Flanders top 10 for Van Baarle

Dylan van Baarle battled to eighth place at the Tour of Flanders as Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) won the final Monument of the season. 

Van Baarle sprinted for a podium place in the first chase group behind leaders Van der Poel and Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma) who contested the race after going clear with 35 kilometres remaining. 

An elite chase group were unable to bring them back and the win came down to a photo finish edged by Van der Poel, with Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) sprinting from the Van Baarle group to finish third, with the Dutchman just behind. 

Earlier, the INEOS Grenadiers had been aiming to bridge to the early breakaway from the halfway point of the race, with Chris Lawless, Leonardo Basso and then Owain Doull all trying to split the peloton. 

However, it was not until the final 50 kilometres when Van Baarle, Michal Kwiatkowski and Luke Rowe all came to the front on the Paterberg climb that the bunch started dwindling and the early break was caught.  

Van Baarle then attacked again before the Koppenberg and was briefly joined by Julian Alaphilippe (Deuceunick-Quickstep), but their move was foiled. However, the world champion accelerated again soon afterwards and was joined by Van Aert and Van der Poel in the decisive move. 

A crash with a motorbike forced Alaphilippe to abandon, but the lead duo were able to stay away despite Van Baarle and the chase group's best efforts to reel them in.