The two men, who did not compete in the sprint, finished hand in hand with almost two minutes ahead of the third, the Belgian Sep Vanmarcke who settled the sprint of the group of pursuers.
Laporte is the fourth Frenchman to win this Flemish classic after Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Philippe Gaumont in 1997.
Second last year behind Eritrea's Biniam Girmay, Laporte, winner of a stage in the last Tour de France, signed between Ypres and Wevelgem, his best success in a one-day race.
Already victorious in Wevelgem in 2021, winner of the E3 Classic on Friday in Harelbeke where he dominated the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel and the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, Van Aert confirmed his favorite of the Tour of Flanders next weekend.
Contested in terrible weather conditions, in the wind and on wet roads, the race was played out in the ascent of Mount Kemmel 55 km from the line, the place chosen by Van Aert to place an already decisive acceleration that only Laporte could follow.
© 2023 AFP