World champions Kopecky and Pogacar win Tour of Flanders
The Tour of Flanders cycle race was won by two reigning world champions on Sunday. In the women's race, Belgian favourite Lotte Kopecky took a third win in this classic race, becoming the first woman to win three titles. In the men's race, Tadej Pogacar won Flanders' Finest for the second time in his career.
Pogacar is the seventh male reigning world champion to triumph in the rainbow jersey at the Tour of Flanders. The 26-year-old Slovenian laid the foundations of his second win by responding to an attack by Belgian favourite Wout van Aert on the final climb of the Oude Kwaremont hill. Pogacar opened up a gap on the rest there and was able to continue alone to Oudenaarde.
“I couldn't be prouder,” said a beaming Pogacar in the flash interview. “I'm really super happy to win the Ronde van Vlaanderen in this jersey.”
Behind him, Dane Mads Pedersen won the sprint for second place, ahead of previous winner Mathieu van der Poel from the Netherlands. Van Aert fell just short of the podium in fourth place.
Third triumph
In the women’s race, Belgian favourite Lotte Kopecky also managed to win in the rainbow jersey. After 168.9km, she crossed the finish line first after a sprint against Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot , German Liane Lippert and Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma.
Kopecky is the first woman to win the race three times, having previously won in 2022 and 2023. “That record doesn't mean that much to me at the moment,” the 29-year-old said afterwards. "I'm especially super happy that I was able to win today in the rainbow jersey. That now means more to me than that third time."
#FlandersNewsService | Lotte Kopecky and Tadej Pogacar on the podium after winning the Tour of Flanders © BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS
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