Tadej Pogacar has won his bet. From his second participation on the Belgian cobbled mountains, the Slovenian offered himself the 107th edition of the Tour of Flanders, Sunday April 2. He is ahead of Mathieu Van der Poel, Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert. Already winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, in 2021, and of the Tour of Lombardy twice, in 2021 and 2022, the UAE Team Emirates rider has won his fourth career "monument", the races of a cycling's most prestigious day.
The challenge that Tadej Pogacar set himself last year by appearing on the starting line of the "Ronde" was at the height of his talent. Immense. Fourth by messing up his sprint, he had sown the seeds of a golden future in Flanders, despite a slender build (66 kg) which was said to be detrimental on the cobblestones.
On Sunday, "Pogi" therefore confirmed that nothing stood in his way. At just 24 years old, he became the third rider in history to count at least one success in the Tour de France and the Tour of Flanders, after Belgian Eddy Merckx and Frenchman Louison Bobet. "It's amazing, it's a day I will never forget. I could almost retire,” he savored after the finish, before being offered a tray of fries.
The double winner of the Grande Boucle (2020 and 2021) confirmed his victory in the 18th and penultimate ascent of the day: the third passage in the famous Old Kwaremont (2.6 km at 3.5% average gradient) . It was therefore 18 kilometers from the line, in Oudernarde, that the Slovenian finally unclamped the Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel, winner of two of the last three editions of the race.
"I knew I had to go solo in Old Kwaremont, I gave it my all and almost cracked in the Paterberg, commented Pogacar. I knew it was going to be tough, but it was the only way to win. »
The Komenda native then joined and engulfed Mads Pedersen, the last of the Mohicans up front, after an offensive with 112km to go. The last fifteen terminals were summed up in a chase: a distance duel between the Slovenian and the Dutchman, which turned to the advantage of the first.
Pogacar particularly offensive as usual
Tadej Pogacar had already pointed the tip of his nose at the front a little earlier in the race – already in Old Kwaremont. In the second passage of this mountain, then 55 kilometers from the end, he crushed the cobblestones and the competition to get rid of Mathieu Van der Poel and Wout van Aert for the first time before putting on another layer, eleven kilometers later. , in the Koppenberg (0.6 km at 9.5%). His two comrades from the now "Fantastic Three" gang had got back on his wheel and had been able to follow suit, finding themselves together in pursuit of success.
It was then that "VDP" undermined the idea of a three-way royal sprint to designate the Flandrian of the day. In the Kruisberg, 28 kilometers from Oudernarde, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor got up on the pedals. Pogacar followed, not Wout van Aert.
Efforts that the runner of the Alpecin-Deceuninck formation ended up paying for, he who had already lost strength earlier in the day. He was trapped twice by curbs in a very nervous peloton in the first part of the race, marked by an impressive fall caused by the Pole Filip Maciejuk, quickly disqualified. The five-time cyclo-cross world champion still had to dip into his reserves 37 km from the line to come back to the leading duo because of a chain jump at the foot of Taaienberg (0.5 km to 7.6 %).
“It was maybe my best Tour of Flanders. But I came across an unbeatable guy, said Van der Poel. I'm a little disappointed but Tadej was so strong today that I can live with this second place. »
He will therefore not pin a third Tour of Flanders on his list; a record held by the Belgians Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen, Eric Leman, Achiel Buysse, as well as the Swiss Fabian Cancellara and the Italian Fiorenzo Magni.
Just as we will have to wait to see a Frenchman succeed Jacky Durand, the last tricolor winner of the Round, in 1992. Third last year, Valentin Madouas, ill, quickly gave up. For his third participation, Julian Alaphilippe confirmed his current poor form. Victim of the big fall which put a good part of the peloton on the ground, he finished 51st.
"We'll see if I'll try Paris-Roubaix one day"
Tadej Pogacar continues to leave his mark on cycling. He already has "only" Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix to win to afford the five "monuments". What only Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck have achieved in history.
"Milan-San Remo is the hardest race to go for," he said after his victory. This year, I was in great shape but I will not give up. Roubaix? We'll see if I'll try one day, but I'll have to put on a few pounds first. »
There is little chance that he will start from Compiègne next Sunday, but the "hell of the North" will quickly become a must for the Slovenian "cannibal".
