The road from Antwerp to Oudenaarde has seen many champions, but rarely has it witnessed a collision of talent as concentrated as Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. For the first time in a high-stakes one-day race, Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert faced off in a direct battle for the win—a rare alignment of the sport’s modern titans that ended in a familiar, clinical result.
Pogačar crossed the line alone, fist raised, securing his third victory in the race and his 12th career Monument success. The win cements his status as a generational anomaly, leading many in the paddock to describe the Slovenian as the Messi or Ronaldo of cycling, a rider whose ceiling appears to shift upward even as his rivals reach their own career peaks.
With this victory, Pogačar now sits second on the all-time leaderboard for wins in cycling’s five most prestigious one-day races. He has surpassed Roger De Vlaeminck and now trails only the legendary Eddy Merckx, whose total of 19 Monument victories long seemed untouchable. Even as the numbers are staggering, the manner of the victory—a solo 18km ride to the finish—suggests a gap in class that is becoming harder for the WorldTour field to ignore.
A masterclass in tactical aggression
The race was decided not by a lucky break, but by a calculated dismantling of the peloton. At 102km to go, UAE Team Emirates blew the race to pieces on the Molenberg. Florian Vermeersch led the charge, drawing 16 of the favorites into a select group, effectively isolating the contenders before the final climbs.
Pogačar’s move was a repetition of his successful strategies from 2023 and 2025. He launched his decisive attack on the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, a move that left almost everyone behind. Only Van der Poel and the debutant Evenepoel were able to maintain contact, though their resistance was short-lived.
On the subsequent ascent of the Paterberg, Pogačar dispatched Evenepoel, leaving himself in a man-against-man struggle with Van der Poel. Even in a direct duel, the Dutchman could not find an answer. Pogačar managed the gap with composure, eventually riding the final 18km solo into Oudenaarde.
“When you go to the biggest races of the year, you never can expect it to be simple, and today was really hard,” Pogačar said during the winner’s press conference. “All of the competitors were super strong, and everybody raced really aggressively. Everybody left everything out on the road today, and it was a beautiful race in the end.”
The burden of dominance
The psychological toll on Pogačar’s rivals is becoming a central narrative of the 2026 season. Van der Poel, who finished second, spoke of his own career-best shape and stunning power numbers, yet admitted he simply had to concede to a rider who is better. Evenepoel’s DS, Klaas Lodewyck, echoed this sentiment, noting that rivals simply have no answers for the Slovenian’s current form.
Pogačar maintains a 100% win record this season across Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, and the Tour of Flanders. When questioned about whether his dominance makes the sport less enjoyable for his competitors, Pogačar was candid but dismissive of the notion that his rivals should feel desperate.
“Maybe some people [do not enjoy it], and some people yes, I don’t know,” he said. He pointed out the disparity in their racing calendars, noting that while others race frequently, he has focused exclusively on the grandest appointments, having competed in only three race days so far this year.
The Chase for History
The pursuit of Eddy Merckx’s record is no longer a theoretical exercise; it is a tangible goal. To reach 19 Monuments, Pogačar must continue his current trajectory, but the immediate horizon holds an even more rare possibility. He is now positioned to turn into the first rider in history to win all five Monuments in a single season.
| Rider | Total Monument Wins | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Eddy Merckx | 19 | All-time Record |
| Tadej Pogačar | 12 | Active / 2nd Place |
| Roger De Vlaeminck | 11 | Retired |
Beyond the single-season feat, Pogačar is chasing the “career slam.” If he succeeds, he will be the fourth rider overall—and the first non-Belgian—to win Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Il Lombardia in a career. He is currently tracking these milestones via the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) official rankings.
The road to Roubaix
Despite the historical weight of the moment, Pogačar remains focused on the immediate future. He was quick to temper expectations regarding the remaining Monuments, stating, “It’s two out of five, now, let’s not secure ahead of ourselves. Let’s enjoy the moment, enjoy this victory today, go with motivation to Roubaix, and we’ll observe what happens.”
Paris-Roubaix represents the final major hurdle of the spring classics. While the flatter, cobbled terrain typically favors a rider like Van der Poel, Pogačar’s current form makes him an ominous prospect. Having finished second on his debut in 2025, he now possesses both the experience and the momentum to potentially conquer the “Hell of the North.”
The cycling world now waits to see if the “Messi of cycling” can complete the most dominant spring in the history of the sport. The next critical checkpoint will be the finish line at the Roubaix Velodrome in one week’s time.
Do you think Pogačar can catch Merckx, or is the record truly untouchable? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
