Llove soccer world champion? Or would you rather win the Tour of Flanders? For a little Flandrien, a Belgian boy, that’s a mean question, difficult to answer. It is said that anyone born in Flanders, in northern Belgium, does not need a cradle, they need a racing bike and their greatest goal is not the Tour de France, but the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
The Flemish celebrated the 106th edition as a national holiday on Sunday along the 273-kilometer route between Antwerp and Oudenaarde. After the Belgian favorite this year, Wout van Aert, had to pass on Friday due to a corona infection, the way was clear for a bitter duel between Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel (Team Alpecin-Fenix) and the Slovenian Tour-de -France winner Tadej Pogacar (Team UAE).
A duel that was open until 100 meters from the finish before van der Poel confused Pogacar with a delayed sprint, leading two riders who were 30 seconds behind and then won the race with a short acceleration while the Slovenia had to be content with fourth place.
Van der Poel, who had been out since January with a back injury, started the season at the classic Milan-Sanremo only two weeks ago and finished third straight away. “In the beginning it wasn’t even sure if I would make it to the classics,” he said now at the finish in Oudenaarde. “To win now is unbelievable.”
The “Ronde” is one of the five most important one-day races on the international racing calendar. Whether it’s the hardest, or whether Paris-Roubaix deserves this seal of pain is a matter of opinion. Depends on the capers of the weather, which way the wind blows, how fast the drivers make the race.
What makes the Tour of Flanders incomparable are, in addition to various cobblestone passages, 18 short, steep climbs, some of which have to be overcome several times. The so-called Hellinge are distributed on the track like little nasty little things, there to suck the energy out of the racers’ bodies, to gradually weaken them and finally to filter out the very best from the field of 165 drivers on the last loop of the day, so that they can make the decision among themselves.
Cobblestone spectacle: the Tour of Flanders
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Image: dpa
On Sunday, after around 220 kilometers, the race entered its decisive phase. Three slipways were waiting for the field: for the second time the Oude Kwaremont, the Paterberg, the Koppenberg. At the Kwaremont, the field of favorites caught up with the last escapees, including the brilliantly driving Cottbusser Max Kanter from the Movistar team. The pace was dictated by tour winner Pogacar, who used the poisonous climb for a first demonstration of his strength. Look here, his legs drummed, today I won’t fall behind at the preparation race Dwars door Vlaanderen like last week. Today I will win!
Elimination drive over slipways
Then came the Paterberg, a climb of the worst kind: 400 meters long, 360 meters of cobblestone, up to 20 percent steep. At the top it was still fifty kilometers to the finish. Next stop: Koppenberg. 600 meters, 22 percent steep. Two riders at the top. Dylan van Baarle (Team Ineos) and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) 25 seconds ahead of the group of favorites. Pogacar attacked again. And again van der Poel opposed it. Last year’s winner Kasper Asgreen (Quick-Step) lost the connection, a defect in the racing machine, that’s it for him.
37 kilometers to go. Pogacar, van der Poel and the Frenchman Valentin Madouas (Team Groupama-FDJ) had caught up with the two escapees, the field drove back a minute, the elimination race continued. Now two more nasties, and again the worst: the Oude Kwaremont and finally the Paterberg. At the Kwaremont, with 18km to go, Pogacar hit the gas again and there were only two left: the Tour winner and van der Poel shot wheel-to-wheel over the crest. Paterberg. 13 kilometers to go: Despite all efforts, Pogacar couldn’t get away. The legs were no longer drumming so loudly.
The winner screams his luck: Mathieu van der Poel after the finish line
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Image: AFP
Van der Poel went with him on the last flat kilometers. And in the sprint, it was to be expected that he would have the better cards. At least on paper. The poker began. Car number 91, Pogacar, against car number 81, van der Poel. Two kilometers to go, both still wheel to wheel. Another kilometer, 500 meters to go, van der Poel in front, but he almost stopped. Didn’t want to pull Pogacar in the slipstream for a long time. He let the 30 seconds that were behind Dvlan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) elapse, let them get up a hundred meters from the finish, and then started the sprint at the perfect moment. Pogacar found himself pinched by the chasing drivers and ended up just fourth. The Tour winner paid dearly. Van der Poel presented him in the final.
