Tour of Flanders 2022

The road

At the start

Antwerp, and the Ronde without Van Aert

Wout van Aert built his whole spring around today — Omloop, E3 and Gent-Wevelgem were all his — and on Friday night Jumbo-Visma confirmed that illness has taken him out of it. That leaves Mathieu van der Poel, winner at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, as the man to beat, with Tadej Pogačar riding his first Ronde and Tom Pidcock sharp behind. 272 kilometres from Antwerp, and the Kwaremont and Paterberg wait twice.

How it was won

1. 148 km to go

   Van Baarle and Wright slip away

   With the nine-man early break finally absorbed, Dylan van Baarle and Fred Wright get a small lead on the run towards the final circuit — the kind of move that either dies quietly or changes the race entirely.

2. 240 km to go

   Pogačar detonates the Koppenberg

   600 metres at 11.6%, ramping to 22%, on wet cobbles narrow enough to touch both walls. Pogačar accelerates and the front group simply comes apart. Only Madouas and Van der Poel can hold him over the top.

3. 328 km to go

   The trio catch the leaders

   Through the rapid-fire sequence of Steenbeekdries, Taaienberg and the Kruisberg, Pogačar's group hunts down Van Baarle and Wright. Five men now, and the Oude Kwaremont waiting.

4. 417 km to go

   Pogačar attacks the Kwaremont again

   2,200 metres of cobbles at 4%, steepening to 11.6%, lined ten deep. Pogačar had already split the group here on the previous ascent; this time he goes to break Van der Poel outright. He cannot. The Dutchman claws his way onto the wheel and only the two of them crest together.

5. 513 km to go

   Over the Paterberg together

   360 metres at 12.9%, ramping to 20.3% — the last climb of the Ronde, and the last chance to be rid of each other. Neither can do it, and they go over the top side by side with thirteen kilometres to the line.

6. 6At the line

   Van der Poel wins the sprint Pogačar had already lost

   The two watch each other and play games all the way to the finishing straight — and it costs them both. Madouas and Van Baarle come back with 250 metres left. Van der Poel still has the speed to win it; Pogačar gets boxed in, finishes fourth, throws an arm up in fury and rides straight off the finish area.

The result