Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took an astounding solo victory at the Tour of Flanders 2024 when he rode away from the field with 45km remaining to stretch out to a winning margin of 1:02.
Behind him, a two-man breakaway of Alberto Bettiol (EF Education–EasyPost) and Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) was caught on the finish line by a chase group from which Luca Mozzato (Arkéa – B&B Hotels) sprinted to second place and Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) took third.
Matthews was later relegated for dangerous sprinting, allegedly deviating from his line to not allow Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) to pass him, meaning that fourth-place finisher Pollit moved onto the podium.
Van der Poel was in a league of his own when he attacked on the Koppenberg ascent, with only Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) able to keep any semblance of pace with the World Champion. However, with 40km remaining, Van der Pel moved to a margin of over 30 seconds and was squeezing seconds out of Jorgenson every kilometre.
By the ascent of the Kwaremont, Van der Poel had extended his margin over Jorgenson, Pedersen, and the growing chase group, leaving the remaining 37km an informal victory procession.
“My season is already a success now,” Van der Poel said after the finish. “Winning the Tour of Flanders in the World Champion jersey is a dream come true, and I need a few moments to let it sink in.”
“It was just surviving today. It was the hardest one I’ve ever ridden. This weather that we had – the last 20km was almost with my eyes shut.”
“I haven’t thought about what has happened,” he continued. “The rain made the cobbled climbs so difficult. The Koppenberg was ridiculously hard – I was slipping and sliding all the way to the top. At the top, I had a nice gap. With this wind, it was pretty far to go alone. I did it but at the end the keg was empty.”
Speaking about the next few weeks of racing and the anticipation of another Monument win, Van der Poel said, “I cannot think about Roubaix yet.”
An exultant Mozzato also spoke after the finish. “Honestly, for me, a good result could be a top 20 or even a top 15,” he said. “I could dream of a top 10. But to be on the podium, for me, is just crazy.”
“In the end, I think I had the best day of my life, as the feeling on the bike was good.”
“I was also lucky in the Kwaremont. I was not in a good position in the peloton, and I had to gamble; someone else did the work to close the gap that was in front of me. I was lucky, but probably this bet paid off for me in the final 30-40km. At that moment, I felt well.
“Sometimes you have to be lucky and so I’m super happy with this.”
Van der Poel’s win has equalled numerous records, including joining only six riders who have ever won the Tour of Flanders three times.
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Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took an astounding solo victory at the Tour of Flanders 2024 when he rode away from the field with 45km remaining to stretch out to a winning margin of 1:02.
Behind him, a two-man breakaway of Alberto Bettiol (EF Education–EasyPost) and Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) was caught on the finish line by a chase group from which Luca Mozzato (Arkéa – B&B Hotels) sprinted to second place and Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) took third.
Matthews was later relegated for dangerous sprinting, allegedly deviating from his line to not allow Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) to pass him, meaning that fourth-place finisher Pollit moved onto the podium.
Van der Poel was in a league of his own when he attacked on the Koppenberg ascent, with only Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) able to keep any semblance of pace with the World Champion. However, with 40km remaining, Van der Pel moved to a margin of over 30 seconds and was squeezing seconds out of Jorgenson every kilometre.
By the ascent of the Kwaremont, Van der Poel had extended his margin over Jorgenson, Pedersen, and the growing chase group, leaving the remaining 37km an informal victory procession.
“My season is already a success now,” Van der Poel said after the finish. “Winning the Tour of Flanders in the World Champion jersey is a dream come true, and I need a few moments to let it sink in.”
“It was just surviving today. It was the hardest one I’ve ever ridden. This weather that we had – the last 20km was almost with my eyes shut.”
“I haven’t thought about what has happened,” he continued. “The rain made the cobbled climbs so difficult. The Koppenberg was ridiculously hard – I was slipping and sliding all the way to the top. At the top, I had a nice gap. With this wind, it was pretty far to go alone. I did it but at the end the keg was empty.”
Speaking about the next few weeks of racing and the anticipation of another Monument win, Van der Poel said, “I cannot think about Roubaix yet.”
An exultant Mozzato also spoke after the finish. “Honestly, for me, a good result could be a top 20 or even a top 15,” he said. “I could dream of a top 10. But to be on the podium, for me, is just crazy.”
“In the end, I think I had the best day of my life, as the feeling on the bike was good.”
“I was also lucky in the Kwaremont. I was not in a good position in the peloton, and I had to gamble; someone else did the work to close the gap that was in front of me. I was lucky, but probably this bet paid off for me in the final 30-40km. At that moment, I felt well.
“Sometimes you have to be lucky and so I’m super happy with this.”
Van der Poel’s win has equalled numerous records, including joining only six riders who have ever won the Tour of Flanders three times.