Tadej Pogačar was probably watching from his couch today. And the World Champion is officially on high alert the Tour of Flanders 2026.

Mathieu van der Poel just delivered a terrifying masterpiece at the E3 Saxo Classic. The Dutch superstar secured his third consecutive victory in this race. It serves as the ultimate warning shot ahead of the biggest goal of the spring.

The Tour of Flanders is next Sunday. And Mathieu is clearly ready for war.

A 64 Kilometer Solo

Van der Poel did the unthinkable on the Belgian cobbles. He launched a devastating solo attack with 64 kilometers left to race.

The fireworks started on the Taaienberg. Tim van Dijke opened the finale and Mathieu immediately jumped on his wheel. They bridged across to an intermediate group. Then Van der Poel decided he was done waiting. He went completely solo on the Boigneberg to hunt down the early breakaway.

He caught the leaders right before the Paterberg. Then he dropped them straight on the climb. By the time he hit the Oude Kwaremont, the flying Dutchman was gone.

But this was not a simple parade to the finish line. It turned into an absolute thriller.

Florian Vermeersch suffered a heartbreaking mechanical issue earlier in the day. The UAE Team Emirates rider had to swap bikes at the worst possible moment. Yet he fought back brilliantly. He helped form a lethal chase group with Per Strand Hagenes, Jonas Abrahamsen, and Stan Dewulf.

The chasers worked flawlessly together. In the final five kilometers, they brought the gap down to just ten seconds.

A Painful Victory

They almost caught Van der Poel under the one kilometer banner. The catch looked completely inevitable. Mathieu even seemed to sit up and let them come.

But then the chasers hesitated. They looked at each other for just a second. That was all Mathieu needed.

He dug insanely deep and accelerated away one last time. He barely held them off at the line to seal what has to be one of the most painful victories of his entire career.

Hagenes won the sprint for second place. Vermeersch rounded out the podium in third.

The Tour of Flanders is exactly one week away. The stage is set for a legendary showdown.

E3 Saxo Classic 2026 Top 5

1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED)

2. Per Strand Hagenes (NOR)

3. Florian Vermeersch (BEL)

4. Stan Dewulf (BEL)

5. Jonas Abrahamsen (NOR)