Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) basked in a day he will “never forget” after winning a maiden Tour of Flanders title on Sunday with a scintillating solo attack. The two-time Tour de France champion, who somehow contrived to finish fourth in a two-horse race in 2022, made his decisive attack on the penultimate climb – the Oude Kwaremont – distancing Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck) and quickly reeling in, and then passing, lone leader Mads Pedersen (Trek–Segafredo). Ad He crested the final climb – the Paterberg – with a 14-second lead over Van der Poel, leaving a 12km time trial into the finish in Oudenaard.