UAE Team Emirates star Pogacar maintains winning run in Fleche Wallonne triumph

UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar kept up his incredible form with victory in the Fleche Wallone in Belgium on Wednesday.

The two-time Tour de France winner clinched his 12th victory of the season on the infamous Mur de Huy climb at the finale. The 1.3-kilometre hill, which comes at the end of the 194km race, is one of the most feared climbs in cycling, with sections as steep as 17 per cent.

The Slovenian timed his charge in final kilometre perfectly to clinch the victory, with Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo) in second place and Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious) in third.

Pogacar received great assistance from his fellow riders in the Emirati team. They controlled the pace of the peloton and neutralised a three-rider breakaway in the final section of the race.

Pogacar was led to the front on the approach of the Mur and then controlled his opponents, before making a charge in the final 200 metres.

After the race Pogacar said: “I left it all on the final climb, it’s so hard but it’s a spectacular finish. The work of the team made the difference, it gives me a lot of morale when my teammates do such an amazing job and today their work gave me an extra motivation.

"There were moments in which the race was nervous, I also almost crashed, but the team did a very good job, keeping me in the front.

"We were aware that we would have needed to pull the peloton from the beginning, it was all on us to make the race demanding in the end and it was as planned.

"You never get bored of crossing the line first. I enjoyed that today and I am really grateful I am living this moment now with such great shape, I am trying to exploit it as much as I can. Liege-Bastogne-Liege will be a different race, with longer climbs. I have a good