The next race on the cobbled Classics menu of professional road cycling was the Ronde van Vlaanderen. The Ronde van Vlaanderen – also known as the Tour of Flanders - was the second Monument race on the 2025 cycling race calendar. The race organizers had chosen a 269-kilometer route from Bruges to Oudenaarde for Ronde van Vlaanderen 2025.

The start list of Ronde van Vlaanderen included race favorites such as World Champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), defending race champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Magnus Sheffield (Ineos-Grenadiers), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Arnaud Demare (Arkea B & B Hotels), Michael Matthews (Jayco-Alula), and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), who had taken a surprise victory in Dwars door Vlaanderen a few days earlier, beating a Visma-Lease a Bike trio in a sprint across the finish line.

The riders from the professional road cycling peloton gathered in Bruges under sunny skies for the start of the race, which was expected to culminate in a memorable and fierce contest between riders from the greatest cycling teams.

The hostilities started early in the race, and it did not take long before riders started launching attacks from the front of the peloton. It did, however, take more than 35 kilometers of intense racing for a breakaway group to form. The first breakaway group featured Elmar Reinders (Jayco-Alula), Connor Swift (Ineos-Grenadiers), Marco Haller (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) Alessandro Romele, Rory Townsend (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Victor Vercouillie (Team Flanders-Baloise), and the Picnic-PostNL duo Timo Roosen and Sean Flynn.

Race favorites such as Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, and Mads Pedersen were expected to launch fierce accelerations later in the race, where it would prove hard for other riders to maintain the same pace. Some competing teams were, therefore, deploying race tactics, which would position their riders in breakaway groups, from which riders could join the favorites later in the race. Other teams were choosing to save energy by hiding deep within the peloton, thereby hoping to preserve the power needed to be able to launch successful chase efforts from chase groups after the main favorites had made their moves later in the race.

Hoping to make the leap to the breakaway group, riders were still attacking from the front of the main peloton when fifty kilometers of Tour of Flanders 2025 had been contested. Riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck and UAE Team Emirates were monitoring the action at the front of the main peloton, while Groupama-FDJ riders were playing third fiddle behind them.

The riders in the breakaway group had fought their way to a four-minute advantage when 193 kilometers remained of today’s classic. A chase duo had formed, which featured Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost) and Jens Reynders of Team Wagner Bazin WB. Mikkel Bjerg and Silvan Dillier were leading the chase effort in the main peloton.  

Walker and Reynders were reeled in by the chasing peloton when 162 kilometers remained of the cobbled race. The mood was increasingly hectic and nervous at the front of the main peloton, where the main favorites were increasingly active as the riders were approaching the Oude Kwaremont and other cobbled climbs to follow. Riders from EF Education-EasyPost, Intermarche-Wanty and Tudor Pro Cycling Team had joined UAE Team Emirates and Alpecin-Deceuninck at the front of the peloton.

The riders were approaching the Oude Kwaremont climb while riding a very fast pace. The Oude Kwaremont often influenced the race outcome, so the fight for positions was intense. 

Alessandro Romele attacked from the front group and formed a gap on the Oude Kwaremont. Meanwhile, two major crashes occurred in the main peloton as the riders were approaching the climb. 

Riders from Lidl-Trek and UAE Team Emirates were leading the main peloton as it conquered the Oude Kwaremont. The Kwaremont climb was the longest, but not the steepest climb and its profile appealed to both Pogacar and van der Poel. It would be climbed three times in the race.

The first passage of Oude Kwaremont did not cause any significant changes within the main peloton and the breakaway group now had an advantage of more than four minutes.

Visma-Lease a Bike riders transported team captain Wout van Aert to the front of the main peloton when 130 kilometers of the race remained. The team was now joining the chase effort.

Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe also moved to the front. Jhonathan Narvaez crashed at high velocity. The lieutenant from UAE Team Emirates was important for Tadej Pogacar. He got back on his bike, but his cycling clothes were torn.

Race favorite Mathieu van der Poel crashed with several other riders at high speed. He initiated a chase effort with teammates, while John Degenkolb (Team Picnic-PostNL) was forced to abandon the race.

The riders were now climbing the Eikenberg. The climb caused splits in the peloton at a time when van der Poel had regained contact with the rear part of the peloton.

The breakaway group featured eight riders when 120 kilometers remained to the finish line. The group’s advantage had been reduced to 02:45 minutes. Riders from Lidl-Trek and Tudor Pro Cycling Team were intensifying the action at the front of the main peloton on the Holleweg cobbles.

Molenberg was the next cobbled climb on the race menu. Its narrow roads made it important for the race favorites to be positioned well at the front of the peloton from the very beginning.

Davide Ballerini built a small lead on the climb. Neilson Powless accelerated from the front of the main peloton, but the other race favorites and team captains responded immediately. 

Tiesj Benoot and Stefan Küng joined Ballerini, but their advantage over the main peloton was small. Meanwhile, the advantage of the breakaway group had been reduced to 01:35 minutes.

Other riders joined the Benoot-Ballerini-Kung group, and the group increased its advantage.

A second counterattack group was formed between the Benoot-Ballerini-Kung group and the peloton. The second chase group featured Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek), Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers, and Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling Team).

The Benoot-Ballerini-Kung group merged with the Ganna-Trentin group before the Berendries. The united chase group later caught the front breakaway group. The fourteen frontmen pressed on together while the main peloton was chasing one minute behind while being spearheaded by riders from UAE Team Emirates. 

Valkenberg was next on the climbing menu. The hill featured steep sections of more than twelve percent. 

The front group had built an advantage of 01:20 minutes when it reached the Berg Ten Houte climb. Riders from UAE Team Emirates were still maintaining the chase effort in the main peloton.

The race was slowly reaching its decisive phase with sixty kilometers left to ride. Riders from Visma-Lease a Bike were leading the main peloton onto the Oude Kwaremont climb – a climb that again would suit Pogacar and van der Poel very well. Attacks were anticipated and it was the second time the Kwaremont was climbed in today’s race. Mads Pedersen, Neilson Powless, Tadej Pogacar, and Mathieu van der Poel were all present at the front.

Florian Vermeersch attacked on the Oude Kwaremont and Tadej Pogacar responded. 

Pogacar was at the front of a five-man group, followed by Mads Pedersen, Van der Poel, Matteo Jorgenson, and Wout van Aert.

The Paterberg was next on the menu. Van der Poel and Pogacar built a gap to the chasers, where Mads Pedersen was the first to initiate a challenge to bridge the gap. Pedersen closed the gap. Matteo Jorgenson and Jasper Stuyven also joined the group as did Wout van Aert. The six riders were now chasing the seven-man front group, which included Benoot, Hoole, Kung, Ballerini, Ganna, Trentin, and Haller. Less than fifty kilometers remained of Ronde van Vlaanderen 2025.

The riders entered Koppenberg, and the speed was intense. Pogacar accelerated with van der Poel on his wheel. 

Benoot, Küng and Ballerini were the only riders who remained part of the front group following the Koppenberg. Behind them Pogacar and van der Poel were chasing with Filippo Ganna and Matteo Trentin. Mads Pedersen, van Aert, Jorgenson, Hoole and Haller were a few seconds further behind.

The two chase groups merged with the front group, and Mads Pedersen immediately attacked solo. Wout van Aert bridged the gap, and the other riders closed as well.

The riders were 39 kilometers from the finish line in Oudenaarde and nine men were now in front. The group was racing at maximum speed. They entered Taaienberg. Pogacar attacked again but van der Poel and Pedersen joined him. They had a lead of eleven seconds over a chase group that featured Van Aert, Benoot, Jorgenson, Stuyven, and Küng.

Wout van Aert attacked solo from the chase group hoping to make the leap to the Pogacar-Pedersen-van der Poel front trio. He failed. Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Matteo Jorgensen then tried. Thirty kilometers remained of today’s cobbled classic.

Pogacar attacked on the Kruisberg and van der Poel followed, but Pedersen got dropped. Van Aert caught Pedersen on the climb as did Pedersen’s teammate Jasper Stuyven.

Van der Poel and Pogacar were surprisingly caught by Pedersen, Stuyven, and van Aert with 22 kilometers remaining. The five-man group were approaching the Oude Kwaremont, which they had to climb for a third time. All riders were preparing for attacks on the climb, where the race had often been decided.

Benoot, Jorgenson, and Küng were chasing twenty seconds behind.

Wout van Aert attacked from the front group as it approached the Oude Kwaremont. He was caught. This was not the best day for the popular Belgian rider. Tadej Pogacar attacked on the Kwaremont and dropped van der Poel and all other riders. The Tour of Flanders was now turning into a Pogacar one-man show. The Slovenian rider was flying over the cobbles in his World Champion rainbow jersey.

Pogacar was still solo in front of the race when the riders reached the Paterberg. At this point he had a lead of twenty-four seconds. Just twelve fast kilometers remained.

Pogacar kept pushing the pedals and appeared to possess endless energy. He had an advantage of forty seconds when five kilometers remained of a fast chase race towards the finish line. Behind him Van der Poel, van Aert, Pedersen and Stuyven were chasing, but the quartet was not gaining time on the frontman. No attacks were being launched from the group.

Stuyven attacked from the chase group shortly before the kilometer mark. Van der Poel responded.

Tadej Pogacar crossed the finish line in solo fashion as winner of Ronde van Vlaanderen 2025 for UAE Team Emirates. What a remarkable performance from the World Champion. 

The four chasers reached the finishing meters together. Mads Pedersen launched his powerful sprint with 300 meters left. The Great Dane took second place for his Lidl-Trek team. Mathieu van der Poel completed the race podium by finishing third, while Wout van Aert finished fourth, and Jasper Stuyven fifth. 

“The goal was to win as World Champion and I cannot be prouder of the team today and how we raced despite our bad luck having lost riders in the crashes,” race winner Pogacar told Roadcycling.com after the finish. 

“The plan was to go from the Kwaremont. We made it and we stuck to the plan. We never gave up and kept coming back during the race. With the shape I’m in right now I should definitely give Paris-Roubaix a try,” Pogacar explained.

Will Tadej Pogacar also win Paris-Roubaix 2025? Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com find out next Sunday.

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