Simply the best: Pogačar rules wild Tour of Flanders
Slovenian has won three of the five Monuments
Photo by:
Sirotti
There were wild crashes, a Canadian in the day’s breakaway, and a classic meeting of the Three Tenors–Wout Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar–all combining to fashion an engrossing second Monument of the season, the 107th Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders. Pogačar left everyone behind on the third passage of the Oude Kwaremont to add Flanders to his two Il Lombardia and one Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument titles. He’s only the third rider to ever win a Tour de France and a Ronde after Louison Bobet and Eddy Merckx.
Introduction
The Big Three first took swings at each other this season in Milan-San Remo, where van der Poel was crowned champion, Van Aert made the podium and Pogačar came fourth. In the E3 Saxo Classic, the order on the podium was Belgian, Dutchman and Slovenian. So far, Van Aert’s French teammate Christophe Laporte has bossed Flanders Week, taking Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen.
The Canadian contingent: Guillaume Boivin was ninth in Dwars door Vlaanderen. His teammate Hugo Houle was on the start line, as was Q36.5’s Nick Zukowsky.
Starting in Brugge instead of Antwerp, the 2023 edition was 273.4 kilometres, the longest Ronde for 25 years. There were six sections of cobbles and 19 climbs, the final six packed into 30 km. But don’t discount the climbs before the final six. Last season things began to simmer on the Berendries. Valkenberg, Berg Ten Houte and the Kanarieberg are also good places to attack. By the final two climbs, Oude Kwaremont (2 km of 4.4 percent) and Paterberg (400 metres of 8.8 percent), the selection will have been made and this elite group will dig at each other. Coming off the Paterberg, it’s 13.3 km to the finish line in Oudenaarde.
??? ???? ?? ????????
The 107th edition of #RVV23 is about to start!
19 hills – including the Taaienberg, Koppenberg, Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont – and 6 cobblestone stretches are on the menu of the longest edition (273.5km) in the last 25 years. pic.twitter.com/a5nUr5PybI
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) April 2, 2023
Houle was part of an octet of breakaways that went clear early (so was Daan Hoole). On the way to the first of three passages of the Oude Kwaremont, there was a huge crash caused by a Bahrain-Victorious rider. Tim Wellens and Peter Sagan were forced to abandon and the Polish rider that caused the carnage, Filip Maciejuk, was disqualified.
On the Molenberg, with 100 km to go, a strong group containing Kasper Asgreen, Mads Pedersen, Matteo Trentin and Nathan van Hooydonck skipped clear of the peloton. On the Berg Ten Houte, the two groups merged 2:00 ahead of the peloton and Houle had 18 confederates. Before the second trip up the Oude Kwaremont, the gap was 3:00.
Just before Oude Kwaremont II, Houle crashed out of the escape group. Pogačar’s UAE-Emirates drove into its foot and the Slovenian attacked, cresting ahead of a handful of chasers including Van Aert, Laporte, van der Poel and Tom Pidcock. Pogačar climbed Paterberg I alone, but first Laporte made it over and then the Van Aert pursuit caught them. Now the favourites had the Petersen breakaway 1:30 up the road with 44 km remaining.
The Koppenberg decanted the favourites group down to the Three Amigos, Pedersen’s gap continuing to shrink on the consecutive cobbled sectors to follow. Van der Poel suffered a mechanical at the foot of the Taaienberg and had to boogie to catch up. The Kruisberg is where Pedersen decided to ditch his breakmates.
Van der Poel cracked Van Aert on the Kruisberg. The Slovenian was equal to it but Van Aert had van Hooydonck drop back to work for him. Van der Poel and Pog joined the remnants of the breakaway, Pedersen carrying on alone out front.
On Oude Kwaremont III, Pogačar bid the Dutchman et al farewell. He moved through Pedersen.
Van der Poel and Pedersen chased Pogačar on the Paterberg. But there would be no denying Pog his beautiful win. Van der Poel finished 16 seconds later. Pedersen nipped Van Aert for the final podium spot.
Houle was top Canadian in 66th.
2023 Ronde van Vlaanderen
1) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) 6:12:07
2) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:16
3) Mads Pedersen (Denmark/Trek-Segafredo) +1:12
66) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +11:23
93) Guillaume Boivin (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +14:10
