Sean Kelly's Classics column: Tadej Pogačar turns Tour of Flanders into a torture-fest as Remco Evenepoel silences critics

Key Points:

• The 2024 Tour of Flanders men's race was exceptionally tough, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG setting a punishing pace that fractured the peloton early, aided by challenging weather conditions and strategic teamwork from riders like Mikkel Bjerg and Nils Politt.
• Tadej Pogačar demonstrated superior power and endurance, making decisive moves on key climbs like the Oude Kwaremont to secure victory, potentially positioning him to hold all five Monument titles simultaneously if he succeeds at Paris-Roubaix next weekend.
• Remco Evenepoel impressed on his Tour of Flanders debut by contributing significantly to the race tempo and showing strong solo efforts despite some early overexertion, indicating his potential to contend seriously in future editions.
• In the women's race, Demi Vollering dominated through a combination of strong team support and personal power, particularly on the Kwaremont climb, overcoming the absence of key rivals due to crashes and controlling the race to claim victory.
• The race featured few crashes overall, but those that occurred notably impacted the women's field, removing contenders like Marlen Reusser and Kim Le Court-Pienaar early and affecting the dynamics of the competition.