The titanic fight between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday afternoon brought all cycling enthusiasts to the edge of their seats. The way the Dutchman beat his Slovenian rival in the sprint was a moment that will not soon be forgotten, according to the foreign newspapers.
“The announced duel between the two big favorites, Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu Van der Poel, did indeed happen on Sunday,” writes the French newspaper. L’Equipe† ,,But what happened in the last kilometer exceeded all expectations. Van der Poel won masterfully and can call himself the new king of Flanders. Pogacar as the great animator of the race didn’t even finish on the podium.”
The two-time Tour winner could only blame himself for that, according to the Spanish Mundo Deportivo† ,,Due to overconfidence, he finished in fourth place. Van der Poel started his sprint at exactly the right time and after 272 kilometers between Oudenaarde and Antwerp was able to raise his hands for his second victory in the Tour of Flanders.”
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Van der Poel and Pogacar entered the final kilometer with a large lead over Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas, but were almost parked on the road after that. “Under the rag began a chilling poker game,” writes The last news† ,,Pogacar forced Van der Poel to his head. The Slovenian debutant wanted to get out of the wheel during the sprint, but to his surprise saw Madouas and Van Baarle speed past 300 meters from the finish.”
The Belgian newspaper does not call Van der Poel, but Pogacar the best man in the race. But he doesn’t always win. He rode the perfect race for 272 kilometers, but got lost in the last 500 meters. Pogacar played high game in the final. That suits him, but he played into Van der Poel’s cards.”
View Mathieu van der Poel’s reaction.
Gazzetta dello Sport talks about ‘a finale of maddening tension’. ,,Van der Poel and Pogacar are symbols of a cycling sport without tactics. Their personalities are so overwhelming that their teammates are just out to get them safely to the point of confrontation.”
The Italian newspaper is short of superlatives for the 27-year-old winner. ,,Van der Poel is the icon of current cycling, of young riders with guts. Always riding without gloves, to feel his bike better. He is capable of extraordinary feats.”
The German kicker points out that Van der Poel had a hard time keeping the wheel of Pogacar deep in the final on the Paterberg. ,,After that, everything was ready for a blistering sprint final, in which Van der Poel bet better. He was victorious in the drizzle of Oudenaarde, while Pogacar went to the bus, cursing and fiercely frustrated.”
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