Waiting for Tadei Pogachar on the steps of the UAE Team Emirates bus at Grote Markt in Roselare on Wednesday morning was an old friend. Alan Piper had been away from his day-to-day work with the team during the off-season for health reasons, but had traveled from his home in Gerarlsbergen to meet with his protégé before the Dwar dohr Hlaanderen.

Piper was Pogachar's mentor throughout his early races as a professional, and the Slovenian's calm voice came through his earpiece as he won his first Tour de France in 2020. His words before the start carried weight. Piper, a 40-year resident of Belgium, knows all there is to know about racing in Flanders, with its cobblestones, gray skies, and church steeples.

Even the most sound advice can only get you so far in the turbulence of the Flanders spring. As Pogachar admitted when he reported on his first cobbled classic entry, experience is the best teacher in this corner of the world. I don't know what to expect from myself," Pogachar told reporters. 'I just want to run a good race with good legs. And I don't want to get lost in the pack before the climbs and the cobbles."

These words were spot on. Pogachal's strength was rarely in question, and he rode impressively again this afternoon, but a mistake in positioning ruined his chances. With about 70km to go, the Slovenian fell behind when winners Mathieu van der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) cleared Berg ten Hout. Pogachar showed his mettle and ran with a strong spirit. Pogachar chased the lead group alone at the summit of the following Canaryberg and regained the lead on the Côte de Trieux. Pogachar, with Yann Tratnick (Bahrain-Victorias) and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) in tow, was helplessly pulling away from the lead group. He arrived in Waregem in 10th place, 2:08 behind Van der Pol. It was a hard race all day," Van der Pol said. There was a crash at a crucial moment and I had to stay behind. When I braked to a stop at the finish, Pogachar said: 'I tried my best to come back. 'I tried my best to come back, but the group in front of me was too strong, too fast. After that I tried again and again, but in the end it was a good race."

Pogachar's decision to take on the Tour of Flanders with Dwar de Hlaanderen is one of the most intriguing subplots of this year's Classics campaign, with victories in the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, and Tirreno-Adriatico making this terrain Despite his inexperience on this terrain, he is the automatic favorite to win the Ronde, and his presence has undoubtedly influenced the tactics of his rivals here. Van der Pol, Pidcock, Victor Kampenaerts (Lotto Soudal), and Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo Visma) did not have to think twice about trying to work smoothly together when they realized that Pogachar had missed the split in the Berg ten Foote. It's racing," he said, "and that crash was inevitable. It's racing, that crash was inevitable. I should have gone further ahead, but I got gassed on the uphill. ...... Pogachar said. Yes, that's true. The first hour was a bit hectic because there were a lot of attacks on the breakaway. I had a feeling that it was going to be chaos until the final, and it was," Pogachar said. Pogachar added, "I have no doubt that it will be like that again on Sunday, or even more so. " Pogachar's mistake in Berg ten Houte will no doubt have encouraged his Ronde rivals. Campenaerts said, "If you don't get to the top in Berg ten Houte, you lose a little experience in Flanders." Pidcock shared that view. He still doesn't fully understand the key points. Of course, the problem is that Pogachar is a very good learner. The lessons he learned at Doir Door Hlaanderen, one imagines, will be digested quickly, even if he is cautious about his prospects at the Tour of Flanders. I don't know," he said. 'I didn't finish in the top group today, so I don't know if I'll be in the top group on Sunday.'