OUDENAARDE, Belgium (AP) — Tadej Pogačar added another prestigious victory Sunday by winning the Tour of Flanders for a record-equaling third time with a dominant solo effort against a world-class field, further cementing his place in cycling lore.

Pogačar, from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG team, and his great one-day classic rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) were the strongest in the pack. They rode together at the front having dropped all other contenders along the grueling route with about 18 kilometers remaining when the world champion launched an attack in the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont.

Pogačar’s move last year on the same climb had proved decisive, but this time van der Poel was not immediately dropped and managed to limit the gap to just a few seconds at the top of the hill.

Van der Poel, however, could not close the gap and Pogačar gradually extended his lead, redoubling his effort on the Paterberg, a short but brutal cobbled climb with gradients exceeding 20%. That proved too much for van der Poel, a three-time winner of the race, who lagged 15 seconds behind at the summit.

Once he realized he would not be caught, the four-time Tour de France winner sat up, raising his arms in triumph and punching the air as he crossed the line 34 seconds ahead of van der Poel.

“It was really a crazy race today,” Pogačar said. “It was super hard and then a bit of a waiting game.”

On his Tour of Flanders debut, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished third, 1 minute, 11 seconds off the pace, ahead of Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Pogačar and van der Poel were mobbed by photographers and warmly hugged each other after the finish.

FDJ Suez rider Demi Vollering won the women’s race for the first time. Like Pogačar, she attacked in the Oude Kwaremont and finished 42 seconds ahead of Tour de France champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, with Puck Pieterse completing the podium.

Also known as De Ronde (The Tour), the Tour of Flanders is one of cycling’s most challenging one-day races and was first held in 1913. This year’s 278-kilometer (172.7-mile) route featured 16 short but punishing climbs and several cobblestone sections.

The race is one of the “monuments” of cycling — the five most prestigious one-day events in the sport — along with Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia.

Pogačar triumphed at Milan-San Remo for the first time earlier this year and could win all five this year. The only Monument missing in his impressive trophy cabinet is Paris-Roubaix, which takes place next weekend.

Pogačar has won all three races he competed in this year, also claiming the Strade Bianche last month.

“I don’t race too much, when I race there is pressure to win,” Pogačar said. “So far, everything went perfect for me. I can be more than happy, coming next week to Roubaix, I’ll try to enjoy the cobbles.”

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

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