Favorite of the race, van Aert won for the first time this one-day race, counting for the world circuit (WorldTour) and disputed around Harelbeke over 204 kilometers with seventeen Flanders mountains to cross.
"We are having a fantastic team performance today," commented the Belgian champion, who scored his third win of the season after Het Nieuwsblad and the Paris-Nice time trial.
In two attacks on the steepest climbs, the strong man of the race provoked the final selection.
He produced a first sorting in the Taaienberg, 80 kilometers from the finish (Benoot, Laporte, Asgreen, Mohoric, Stuyven, Küng).
He carried the thrust in the Paterberg, 42 kilometers from the line, to keep the only Laporte with him.
The duo repeated the coup de force of the first stage of Paris-Nice (with Roglic) to then widen the gap on a group which counted up to two minutes behind.
For third place, the Swiss Stefan Küng surprised his companions in the last hectometres ahead of the Eritrean revelation Biniam Girmay and the winner of Milan-Sanremo, the Slovenian Matej Mohoric.
"They offered me victory at Paris-Nice (1st stage), today there was no question. Wout was the strongest, he dragged me a bit in the mountains with him , he deserves the victory", reacted Laporte who appeared on the line at the same time as his leader.
The 27-year-old van Aert confirmed his position as number one favorite for the Tour of Flanders.
To achieve his big goal, on April 3, he will have with him a strong Jumbo team, which showed its collective power on Friday with also the Dutchman Mike Teunissen and the Belgian Tiesj Benoot.
Especially since the Quick-Step formation of the outgoing winner, the Dane Kasper Asgreen, had to deal with the puncture of the French Florian Sénéchal just before the Paterberg and the decisive attack of van Aert, dominating.
"There was nothing to do against Jumbo", summarized Küng, one of the two Groupama-FDJ in the chasing group with Valentin Madouas (6th).
© 2022 AFP