In the 110th edition of the Tour of Flanders, attention quickly turned to the demanding hilly section. As the riders hit the Wolvenberg, it was Laporte who made his move and helped open up the finale early on.

The race then completely exploded on the Molenberg. A group of favourites, including Laporte and Van Aert, created the first major split. On the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, Pogacar then put in a hard acceleration. Van Aert initially looked like he might be able to follow, but eventually had to let the favourites go.

The Belgian, however, did not give up and kept fighting in the chase, which ultimately resulted in a fourth-place finish behind Pogacar, who soloed to victory. Further back, Laporte also rode a strong race, finishing ninth.

“The legs did the talking today,” Van Aert reflected honestly afterwards. “I was well positioned going into the Oude Kwaremont for the second time, but in the end I just couldn’t hold on for long enough. At the end, I blew up a little, which is something I’m quite disappointed about.”

Van Aert still produced a strong finish in the chase. “Mads and I worked well together in the chase, after which I kept fighting all the way to the finish. I’m satisfied with my performance, but I had hoped for a better result.”

Head of Racing Grischa Niermann also reflected on today’s race: “Unfortunately, Wout just couldn’t quite go with them, but the pecking order was clear today. Pogacar was by far the strongest. Wout can be proud of the race he rode. There were simply three riders who were stronger. Christophe also rode a strong race.”