Van der Poel wins Flanders for record-tying third time

OUDENAARDE, BELGIUM — World champion Mathieu van der Poel was untouchable in tough, rainy conditions Sunday as the Dutch rider claimed a record-equaling third win at the Tour of Flanders cobbled classic, one of cycling’s most challenging one-day races. In the absence of several rivals, Van der Poel was the favorite from the start and met expectations in style with a long-range attack in a brutal climb.

The Tour of Flanders is one of the “monuments” of cycling — the five most prestigious one-day events in the sport — along with Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-BastogneLiege and the Giro di Lombardia.

Elisa Longo Borghini won the women’s race to claim a second title following her 2015 victory in Flanders. She won a sprint ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma and Shirin van Anrooij.

Van der Poel attacked from a group of contenders in the ascent of the

Koppenberg, with about 28 miles left in the race. Ivan Garcia Cortina, the lone remaining breakaway rider, had a mechanical problem and was swallowed on the cobbles made slippery by the rain. Most of the riders had to dismount and walk up the iconic climb while Van der Poel used immense power to reach the top of the hill first, then destroyed the field.

Van der Poel opened a huge gap as he continued his solo effort in the remaining climbs. Van der Poel joined a group of riders with the most Tour of Flanders wins (3), along with Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara. Luca Mozzato was the best of the chasers to clinch second place, ahead of Nils Politt after Michael Matthews was relegated from third to 11th following a jury decision.

GEERT VANDEN WIJNGAERT/ASSOCIATED PRESS An exuberant Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands holds his bike up at the finish line after winning the Tour of Flanders for the third time in Oudenaarde, Belgium, on Sunday.