Pogacar dominates flanders for record-equalling tour victory

Slovenian sensation Tadej Pogacar asserted his dominance on the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders, equalling Eddy Merckx's record of three wins in the prestigious one-day classic.

Pogacar drops van der poel to claim decisive victory

Pogacar, the world champion and reigning Tour de France champion, delivered a devastating attack on the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont climb with 57km to go, dropping his main rival Mathieu van der Poel and virtually securing the win.

Van der Poel, one of the greatest cobbled classics specialists of all time, had been pushing the pace but couldn't match Pogacar's explosive acceleration. The Slovenian then powered away on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, cresting with a six-second advantage that proved insurmountable.

Pogacar's victory takes him level with Merckx on three Flanders wins, while the double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel held on for third place ahead of Wout van Aert.

With 12 Monument victories now to his name, Pogacar has cemented his status as one of the all-time greats of the sport, trailing only Merckx's 19 in the overall standings.