Mathieu van der Poel surges to E3 Saxo Classic victory after dropping Mads Pedersen on the Oude Kwaremont

Dutchman untouchable in West Flanders after distancing Pedersen and Filippo Ganna on decisive climb

Mathieu van der Poel
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Mathieu van der Poel stormed to a second successive victory at the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday after dropping Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) on the Oude Kwaremont.

Pedersen fought valiantly in his attempts to close down the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, although the Dane faded as Van der Poel powered on in the grey drizzle of West Flanders and continued his fine early season form after winning Milan-San Remo.

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Tom Thewlis
News and Features Writer

Tom has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine.

Since joining the team, he has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the World Championships in Glasgow. He has also covered major races elsewhere across the world. As well as on the ground reporting, Tom writes race reports from the men's and women's WorldTour and focuses on coverage of UK domestic cycling.

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