George Hincapie is stunned by how it ended: \u201cI was really surprised they were caught. We\u2019re talking about two of the strongest riders in the world with more than 40 seconds. Normally that\u2019s enough, especially with a tailwind.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mathieu](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/e3saxoclassic-mathieuvanderpoel-4-69c7c5f6ba8fb.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n
Mathieu van der Poel clung on dramatically to win the E3 Saxo Classic 2026<\/p>\n
Bruyneel, however, adds a key tactical nuance: \u201cI think the big mistake was dropping Florian Vermeersch on the final ascent of the Kemmelberg. If the three had stayed together, they would have made it to the line for sure.\u201d He also suggests Van der Poel didn\u2019t fully empty the tank: \u201cAfter the race there was talk that maybe Van der Poel wasn\u2019t at 100%. That makes sense if you know you\u2019ve got Philipsen behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team factor and collective intelligence<\/p>\n
Beyond individual strength, collective work proved decisive. Jasper Philipsen\u2019s team played its cards with precision. Spencer Martin sums it up: \u201cHaving Van der Poel up the road and Philipsen tucked in the chase is impressive teamwork. And both are big stars who embrace that dynamic.\u201d Bruyneel reinforces the point by underlining peloton logic: \u201cTeams without a rider ahead had to chase. Either you race for the win or you settle for third.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Philipsen factor: the most complete sprinter<\/p>\n
The debate over the best current sprinter arises naturally after his victory.<\/p>\n
Johan Bruyneel is unequivocal: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say who\u2019s the best sprinter, but I\u2019d say he\u2019s the best when it really matters. After hard races, in Classics, at the Tour\u2026 he\u2019s always there.\u201d Hincapie agrees on his range: \u201cHe can win in Sanremo, podium in Roubaix, and be in the mix in Flanders. He\u2019s undoubtedly one of the most complete sprinters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pogacar and the Tour of Flanders: clear favourite<\/p>\n
The focus shifts to Tadej Pogacar and his chances in Flanders, where consensus is almost unanimous. Bruyneel is forthright: \u201cIf everything goes as expected, Pogacar wins solo. It\u2019s a tougher race than anything we\u2019ve seen so far and I don\u2019t see who can follow him.\u201d He adds a crucial point: \u201cIf you can\u2019t stay on his wheel in Sanremo, where drafting is easier, then in Flanders, after a war of attrition, it will be even harder.\u201d Hincapie, while leaving room for tactical uncertainty, recognises his superiority: \u201cWhat he did in Sanremo is something we\u2019d never seen. It\u2019s hard to argue with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Aert and his progression<\/p>\n
Another key thread is Van Aert\u2019s recent trajectory, as he seems to be regaining top form. Hincapie calls it clearly: \u201cHe was the only one able to follow Van der Poel on the Kemmelberg. He\u2019s getting better with every race.\u201d Bruyneel adds context: \u201cWhat he did in Sanremo was also impressive. After the crash, to come back and finish third says a lot about his current level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volta a Catalunya: Vingegaard in control<\/p>\n
In Catalunya, the spotlight falls on Jonas Vingegaard, whose dominance was clear. Bruyneel sums it up: \u201cLogic prevailed. We saw his level at Paris\u2013Nice, but here he was even better.\u201d On one of his standout displays: \u201cOn the first mountain stage, he was outstanding. And in the next, he simply attacked and held the gap.\u201d George Hincapie adds an inside-the-race view: \u201cIt was a brutal race. As soon as they hit the coast the peloton shattered completely. Nothing like it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The evolution of modern cycling<\/p>\n
Finally, they reflect on the upward trend across the peloton. Bruyneel explains: \u201cEvery year the level rises a bit, maybe one or one and a half percent. That\u2019s why comparing climb times makes no sense: conditions are always different.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recent Classics are showing a clear tactical shift: less unanswerable individual dominance and more ability from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,110286,99800,101,8782,110664,56,54,55,8783],"class_list":{"0":"post-506292","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-johan-bruyneel","10":"tag-mathieu-van-der-poel","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tadej-pogacar","13":"tag-tour-of-flanders","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom","17":"tag-wout-van-aert"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}