Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar has won yet another historic race, this time the 2023 Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders.
Riding solo to the line, Tadej Pogačar took the top step of the podium over second-placed Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) with Mads Pedersen third.
The victory is the 56th for the Slovenian rider, and his 10th in 2023.
Pogačar was speechless, and eventually said he had no words to describe the race.
“The work from my team was amazing,“ he went on to say. “It’s a day I will never forget, especially after last year’s disappointment,” (he was out-sprinted to the line.)

“I had a good day today,” he added. “Matteo was in the front in a perfect position and at the end I could say it was one of the best races ever for me.
“I knew that, if I wanted to go solo, the Oude Kwaremont was the right place where attack, so I gave my best and I succeeded in dropping the opponents, then I almost cracked on Paterberg: I was aware it would have been tough, but it was the only way for aiming for the victory.
“The Oude Kwaremont is the hill that suites me the most, I approached it with a high speed on the cobbles already suffering, I gave pure power until the top. In the end it was beautiful.”

Results
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 6:12:07
2. Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +16”
3. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) +1’12”