Highlights: Reusser takes thrilling win in photo finish

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Tadej Pogacar has admitted that the Tour of Flanders may be out of his reach if rival Remco Evenepoel can get his way in the race.Evenepoel, riding for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe this season, is finally making his debut in Belgium’s biggest one-day race, having confirmed his participation after months of speculation.

Both Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) have dominated the last 10 Monuments, splitting the prestigious one-day races between them dating back to the 2024 race in Flanders.

Pogacar most recently conquered Milano-Sanremo, but with Evenepoel making his Flanders debut, could the duopoly be broken?

“With Remco, you never know. He can attack in the most random places. That means you always have to be ready,” Pogacar said in a press conference ahead of the race on Sunday.

“If you let him lead with a few seconds’ advantage, it might become impossible to catch him.”

The Tour of Flanders has not been won by a Belgian since Philippe Gilbert in 2017, and the last time a rider not named Pogacar or Van der Poel won the race was in 2021.

It is the first time the trio of Pogacar, Van der Poel, and Evenepoel will face off in a one-day race in their team colours.

But Pogacar is also thankful for Evenepoel’s inclusion, and is even hopeful that his attacking nature will open up the race much earlier.

“From my point of view, it is good to have a rider like Remco on board,” Pogacar added. “He always wants to attack from far out and can ride a great race on Sunday.

“When I watch races on television, I love seeing Remco attack from afar. But when you’re riding along yourself and just have a bad moment… then I like it less. Remco can become an extra stress factor in the race.”

Evenepoel’s involvement is a rather significant U-turn after he previously made it clear he would be absent and focus on the Volta a Catalunya, with a programme built around another tilt at the Tour de France.

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Evenepoel gives update after crash and aims subtle dig at Vingegaard

Video credit: TNT Sports

But a crushing defeat to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in Catalunya and a bizarre crash inside the final 500m of a stage scuppered his plans and seemingly exposed his stage‑race credentials.

Evenepoel was asked for years by former Soudal Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere to race the Tour of Flanders, and now in his first season with Red Bull, he has made the decision to finally give it a go.

How to watch the Tour of Flanders?The men’s race will be live on TNT Sports 3 and HBO Max. Coverage begins at 08:30 UK time, with the action getting underway half an hour later.Coverage of the women’s race begins at 14:00 on TNT Sports 4 and HBO Max. 

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