The Tadej Pogačar era rolled on at the Tour of Flanders, the world champion equalling the record for most victories at the race and claiming his 12th Monument with a typically devastatingly dominant solo win.
It’s only the second time this century that a men’s team has won Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders in the same season, Pogačar’s 2026 season so far simply: three races, three wins. Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders all ticked off, a maiden win at Paris-Roubaix next weekend now seemingly pivotal in deciding if the Slovenian can win all five Monuments, perhaps even in the same season.
Mathieu van der Poel was dispatched on the Oude Kwaremont, the gap 34 seconds by the finish, while debutant Remco Evenepoel finished third.
THREE FOR POGAČAR AT FLANDERS 🔥 A hat-trick in Flanders for the world champion, only Paris-Roubaix eludes him for a clean sweep 🫡 pic.twitter.com/yCgFAs4puH
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 5, 2026
“It was a crazy race,” Pogačar reacted afterwards. “I don’t race too much, so when I race there’s pressure to win. So far, everything went perfect so I can be more than happy. Next week I’ll be motivated and try to enjoy the cobbles.”
Pogačar joins an elite club of riders to have won the race three times, alongside Van der Poel, Fabian Cancellara, Lotte Kopecky, Tom Boonen, Johan Museeuw, Eric Leman, Fiorenzo Magni and Achiel Buysse.
His winning run has also now stretched into its seventh month, the World Championships time trial the last time Pogačar tasted defeat.
Today, from a front group consisting of the merged early breakaway and main protagonists, Pogačar, Van der Poel and Evenepoel distanced the rest on the penultimate ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen close but unable to follow. The Paterberg was then also too much for Evenepoel; Pogačar and Van der Poel going clear ahead of the Koppenberg.
The Belgian’s time trialling expertise saw him agonisingly close to regaining contact on numerous occasions after repeated protracted chases, but the duo’s power up front was just too tricky to bridge to.
Pogačar launched on the final ascent of the Kwaremont, his gap on Van der Poel immediate. However, by the top the gap was only six seconds, Van der Poel holding the advantage on the shallower top slopes.
TADEJ POGACAR GETS HIS GAP 😱
But Mathieu van der Poel isn’t too far behind on the Oude Kwaermont! 👀 pic.twitter.com/YJM7fFy0f5
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 5, 2026
The Slovenian doubled his advantage on the rolling roads before the Paterberg and had an advantage of 13 seconds heading onto the final climb of the race. That lead extended further on the vicious 20% slopes, Pogačar fighting off Van der Poel’s spirited chase on the flat finish to Oudenaarde.
In the women’s race, Demi Vollering took her first Tour of Flanders win after repeating the blueprint seen during the men’s race: an attack on the Oude Kwaremont before holding off the chasers over the Paterberg and run to the line.
Vollering’s advantage was even greater than in the men’s race, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Puck Pieterse sprinting for the podium places 42 seconds after the winner had crossed the line. It was Ferrand-Prévot who won that particular battle. Kopecky, who sits on three Flanders titles alongside Pogačar, Van der Poel and the rest was fourth.
Demi Vollering with a HUGE attack on the Oude Kwaermont.
The European champion is clear in Flanders. pic.twitter.com/80wbDeou5R
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 5, 2026
19 thoughts on “Dominant Tadej Pogačar equals Tour of Flanders record to continue perfect season”
super race
Great race, absolutely mad on Kwaremont
Excellent race and another extraordinary performance from the GOAT. On to important questions though, what was going on with the collar of Tadej’s jersey? For many kilometres it looked as though he was wearing a white neckerchief with a bit of material hanging down from his collar, then at some point he presumably tore or had it cut off, hence in the photo above most of the A in UAE is missing. What happened? He didn’t crash (that I know of, started watching from 120km to go), was MVDP or one of the other mere mortals trying to pull him back by the collar?
He’s unzipped his jersey a bit and the now-loose collar has flapped over, accounting for the apparently missing material and letter. You can see the black pull tab of the zipper hanging down from the bridge of the A.
But what was this weird flappy bit hanging out the top of his jersey earlier in the race?
IMG_0023
OK, try again…
There’s a slightly clearer picture here: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/tim-van-dijke-of-netherlands-remco-evenepoel-of-belgium-and-news-photo/2269906968
Don’t know what it is. I don’t think it is part of the jersey itself – maybe something stuffed down the front of the jersey with the bit sticking out to aid in easy retrieval/removal?
I think the “missing A” in UAE is just due to unzipping the jersey slightly and the super-stretchy material making it look like it is missing.
Actually another theory – looks like he was wearing a long sleeve jersey at the start of the race. Could he have taken that off and stuffed it down his short sleeve jersey, but left the end of a sleeve sticking out (deliberately or otherwise)? And dropped it at a convenient/permitted point later in the race?
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/remco-evenepoel-of-belgium-and-team-red-bull-bora-hansgrohe-news-photo/2269884492
Yes, could be his arm warners. Strange place to put them though and to use his argot one would have thought it would be super annoying to have that fluttering under one’s chin whilst racing.
I don’t think he was wearing arm warmers – from the start line pictures, it looks to me like he was wearing a full long sleeve jersey on top of his short sleeve jersey. So, unlike arm warmers which would probably have fitted in his pockets, stuffing the LS jersey down the front of his SS jersey might have been the best option.
Certainly possible, though one would have thought that a team leader of his status would hand that off for a teammate to carry and/or take back to the car.
An excellent race if you enjoy Pogacar riding away from everyone else and cruising to the finish line.
The fact that the most interesting that happened, apparently, is that there was a little tear in Pogacar’s collar suggests that this was not an exciting race.
For 94% of the race the world’s two best one-day racers were together testing each other to the absolute limit, with the next three best riders with them for a considerable time before that. The winner put in an incredible attack with 18km to go but even then it was in no way sewn up, with the second place coming in just 34 seconds down; the winner definitely didn’t cruise home. When people say it’s boring I think they really mean they’re fed up with the same person winning, if Pogacar and MVDP had been on bad days and that final battle had been Evenepoel versus WVA everyone would be saying it was amazing.
I think you have to accept that Pogacar is a once in a generation or lifetime great and enjoy watching him. Try to get to see him race in the flesh if you can.
His dominance won’t last for ever.
He is a cycling equivalent of Usain Bolt, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Shane Warne, Faith Kipyegon, Maradona, Pele.
I used to get fed up with seeing the West Indies dominating test cricket. What I wouldn’t give to be able to go and watch the likes of Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Ambrose and Walsh and Lara at Trent Bridge.
Paris Roubaix will be interesting. Potentially the hardest one for Pogacar to win. But who would bet against him?
If he wins what will be his next target apart from the TDF and World Champs?
The Vuelta? Cavendish’s TDF stage record? 2028 Olympic Road Race?
2028 will be an interesting choice for him (if he’s still racing, who’s to say that with potentially the most Tour wins, most WC wins and most Monument wins by then he might not have quit?) as although the rumoured road race course would suit him very well even with the Tour being moved to June as planned there will only be about five days between the end of the Tour and the road race to get to the west coast of the USA and acclimatise to the eight hour time difference with France, and the winner will surely be someone who didn’t ride the Tour.
I’m a little frustrated by the tactics of Remco and VdP; I can’t fathom why they contributed to the work when up the road with Tadej.
On one level it shows great self-confidence, but if you are up the road with the best rider in the world, with 50km to go, I’d be sitting on like a good’un.
There is no benefit to working… you’ve already demonstrated that you are the strongest three in the race, making a selection from the previous selection of the top 16 riders of the race. From this you can assume nothing is coming back to you, that’s not going to destroy themselves in the process… so you don’t need to work to protect your podium.
After Remco had dropped himself (sorry but he blatantly did) I was particularly puzzled as to why VdP continued to work. It was in his interest to have Remco with them, as it increased the potential jeopardy for Tadej. Maybe that was why VdP was pulling, to slow Tadej down and give Remco a chance.
Personally speaking, if I knew the strongest man in the race wanted to make it a mano-a-mano situation, I’d be doing everything possible to avoid that scenario. It won’t be long surely before people learn how to conquer the beast.
So for that plan to work you have to assume that Pogacar is going to be content for you to sit on for 50km whilst he tows you to the line and then, exhausted, lets you win a sprint. The man’s not stupid, if MVDP had sat on either Pogacar would have blown him away earlier, as he’s proved myriad times he can do, or let the chasing group reconnect, regathered his resources and made an even more deadly attack on the final climbs. Also, MVDP has won enough races from Pogacar to know that he’s not unbeatable and that if it was just the two of them he at least would have a chance if he could hang on and go into the finish two up – he is the superior sprinter. Refusing to take his turn would have done nothing but create ill will and quite possibly meant the return of the chasers (who were never so far behind that “nothing is coming back to you”) and the potential loss of second place.MVDP’s were exactly the right tactics, he just didn’t have the legs to see them out on the day.
Yes Rendel, you are right, if VdP had sat on, Pog would be left with the choice of; take VdP to the line and likely lose; make the effort to drop VdP earlier to avoid this, or sit up, wait to be caught and then reshuffle the deck.
All of the above choices are, in my opinion better for VdP than simply cooperating and waiting for the inevitable. But looking at those options in more detail;
– clearly Pog would never just let VdP sit on, so that idea is totally discounted – I’m sorry and slightly offended that you think I’m stupid enough to be suggesting as much
– get rid of VdP earlier. This is the likeliest of outcomes. Pog would either succeed or he wouldn’t. The earlier he tries, the fresher the VdP is to respond, the longer he leaves it the bigger the potential effort overlap, making it harder for Pog to make the difference.
Additionally, the earlier he tries and is successful, the higher the chances of others for groups to indeed come back together and potentially sort out an effective chase. Pog’s probably good enough to make it stick, but the risk is greater. VdP is still a shoe-in for second based on everything that has happened to date.
– Pog sits up and there is a regrouping – this is actually low risk for VdP as the race has already shown the hierarchy, he is second strongest, by a stretch. What does happen is that Pog has a more complex situation, and VdP more opportunities to save energy. VdP can also roll the dice, potentially away from one that is so stacked in Pog’s favour. I don’t think Pog would risk this, and would go for option 2.
Would Pog still be successful? More than likely, but VdP forcing Pog showing his hand earlier would (in my opinion) create a bigger opportunity for VdP than simply cooperating. That is, as you say, simply settling for second.
As an aside I’m not sure a little ill will is something you’d care about if a monument and history was on the line.