Oudenaarde (Belgium) (AFP)

Le Ronde turned to the expected showdown: Mathieu van der Poel won the Tour of Flanders, his first Monument, ahead of his eternal rival Wout van Aert on Sunday in Oudenaarde, south of Ghent.

The duo, escaped with the world champion Julian Alaphilippe, who fell heavily by hitting an organization's motorcycle, fought for the victory in the sprint, won by Mathieu van der Poel, 34 years after his father Adrie.

The two huge favorites of this Round broke away at the initiative of an attack by Alaphilippe about forty kilometers from the finish.

Only Mathieu van der Poel followed him.

The Belgian Wout van Aert, who had missed this decisive running movement, made the effort alone and joined the trio on the paved slope of the Taaianberg.

The energy expended at that time, combined with his harmless fall just over a hundred kilometers from the line, arguably cost him the victory.

Van Aert, ideally placed in second position in the last kilometer, started the sprint without managing to surprise the Dutchman.

In the last hectometer, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor, elbows to elbows with Van Aert, nibbled the few centimeters ahead of his lifelong rival.

The one with whom he shared the last six world cyclo-cross titles (three each).

- Alaphilippe, attack and fall -

The story could have been different without the fall of Julian Alaphilippe, who was playing his first Tour of Flanders: slower than the other two in the sprint, the French puncher would have been forced to go on the offensive.

He was already the one who really started the race in the Koppenberg 45 lengths from the end with an acceleration that skimmed the peloton to just thirty units.

But, while isolated up front with the duo, the rainbow jersey wearer slipped over his bike, falling heavily on his back, after hitting an organization motorcycle 35 kilometers away. of arrival.

Alaphilippe, eliminated, van der Poel and van Aert took turns without attacking to settle their accounts in the sprint a week after the Belgian's criticism of MVDP.

"Apparently, he prefers that I lose rather than win himself. He may have forgotten that I have already won a lot" had launched after Gand-Wevelgem van Aert, unhappy with the special treatment he received from Mathieu van der Poel.

The Norwegian Alexander Kristoff, the fastest in the counter group, completed the podium like last year, when he was ahead among the beaten ... Mathieu van der Poel.

Despite his fourth place, it was already the son of Adrie van der Poel, winner of the Round in 1986, who had made the strongest impression.

- Unrecognizable round -

Falling after a puncture 50 kilometers from the finish, he had gone up alone the riders scattered over the mountains of the Flemish Ardennes to find the leading group, without following the decisive attack by Alberto Bettiol.

Sensation of the year 2019, he won in the Amstel Gold Race, his first big success on the road.

He confirmed Sunday, at 25, by winning in the Tour of Flanders, conclusion of this classic season, turned upside down by the Covid-19, after the cancellation of Paris-Roubaix, scheduled for the following Sunday for health reasons.

A context that washed out on the great mass of Belgian cycling, deprived Sunday of its million faithful on the side of the road.

Spectators were banned from the start, finish, mounts and paved sections, gatherings limited to four people elsewhere.

Without the usual raging silhouettes on its edges, Old Quaremont was unrecognizable.

Not enough to slow down an imperturbable van der Poel, regardless of the audience or van Aert's words.

© 2020 AFP