Mathieu van der Poel sprints to victory in men's 2022 Tour of Flanders
The Dutchman won a tactical finale in Oudenaarde which saw Tadej Pogacar wait too long and finishing fourth, as Lotte Kopecky secured a home win in the women's race.
Cycling Road
It came down to a game of tactics.
Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel held on for victory as Slovenian rival Tadej Pogacar missed out in a thrilling finish to the men's 2022 Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium, on Sunday (3 April).
Van der Poel and Pogacar had pulled away with 15km to go, but the tactical sprint to the finish – which was not launched until 250m to the line – saw the leaders caught and Pogacar lose out in a four-way race.
"It's incredible, I worked so hard for this one. I was not even sure if I would get to the Classics," said van der Poel who has only recently returned from a back injury and knee surgery.
"On the Kwaremont and Paterberg I was really trying to hold the wheel of Tadej. He was really strong up there, especially the Paterberg... I was on the limit. I got the legs back working and focus strong for the sprint."
Van der Poel's compatriot Dylan van Baarle took second place while Frenchman Valentin Madouas edged Pogacar for the last spot on the podium.
It had been van Baarle and Fred Wright in the lead with 45km to go as the race climbed the feared Koppenberg for the last time, when Pogacar and van der Poel attacked from the chase group.
Defending champion Kasper Asgreen suffered a mechanical on that climb, ending his race hopes, before Pogacar, van der Poel, and Madouas caught the two leaders with three ascents left in the race.
In a race also notable for the absence of Wout van Aert, who would have been a favourite but withdrew after testing positive for Covid-19, all eyes were unsurprisingly on van der Poel and two-time Tour de France champ Pogacar.
The pair moved clear on the final ascent of the Kwaremont, and it appeared that Pogacar had distanced his Dutch rival on the last climb of the race on the Paterberg.
But van der Poel found an extra kick to hang on to Pogacar's wheel, and the two worked together to get to the final kilometre.
However, neither launched an early sprint, allowing the chasers – which by now included Stefan Küng and Dylan Teuns – to close the gap. When van der Poel finally accelerated for the line with 250m to go, van Baarle and Madouas were back in the picture.
And while the race favourite held strong, van Baarle and Madouas blocked in Pogacar who was left to rue his mistake of not attacking the finish.
Home joy for Lotte Kopecky in women's race
Lotte Kopecky edged out Olympic time trial champion Annemiek van Vleuten to become the first Belgian woman to win on home soil in 12 years.
Kopecky saw out the sprint best to beat van Vleuten with another Dutchwoman, Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, in third.
2022 Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour of Flanders result
Provisional men's result
- Mathieu van der Poel (NED), Alpecin-Fenix, 6 hours 18 minutes 30 seconds
- Dylan van Baarle (NED), Ineos Grenadiers, same time
- Valentin Madouas (FRA), Groupama-FDJ, same time
- Tadej Pogacar (SLO), UAE Team Emirates, +2 seconds
- Stefan Küng (SUI), Groupama-FDJ, +2 seconds
- Dylan Teuns (BEL), Bahrain Victorious, +2 seconds
- Fred Wright (GBR), Bahrain Victorious, +11 seconds
- Mads Pedersen (DEN), Trek-Segafredo, +48 seconds
- Christophe Laporte (FRA), Jumbo Visma, +48 seconds
- Alexander Kristoff (NOR), Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, +48 seconds
Provisional women's result
- Lotte Kopecky (BEL), SD Worx, 4 hours 11 minutes 21 seconds
- Annemiek van Vleuten (NED), Movistar, same time
- Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (NED), SD Worx, +2 seconds
- Arlenis Sierra (CUB), Movistar, +40 seconds
- Marlen Reusser (SUI), SD Worx, +40 seconds