- Israel bans main UN Gaza aid agency, says pursuing hostage deal talks
- Curry to miss at least two NBA games with left ankle injury
- Hefty electric vehicle costs dent Ford profits
- COP16 chair hails biodiversity attaining 'equal footing' with climate crisis
- Aitana Bonmati wins second successive women's Ballon d'Or
- Ohtani named in Dodgers starting line-up for World Series game three
- Real Madrid boycott Ballon d'Or ceremony
- US finalizes curbs on investing in Chinese tech
- Harris blasts Trump after racist rally rhetoric
- Tens of thousands protest in Georgia over 'stolen' election
- Man Utd sack Ten Hag, reportedly set to appoint Amorim
- Bolivia says Morales falsely claimed assassination bid
- Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim set for Manchester United job: reports
- Retiring Popp signs off as Germany's first female football superstar
- Chopin waltz unearthed after 200 years
- England's Freeman keen to make 'life a misery' for All Blacks' Reece
- Serie A strugglers Genoa sign Mario Balotelli
- German citizen's execution by Iran 'extrajudicial killing of hostage': NGO
- Trump team on defensive over racist rhetoric
- Israel to pursue new talks on Gaza hostage deal
- El Salvador troops target gangs in large-scale operation
- North Korea sent 10,000 troops to train in Russia, US says
- Who said what on Ten Hag's sacking as Man Utd manager
- Alcaraz back in Paris with unfinished business at Bercy
- Fallout spreads from racist rhetoric at Trump rally
- Tens of thousands rally in Georgia after contested vote
- Clint Eastwood skips premiere of new film 'Juror #2'
- Georgia president hints at Russian-aided vote fraud in AFP interview
- Apple rolls out AI features across devices
- Sacked Ten Hag was a 'dead man walking' at Man Utd - Shearer
- Real Madrid boycott Ballon d'Or over perceived Vinicius snub
- Sexual assault trial of French actor Depardieu suspended until March
- North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to train in Russia: Pentagon
- Palmer says Chelsea's youth creates its own pressures
- Harris, Trump and two contrasting 'first families'
- Real Madrid boycott Ballon d'Or over perceived Vinicius snub: club
- Suit filed in Pennsylvania to halt Musk's $1 mn giveaways
- Mowed down by cars, European hedgehog numbers shrinking
- One in three tree species at risk of extinction: report
- Five candidates to replace Ten Hag at Man Utd
- UN chief says Sudan is enduring 'nightmare' of hunger, violence, illness
- Trump, Harris enter final week of tense US election
- Ferdinand says sacked Ten Hag like a 'boxer knocked down'
- Chad hunts attackers after 40 killed in Boko Haram raid
- Oil prices tumble, global stocks rise as Iran fears ease
- Verstappen controversy, Hamilton happy - Mexico Grand Prix talking points
- Boeing announces stock offering expected to raise up to $19 billion
- UK far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson jailed for 18 months
- Sexual assault trial of French screen legend Depardieu opens without him
- X suspends new account posting on behalf of Iran leader Khamenei
Van der Poel wins Tour of Flanders for third time
Mathieu van der Poel rode through the Belgian rain and into history on Sunday as he joined the elite group who have won the Tour of Flanders three times.
The 29-year-old Dutch rider finished just over a minute ahead of the chasing pack as he became the sixth rider in the 111-year history of the race to claim three victories.
Italian Luca Mozzato grabbed second, one minute and two seconds back, outsprinting Australian Michael Matthews to the line. But Matthews was then penalised for dangerous sprinting and German Nils Politt awarded third.
"Winning the Tour of Flanders with the world champion's rainbow jersey on your back is a dream come true," said Van der Poel.
"I've already had a successful season.
"It was one of the hardest races of my life. I was dead in the last few kilometres, but I closed my eyes and kept pressing on the pedals."
No one has won cycling's oldest 'monument' four times. The last man to complete a hat-trick was Swiss Fabian Cancellara in 2014. Van der Poel's previous triumphs were in 2020 and 2022.
His two most powerful one-day rivals were absent.
Wout Van Aert broke a collarbone and a rib in Around Flanders four days earlier, and defending Flanders champion, Tadej Pogacar, is skipping the spring classics as he targets a Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double.
In their absence Van der Poel, who won two of cycling's five super-long monuments and the road-race world title last season, started as overwhelming favourite and the number one target for his rivals.
He rose to the challenge.
Sunday's slog through the second and most sacred 'monument' took riders over 270.2 kilometres and up 18 nasty climbs, under grey Belgian skies and through persistent rain that made the cobbled sections slippery.
Van der Poel, of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, spent most of the first 220 kilometres stalking breakaways.
Mads Pedersen, who edged Van der Poel in last week's Gent-Wevelgem, launched a long-range attack.
Van der Poel caught the Dane on the Oude Kwaremont climb with 55km kilometres to go and put in an acceleration that shattered the pack, leaving a reduced group at the front.
Ivan Garcia escaped, built a lead of 10 seconds, but slipped out of his pedals trying to find the power to climb the cobbled Kloppenberg.
Van der Poel passed the Spaniard, who was pushing his bike up the hill, and cut loose with 44 km to go.
American Matteo Jorgenson, winner of Around Flanders, briefly gave chase.
Van der Poel, a six time cyclo cross world champion at ease in miserable weather and on treacherous surfaces, gambolled away.
With 30km left, he led by 1 minute and 25 seconds from a seven-rider chasing group that had begun to argue among themselves.
The Dutch rider nursed that advantage to the line.
F.Bennett--AMWN