Results E3 Saxo Classic 2026 | Incredible finale! Mathieu van der Poel completes hat-trick in the most dramatic style, surviving late four-man chase

Mathieu van der Poel has won the E3 Saxo Classic for the third year in a row, holding off a four-man chase after a long-range solo that came within seconds of being undone in the closing kilometres.

The Dutchman launched his decisive move on the Paterberg and spent more than 40 kilometres alone at the front, but what followed was far from a controlled ride to the finish.

Instead, a late surge from behind turned the finale into a tense, tactical standoff that was only resolved in the final metres.

Earlier in the day, a six-man breakaway featuring Stan Dewulf, Bastien Tronchon, Luke Durbridge, Sven Erik Bystrom, Nickolas Zukowsky and Michiel Lambrecht had established a steady advantage, with the peloton content to allow the move as the race built towards its decisive phase.

As expected, the race ignited on the Taaienberg. The first real selection formed there, with Van der Poel among those driving the pace before pushing on to bridge across to the leaders. From that moment, the race quickly escalated.

After making contact with the front group, Van der Poel wasted little time. On the Paterberg, he delivered the defining move of the race, accelerating sharply on the steepest section to distance Dewulf, the last rider able to follow. That attack proved decisive.

With the race fragmented behind and no immediate organisation in the peloton, Van der Poel committed fully to his solo effort, building an advantage over the Oude Kwaremont as the chasing groups struggled to organise themselves.

For much of the final phase, Van der Poel appeared to be in control. But inside the final 10 kilometres, the race shifted dramatically. A four-man chasing group formed behind, with Florian Vermeersch doing much of the work alongside Per Strand Hagenes, Jonas Abrahamsen and Stan Dewulf. The cooperation initially clicked, and the gap began to fall quickly.

From over half a minute, the deficit dropped to 20 seconds, then to single digits. With just a few kilometres remaining, Van der Poel was no longer clear. He was within sight, then within reach, his advantage reduced to little more than a handful of seconds as the elastic stretched to its absolute limit.

For a moment, the catch looked inevitable. But at the critical point, the chase faltered. As the four riders closed in, hesitation crept into their effort. The pace dipped, the cooperation broke down, and the final metres proved the hardest to close.

Van der Poel, completely spent, continued to push forward, holding onto the narrowest of margins as the line approached.

Behind, the chasers were left to look at each other. That brief hesitation proved decisive.

After more than 40 kilometres alone at the front, Van der Poel held on by seconds to seal victory and complete a remarkable hat-trick in Harelbeke.