Harelbeke (Belgium) (AFP) - Mathieu van der Poel held on by his fingernails to claim a stunning long-range victory at the E3 Saxo Classic for the third year in a row on Friday in an ominous statement ahead of the prestigious Tour of Flanders.

Less than a week after the Dutchman’s disappointing eighth-placed finish at the first Monument of the season, Milan-San Remo, Van der Poel had to produce a dogged ride to hold on for victory after riding clear some 42km from the finish only to be almost caught in the final kilometre.

Having won by a minute and a half and one minute in the two previous years, Van der Poel was made to work much harder this year.

He led by around 50sec with 20km to ride but a four-man chase group of Norwegians Per Strand Hagenes and Jonas Abrahamsen, and Belgians Florian Vermeersch and Stan Dewulf, steadily pulled him back.

As he went under the red flag indicating the final kilometre, they were barely two seconds behind.

But the four started to look at each other, waiting for someone else to complete the catch, and Van der Poel kicked on to win by just four seconds with Hagenes second and Vermeersch third.

“I thought I could make it but with 5km to go, it nearly went wrong,” admitted an exhausted Van der Poel.

“Especially with at bit more than one kilometre to go, the legs were just not really turning well anymore.

“And then I looked back and they were really close, but I knew if I waited, I would become fifth, because I didn’t have the legs anymore to do a sprint.

“So I just did an all-out seated (push) to the finish line.”

- Record 4th Flanders win in sight -

When Van der Poel made his initial move, there was no sign of the drama that would come.

He attacked out of the peloton with 70km to race, and over the next 25km he ate up the two-minute gap to the day’s breakaway group.

With 42km left on the Paterberg cobbled climb, the 2023 world champion surged clear.

It seemed all over bar the shouting, but the determined chasers ensured there would be a dramatic finish.

At times, it looked as though Van der Poel was using the 208km-long ride over 16 hills and nine cobbled sections as training for the 271km Tour of Flanders – the year’s second Monument – which follows much of the same course in just over a week’s time.

There, Van der Poel will not be the favourite – for a change – as twice-winner Tadej Pogacar will be on the start line.

Van der Poel, who will be chasing a new record fourth win in Flanders, was unable to cling onto Pogacar’s coattails when the Slovenian great launched his decisive attacks over the Flemish bergs in 2023 and 2025.

And having been dropped by four-time Tour de France champion Pogacar on the Poggio climb last weekend when the world champion finally landed his first Milan-San Remo victory, Van der Poel knows he has his work cut out next weekend.

However, this was already a fourth victory this year for the record eight-time cyclocross world champion, having also won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February and two stages of Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this month.