Tour of Flanders champion Tadej Pogačar under police investigation for red light breach
Tour of Flanders winner Tadej Pogačar is among several riders being investigated by Belgium police after they ran a red light at a railway crossing during the prestigious cycling race. The incident occurred on Sunday night when boom gates descended, but not before approximately 20 riders, including Pogačar, slipped across despite multiple warning signals to stop.
Chaos at the railway crossing
The train crossing caused significant chaos during the event, with most of the field getting caught behind the boom gates as the train passed. Pogačar explained that the riders were not given sufficient warning to make stopping a realistic option. "Suddenly, three guys jumped in the middle of the road and started waving to stop. How can you stop in one second," he said. "I was thinking maybe it’s some protesters or something crazy is going on."
Legal consequences and race impact
The East Flanders public prosecutor's office confirmed it would follow up on the riders' breach of road safety rules. "The offenders will be identified and a report will be filed," the local prosecutor's office stated. Although running the red light did not yield rewards, as race organisers forced the group to slow down and wait for the peloton to catch up after the train passed, the lead pack was allowed to continue racing, opening a gap of nearly two minutes.
Pogačar commented on the situation, saying, "The rule is a little bit weird. I don’t know why they don’t stop the breakaway, stop us and then restart normally like it should be. In the end, no complaints."
Pogačar's triumphant victory
Despite the setback, Pogačar fought back to win the Tour of Flanders for a record-equalling third time with a dominant solo effort against a world-class field, further cementing his place in cycling lore. From the UAE Team Emirates-XRG team, he and his great one-day classic rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) were the strongest in the pack on Sunday.
They rode together at the front, having dropped all other contenders along the gruelling route with about 18 kilometres remaining when van der Poel launched an attack in the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. Pogačar's move last year on the same climb had proved decisive, but this time van der Poel was not immediately dropped and managed to limit the gap to just a few seconds at the top of the hill.
Van der Poel, however, could not close the gap, and Pogačar gradually extended his lead, redoubling his effort on the Paterberg, a short but brutal cobbled climb with gradients exceeding 20 per cent. That proved too much for van der Poel, a three-time winner of the race, who lagged 15 seconds behind at the summit.
Once he realised he would not be caught, the four-time Tour de France winner sat up, raising his arms in triumph and punching the air as he crossed the line 34 seconds ahead of van der Poel. "It was really a crazy race today," Pogačar said. "It was super hard and then a bit of a waiting game."
Race details and broader context
On his Tour of Flanders debut, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished third, one minute and 11 seconds off the pace, ahead of Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike). Pogačar and van der Poel were mobbed by photographers and warmly hugged each other after the finish.
In the women's race, FDJ Suez rider Demi Vollering won for the first time. Like Pogačar, she attacked in the Oude Kwaremont and finished 42 seconds ahead of Tour de France champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, with Puck Pieterse completing the podium.
Also known as De Ronde (The Tour), the Tour of Flanders is one of cycling's most challenging one-day races and was first held in 1913. This year's 278-kilometre route featured 16 short but punishing climbs and several cobblestone sections.
The race 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-Bastogne-Liege, and the Giro di Lombardia. Pogačar triumphed at Milan-San Remo for the first time earlier this year and could win all five this year. The only Monument missing in his impressive trophy cabinet is Paris-Roubaix, which takes place next weekend.
Pogačar has won all three races he competed in this year, also claiming the Strade Bianche last month. "I don’t race too much, when I race there is pressure to win," he said. "So far, everything went perfect for me. I can be more than happy, coming next week to Roubaix, I’ll try to enjoy the cobbles."
