Attacking from start to finish, the Slovenian became only the third rider in the more than century-old history of his sport to have won both the Tour de France (twice) and the "Ronde", joining in this very closed club the Frenchman Louison Bobet and the Belgian Eddy Merckx.

And he did it by taking care of the show, as often, by flying in the last ascent of the Old Quaremont, 17 kilometers from the finish, to cross the finish line alone, sixteen seconds ahead of the outgoing winner, Mathieu van der Poel.

In a sign of the Slovenian rocket's relentless dominance, the Dutchman, who was also crowned in 2020 on the Ronde, said, as an absolute tribute: "It was perhaps my best Tour of Flanders. But I came across an unbeatable guy."

Mathieu van der Poel took second place in the Tour of Flanders behind Radej Pogacar on 2 April 2023. "It was maybe my best Tour of Flanders. But I came across an unbeatable guy," commented the Dutchman © DAVID PINTENS / BELGA / AFP / Archives

"It's a day I'll never forget. I could retire now and look back on my career with pride," commented the mischievous "Pogi" who pushed away with a polite but firm hand, the tray of fries that he was offered barely the finish line crossed.

"Take a few pounds"

The other big favourite, the Belgian Wout Van Aert, had just passed it, to a disappointing fourth place, almost a minute and a half later, beaten by the Dane Mads Pedersen who settled the small chasing group in the sprint.

Pogacar knew he had to go alone to avoid the same mishap as last year when, for his first participation and having already shown himself the strongest, he was dominated in the sprint by Van der Poel, leaving even Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas to jump him on the line.

On Sunday, he ran to perfection, tormenting his opponents in each of the mountains, before stunning the competition definitively on the slippery cobblestones of Vieux Quaremont and Paterberg, to go alone to the finish.

Tadej Pogacar (left) on the attack during the Tour of Flanders on April 2, 2023. The Slovenian ran to perfection, torturing his opponents in each of the mountains, before stunning the competition definitively on the slippery cobblestones of Vieux Quaremont and Paterberg © DIRK WAEM / BELGA / AFP / Archives

His success, his tenth already this season in only sixteen days of racing, puts him a little more in the category of superstars of his sport.

Double winner of the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, he now has four Monuments in his musette - more than any other rider in activity - adding to Sunday's Round his victories in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2021 and the Tour of Lombardy in 2021 and 2022.

Of the five biggest classics on the calendar, he only has Milan-Sanremo, where he finished fourth a month ago, and Paris-Roubaix to conquer.

By winning the Tour of Flanders on 2 April 2023, Tadej Pogacar won the fourth Monument of his young career at the age of 24, after two Tours of Lombardy and a Liège-Bastogne-Liège. © ERIC LALMAND / BELGA/AFP/Archives

Only one man managed to win the five Monuments and the Tour de France: Eddy Merckx.

"Sanremo is the hardest race to go for. This year, I was in great shape but I'm not going to give up. Roubaix? We'll see if I try one day but I'll have to gain a few kilos first," joked the Slovenian who does not rule out discovering the "queen of classics" in the years to come, but not next weekend.

Falls

On Sunday, he won at the end of a very lively race, marked by numerous falls and contested at a crazy pace, the fastest in history (44.1 km / h), in the grayness and cold, in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators.

One kid in particular caused chaos in the peloton when the Pole Filip Maciejuk, wanting to climb back into the first positions, slipped into the wet grass on the low side to come and make a "strike" that mowed down forty riders.

Tim Wellens, caught in the incredible crash caused by Poland's Filip Maciejuk, during the Tour of Flanders, April 2, 2023. The Belgian suffers a broken collarbone © Jan DE MEULENEIR / BELGA / AFP / Archives

Bowling forced several riders to retire, including Peter Sagan and Tim Wellens, Pogacar's lieutenant at UAE, who suffered a broken collarbone.

The penalty quickly fell for Maciejuk, who was knocked out of the race by the stewards.

On the French side, Valentin Madouas, third last year and very ambitious for this 107th edition, had to throw in the towel after a hundred kilometers because of stomach aches.

It was finally Christophe Laporte, Van Aert's teammate at Jumbo, who finished best Frenchman (14th), ahead of Benoît Cosnefroy (16th) and Anthony Turgis (17th) while Julian Alaphilippe finished in a disappointing 51st place.

© 2023 AFP