Results Tour of Flanders 2026 | Tadej Pogacar shatters rivals on Kwaremont to defeat Van der Poel and Evenepoel in relentless Monument battle

Tadej Pogacar has won the 2026 Tour of Flanders after delivering a decisive attack on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, riding clear to a dominant solo victory in Oudenaarde.

In a race defined by disruption, constant pressure and repeated accelerations across the Flemish climbs, the world champion proved strongest when it mattered most, dropping Mathieu van der Poel before extending his advantage all the way to the finish, with Remco Evenepoel completing the podium on his debut.

The race opened at high speed, with attacks flying from the flag before a sizeable breakaway finally established itself. Among those up the road were Silvan Dillier, Connor Swift, Luke Lamperti and Frederik Frison, and they quickly built an advantage that stretched beyond five minutes as the peloton hesitated behind.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG took responsibility for controlling the race through Mikkel Bjerg, whose long spell on the front gradually began to reduce the deficit. That early structure was disrupted by a railway crossing incident which split the peloton and forced a temporary neutralisation. Riders were brought back together, but the interruption broke the rhythm of the race and created a disjointed opening phase.

Once racing resumed fully, the breakaway still held a significant advantage, but the pace in the peloton began to rise steadily as positioning battles intensified ahead of the cobbled sectors.

As the race moved onto the cobbles, the tension immediately translated into incidents. Connor Swift crashed heavily in the breakaway after clipping a kerb, briefly losing contact before attempting to return. In the peloton, further crashes and mechanical problems disrupted the flow, while Gianni Vermeersch was forced to stop with a puncture at a crucial moment before the Eikenberg.

Bjerg’s long effort eventually came to an end, leaving Pogacar with reduced support as the race approached its first real sequence of climbs. Despite the continued presence of the breakaway, the gap began to fall more sharply as teams fought for position into the Eikenberg and beyond, signalling the start of a more aggressive phase.

The race took on a different shape on the Molenberg, where Florian Vermeersch forced a hard tempo that began to split the peloton. From there, the composition of the race changed rapidly. A reduced group of favourites began to form, featuring Pogacar, Evenepoel, Van der Poel and Van Aert, while others were already being distanced.

Behind, the peloton fragmented into smaller groups, while the early breakaway started to lose riders one by one as the pace increased behind them.

On the Berendries and following sections, the gap to the leaders shrank further, and the race began to settle into a pattern of repeated accelerations and brief stabilisations, with no team able to fully control proceedings.

The sequence through Berg Ten Houte and the following climbs added another layer of pressure. Pogacar and Evenepoel were particularly active, repeatedly riding near the front and testing the legs of those around them. Van der Poel remained composed, often sitting slightly behind but always in position, while Van Aert was forced to expend energy moving back into contention after earlier positioning difficulties.

A large leading group eventually came together, merging remnants of the breakaway with the favourites to form a sizeable front group of around 25 to 30 riders.

From there, attacks began to come more frequently. Florian Vermeersch anticipated with a move alongside Connor Swift and Rick Pluimers, briefly gaining ground before the situation was brought back under control.

The pace continued to rise on the Nieuwe Kruisberg and Hotond, where the key contenders all rode prominently at the front, marking each other closely as the race approached its decisive phase.

The race exploded on the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. Pogacar launched a powerful acceleration, immediately putting the field under pressure. Van Aert was the first to respond, glued to the Slovenian’s wheel, while Van der Poel and Evenepoel fought to bridge across after a brief gap opened.

That move formed the decisive quartet, with the four strongest riders of the race now clear.

However, the effort had already taken its toll. In the closing metres of the climb, Van Aert began to struggle and was forced to let the others go, turning the front of the race into a leading trio of Pogacar, Van der Poel and Evenepoel.

On the Paterberg, the tension between the remaining three immediately became clear. Evenepoel attempted to assert himself early on the climb, but Pogacar responded instantly, moving past and forcing the pace once again. Van der Poel followed, while Evenepoel began to lose ground in the steepest section.

Over the top, Pogacar and Van der Poel were clear, with Evenepoel left to chase behind. The gap fluctuated over the following kilometres. At times Evenepoel appeared to be closing, reducing the deficit to within a handful of seconds, but each acceleration from the leading pair forced him back again.

On the Koppenberg, Pogacar once again applied pressure, stretching the elastic further. Evenepoel lost ground on the steep cobbles, cresting the climb around 20 seconds down, while Van der Poel managed to hold the wheel.

Across the following climbs, including the Taaienberg and Oude Kruisberg, the race settled into three distinct battles. At the front, Pogacar and Van der Poel worked together, maintaining a high pace to keep Evenepoel at bay. Behind them, Evenepoel continued to chase alone, at times reducing the gap but never quite able to complete the bridge.

Further back, Van Aert and Pedersen fought for fourth place, with the Belgian eventually gaining the upper hand. Despite moments of hesitation between Pogacar and Van der Poel, the cooperation was sufficient to keep the gap stable, and at times even extend it, particularly on the flatter sections where they could rotate effectively.

The race was ultimately decided on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. Pogacar attacked even before the cobbled section began, immediately forcing Van der Poel onto the limit. This time, the Dutchman could not respond.

Metre by metre, the gap opened. By the time they reached the top, Pogacar had a small but decisive advantage.

From there, the gap only grew. Within minutes, Pogacar had extended his lead to 15 seconds, then 25, and eventually to around half a minute as he powered towards the Paterberg and into the final kilometres.

Van der Poel continued to chase at full commitment but was unable to make any inroads, the gap instead edging further out as Pogacar maintained his effort on both climbs and flat roads. Behind them, Evenepoel settled into third place after an aggressive and impressive debut, while Van Aert secured fourth ahead of Pedersen.

With five kilometres remaining, the outcome was no longer in doubt. Pogacar rode alone into Oudenaarde to claim victory, sealing another Tour of Flanders title with a performance built on sustained aggression, precise timing and the ability to break his rivals when it mattered most.