Tadej Pogacar Claims Historic Third Tour of Flanders Victory to Equal All-Time Record

Tadej Pogacar won the 110th Tour of Flanders on April 5, 2026, crossing the finish line solo in Oudenaarde after 278.2 kilometers to claim his third victory in the Belgian cobblestone classic. The Slovenian rider, who competes for UAE Team Emirates XRG, launched the decisive attack on the Oude Kwaremont 17 to 18 kilometers before the finish, dropping his last remaining rival, Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech. Van der Poel finished second, 34 seconds behind Pogacar. Remco Evenepoel, riding for Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, completed the podium in third place, 1 minute and 11 seconds back, in his debut appearance at the race. The victory was Pogacar's third win at the Ronde after previous successes in 2023 and 2025, equaling the record shared by seven other riders including van der Poel himself.

„It was a crazy race. It was very hard very early on.” — Tadej Pogacar via N-tv

Tour of Flanders 2026 — key race moments: — ; — ; — ; —

Van der Poel predicted his own defeat before the start Van der Poel had arrived in Antwerp seeking a fourth Tour of Flanders title, which would have given him the sole victory record at the race. Before the start, he acknowledged that Pogacar was "a level above everyone else" and that it would be "very hard to beat him." The race unfolded largely as van der Poel had forecast. After the railway barrier incident neutralized part of the peloton roughly 70 kilometers into the race, the field regrouped and UAE Team Emirates XRG took control. Florian Vermeersch raised the pace 101 kilometers from the finish, splitting the field, and a prominent chase group formed containing van der Poel, Evenepoel, and Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek. Pogacar and van der Poel then rode together for much of the finale before the Slovenian's acceleration on the Oude Kwaremont proved decisive.

„A level above everyone else. It will be very hard to beat him.” — Mathieu van der Poel via N-tv

The Tour of Flanders, known in Dutch as the Ronde van Vlaanderen, is one of cycling's five Monument classics. The race is defined by its cobbled climbs in the Flemish Ardennes, with the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg serving as the traditional decisive points in the finale. Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland was the last rider before Pogacar to successfully defend the title in Flanders, achieving that feat in 2014. Van der Poel had won the race in 2020, 2022, and 2024 before Pogacar's back-to-back victories in 2025 and 2026.

Evenepoel's cobblestone debut draws Belgian crowd in Oudenaarde Evenepoel's performance drew considerable attention given that it marked his first appearance at the Ronde. The 26-year-old Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe rider briefly closed to within four seconds of Pogacar and van der Poel at the foot of the Koppenberg, a climb reaching gradients of up to 22 percent, before the two leaders extended their advantage again on the ascent. Evenepoel then rode the final 50 kilometers alone in third position, completing the race to a reception from Belgian fans in Oudenaarde. Team boss Ralph Denk, who had positioned himself on the Paterberg for the finale, described the day as a great battle.

„It is a great battle.” — Ralph Denk via Die Welt

Twelfth Monument puts Pogacar second on all-time list The victory was Pogacar's 12th Monument title, moving him into sole second place on the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx, who holds the record with 19 Monument victories. Pogacar had also won Milan-San Remo two weeks before the Tour of Flanders, and his current run of consecutive Monument victories stretches back to Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia the previous year. Only a victory at Paris-Roubaix, scheduled for the following Sunday, would complete what commentators have described as a Career Grand Slam of all five Monuments. Pogacar finished second on his Paris-Roubaix debut the previous year, behind van der Poel, despite a crash during the race. The Slovenian stated that he does not compete in many races and that the season was going perfectly so far.

19 (Monument victories) — Eddy Merckx all-time record, Pogacar now second with 12

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