the hills around Oudenaarde, where 18 cobbled climbs provided the backdrop to an enthralling race.

The advantage of the nine escapees never broke the five-minute mark – largely thanks to the familiar sight of Tim Declercq (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) setting a hefty tempo on the front of the pack for Quick-Step, with Jumbo-Visma and Alpecin-Fenix all lending a hand to regulate the gap.

After the intriguing 14-man counter move formed with 85km left to ride, Laporte was one of a handful of riders to hit the deck ahead of an acceleration from Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic) on the Kanarieberg, which forced a reaction from Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) and Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ).

It was on this same climb that Pogacar launched his failed bid to join the leaders at Dwars door Vlaanderen – and it was not long before the Slovenian decided to test his legs in his first cobbled Monument. Making light of a slow-speed crash earlier in the race, a sustained surge on the second passing of the Oude Kwaremont saw Pogacar sweep up all the moves and blow the pack to smithereens.

‘Never seen anything like this!’ – Van der Poel wins sprint thriller after huge gamble

On the Paterberg, it was then Pogacar’s compatriot Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious) who took the baton and piled on the hurt as a dozen of riders came to the fore with 50km remaining. Tratnik’s British teammate Fred Wright then latched onto a dig from Van Baarle of Ineos and the two headed onto the infamous Koppenberg with a small gap.

Behind, another acceleration from Pogacar was matched only by Van der Poel and Madouas. The trio caught the leaders before the second and decisive Kwaremont-Paterberg dual ascents, where the relentless Pogacar showcased his uphill ability. But try as he might, he couldn’t dislodge Van der Poel from his back wheel, the Dutchman recovering from an ever-so-slight wobble on the Paterberg to crest the summit right there on Pogacar’s shoulder.

History repeats itself for Van der Poel

For the third time in as many years, Van der Poel approached the finish in a leading duo. He’d beaten Van Aert in 2020 but lost to Asgreen in 2021 – proving how unpredictable such finishes can be after so many kilometres, and climbs, in the legs. But the Dutchman played it so cool, refusing to open up his sprint early after being ushered onto the front under the flamme rouge by Pogacar.

And when Van Baarle and Madouas returned with pace to catch Pogacar napping in a pincer movement, Van der Poel still had enough zip to keep his compatriot at bay and secure his second win in four days and, more crucially, the second Ronde win of his career.

For Pogacar, his brief springtime flirtation with the cobbles comes to a frustrating end – the best all-round rider of his generation showing up his own mortality before his focus shifts to the Ardennes and a third successive Tour de France crown. But Van der Poel now has two weeks to prepare for his assault on a maiden Paris-Roubaix win.

“First I’m going to enjoy this one before thinking about that,” Van der Poel said. Quite right, too. Besides, there's the small matter of the Amstel Gold Race next weekend for which Van der Poel will be among the favourites. As will that man Pogacar...