Wout van Aert snatches victory at E3 Saxo Classic as Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar attacks fail
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) got his rewards for suffering up and down the cobbles as he defended his title at E3 Saxo Classic after an absorbing scrap with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). Despite being distanced on the climbs under pressure from his two superstar rivals, the elastic never fully snapped, allowing the Belgian to latch back on before winning a three-up sprint in the dress rehearsal for the Tour of Flanders on April 2. Ad “I really wanted to focus on the sprint and try to stick to one plan,” said Van Aert.


