Source : ABC NEWS
Cycling great Tadej Pogačar has added another prestigious victory by winning the Tour of Flanders for a record-equalling third time after a train crossing split the field in the one-day classic race.
Slovenia’s Pogačar made it through as the boom gates came down at a level crossing and completed a dominant solo effort against a world-class field, further cementing his place in cycling lore as one of eight three-time winners in the race’s 113-year history.
Also known as De Ronde, the Belgian race is one of the “monuments” of cycling — the five most prestigious one-day events in the sport — along with Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia.
Pogačar, from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG team, and his great one-day classic rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) were the strongest in the pack, although van der Poel and fellow contender Wout van Aert were among those stopped around the 212-kilometre mark by a passing train while Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel carried on in a lead group of about 20.
Loading Twitter content
Race officials told the leading group to slow down to allow the peloton to catch up, but the incident raised questions over UCI rules as it appeared the leaders ignored red lights, which could lead to disqualification.
In a similar incident at the 2006 Paris-Roubaix, Leif Hoste, Peter Van Petegem and Vladimir Gusev were disqualified and stripped of their second-, third- and fourth-placed finishes.
The European Broadcasting Union reported railway operator Infrabel criticised the cyclists’ actions while the East Flanders Public Prosecution Service confirmed plans to legally prosecute the riders, citing the case as a severe traffic violation, which could attract thousands of euros’ worth of fines.
The peloton stopped due to a train crossing the route about three-quarters of the way through the race. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)
After the field regrouped, van der Poel rode with Pogačar at the front and they dropped all other contenders with about 18 kilometres remaining in the gruelling 278-kilometre route, before world champion Pogačar launched an attack in the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont.
Pogačar’s move last year on the same climb had proved decisive, but this time van der Poel was not immediately dropped and managed to limit the gap to just a few seconds at the top of the hill.
Van der Poel, however, could not close the gap and Pogačar gradually extended his lead, redoubling his effort on the Paterberg, a short but brutal cobbled climb with gradients exceeding 20 per cent.
That proved too much for van der Poel, himself a three-time Ronde winner, who lagged by 15 seconds at the summit and ultimately crossed the line 34 seconds behind four-time Tour de France winner Pogačar.
Demi Vollering (left) won the women’s race and Tadej Pogačar took the men’s title for the third time. (Getty Images: Billy Ceusters)
“It was really a crazy race today,” Pogačar said.
“It was super hard and then a bit of a waiting game.”
On his Tour of Flanders debut, Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished third — a minute and 11 seconds off the pace — ahead of van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) a further 53 seconds back.
FDJ Suez rider Demi Vollering won the women’s race for the first time.
Like Pogačar, she attacked in the Oude Kwaremont and finished 42 seconds ahead of Tour de France champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, with Puck Pieterse completing the podium.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon was the best-placed Australian, crossing in a group with Liv AlUla Jayco teammate Mackenzie Coupland 6:53 back in 23rd and 36th.
Five other Australian women did not finish.
In the men’s race, Luke Durbridge crossed in 99th, 11:38 behind Pogačar, along with teammate and compatriot Kelland O’Brien. Sam Welsford and Jarrad Drizners did not finish.
AP
