Tadej Pogacar denied rival Mathieu van der Poel a record fourth Tour of Flanders title when the Slovenian won the second Monument of the season in Belgium for the second time in his career on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Pogacar, who skipped the 2024 edition to focus on a Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double, had won the Tour of Flanders in 2023.
Second in the 268.9-km race, which started in Markt in Bruges and concluded in Minderbroedersstraat in Oudenaarde, was Dane Mads Pedersen with Belgium-born Van der Poel coming third to complete the podium.
Pogacar delivered a devastating 19-km solo attack from the Oude Kwaremont climb and there was no doubt about the outcome as he crossed the finish line with his arms outstretched in celebration.