For the second time in three editions, Tadej Pogačar left no room for doubt at the Tour of Flanders. The World Champion took matters into his own hands on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, pulling clear of a dwindling lead group to solo to victory in Oudenaarde with 1.01 in hand.
In doing so, Pogačar became the first rainbow jersey to win De Ronde since Peter Sagan in 2016, and showed again that when he’s in this kind of form, there’s little even cycling’s biggest names can do to stop him.
The 2025 Tour of Flanders took close to 40km before a breakaway was allowed to form. Eight riders finally gained a gap on the roads out of Bruges: Connor Swift, Elmar Reinders, Alessandro Romele, Sean Flynn, Timo Roosen, Rory Townsend, Marco Haller and Victor Vercouillie. They stretched their advantage to just over four minutes as the peloton settled into a rhythm ahead of the first cobbled climbs.
Trouble struck on a fast, straight stretch of road with 126km remaining. A crash rippled through the bunch, bringing down John Degenkolb, Tim Naberman, Alex Edmondson and others. All three abandoned with injuries. Mathieu van der Poel, Tim Wellens and Emīls Liepiņš were also involved—Van der Poel remounted quickly but had to expend energy getting back in position before the key climbs.
The race came alive for the favourites on the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont with 55km to go. Tadej Pogačar surged clear, drawing out Van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen and Matteo Jorgenson. It looked like a move that could shape the outcome, but the group was reeled back in before the Paterberg.
More reshuffling followed. On the Taaienberg, Pogačar attacked again, this time putting Van Aert and Jorgenson on the back foot, leaving just Van der Poel and Pedersen with him. That trio became a duo after the Oude Kruisberg, with Pedersen unable to match the pace.
On the approach to the final Kwaremont, however, Van Aert, Pedersen, and Jasper Stuyven bridged back. Van Aert immediately launched a move, trying to pre-empt the inevitable. But once the cobbles returned, Pogačar struck for the final time. His attack was sharp and committed, dropping Van Aert and distancing Van der Poel once and for all.
By the top, the gap was over 20 seconds. Despite a strong headwind and three elite riders chasing, Pogačar continued to extend his advantage over the final 17km. He crossed the line in Oudenaarde with a winning margin of 1.01.
Behind, Stuyven delivered the lead-out and Pedersen took full advantage to secure second, with Van der Poel just behind in third and Van Aert in fourth. It was the third consecutive solo victory at Flanders and a repeat triumph for Pogačar, who had to dig deep and wear down the best Classics riders in the world before finally breaking clear.
Photo Credit: GettyA tactical repeat – but harder fought than 2023
Pogačar had always intended to attack on the second time up the Oude Kwaremont, and he did, but unlike 2023 the move didn’t stick. That first burst merely served to reduce the contenders to a high-calibre quintet: Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven. But there was no clean break, no early solo exhibition. Not yet.
From then on, it was a race of attrition. Pedersen was dropped on the Oude Kruisberg. Then Van Aert, despite briefly gaining a gap by attacking before the final Kwaremont, was overhauled as Pogačar launched his decisive move just as the cobbles started again. From there, he didn’t look back.
“It was a tough one to figure out. I had to try on every climb and make it hard. I gave it all the last time on the Kwaremont and it worked,” Pogačar told reporters. “I wasn’t certain because I could also run out of energy, but I didn’t give up.”
With 17km to go, the elastic finally snapped. Van der Poel – ever the shadow all spring – cracked for good, and even with Pedersen, Van Aert and Stuyven working behind, the Slovenian’s gap only grew.
“It’s scary how much better he is,” said Daan Hoole after the finish. “You cannot do more than we did. He just stayed away into a headwind from four world-class riders.”
Pedersen wins sprint for second
Behind Pogačar, Mads Pedersen led a Lidl-Trek one-two in the chase group, rewarding Jasper Stuyven’s selfless lead-out to pip Van der Poel for second. It marked another strong performance from the Danish rider, who was quick to praise the victor.
“Tadej, the way he rides… he’s just on a completely different level than the rest,” Pedersen said. “We didn’t get any closer to him today. As a team, we have to be happy with the way we raced.”
Photo Credit: GettyVan der Poel reflects on third
For Van der Poel, third place was still a strong result given his recent illness and that crash with 126km to go.
“I think I was lucky not to have more damage,” the Dutchman said. “But I didn’t have the legs today. I needed to be at 110 percent, and I wasn’t.”
He admitted to feeling the after-effects of a cold picked up after E3, saying he had taken antibiotics in the lead-up. Despite the setback, he made no excuses.
“It certainly played a part, but I’m not going to use it as an excuse. Tadej was simply stronger.”
Van Aert fourth again, but encouraged
After a frustrating defeat at Dwars door Vlaanderen, Wout van Aert showed signs of resurgence. Though he missed the podium, he came away encouraged.
“It was a really cool battle for the podium,” Van Aert said. “I was just stuck there, and I have no regrets. Tadej was just stronger.”
Matteo Jorgenson and Tiesj Benoot also played key roles for Visma-Lease a Bike. Benoot made it into the early break, while Jorgenson was among the last riders to lose contact with the favourites.
“I just ran out of gas,” said Jorgenson. “Too many efforts trying to follow the big boys. But we raced well. The strongest won today.”
2025 Tour of Flanders Men result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
