A win in In Flanders Fields would put Van der Poel alongside a long-standing record

Friday’s E3 was far from straightforward again, but Van der Poel still managed to win in sensational fashion. He followed an attack from Tim van Dijke on the Taaienberg and then decided, one climb later, to go clear on his own. It turned into a solo of nearly seventy kilometres, with the chasers coming to within a few metres of the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider in the closing stages.

With that third straight victory in Harelbeke, Van der Poel now shares third place on the all-time list for most E3 wins. That ranking is still led by Tom Boonen, “Mr E3”, who won the so-called mini Tour of Flanders five times.

According to Cancellara, record tables are not especially important to a rider like Van der Poel. “It changes something for you journalists, for the history books and for me, but in the end that does not mean he has become a better rider,” said the Swiss great, who built an exceptional Classics palmarès of his own.

The three-time winner of both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix was full of praise for the Dutchman as well. “He takes cycling to another level. It is a sporting achievement in itself; breaking a record always draws attention,” he said, referring to Van der Poel’s pursuit of Boonen’s combined record.

Boonen still holds that benchmark with three Tour of Flanders victories and four Paris-Roubaix wins, but Van der Poel is now only one victory away from drawing level. Others have come close before him: Museeuw narrowly missed out on a fourth Tour of Flanders win in both 1999 and 2002, while Cancellara also remained stuck on three wins in each of those two Monuments.

“When there is clear dominance, it can look easy from the outside, but being good is not enough,” said Cancellara. “It is a combination of circumstances.” Museeuw struck a similar note: “It is no coincidence that we all stayed at three. In modern cycling, I do not think you can look too far ahead.”

The Belgian is currently, together with Van der Poel and Jan Raas, the only rider to have won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, E3, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Raas also won Gent-Wevelgem, a race Van der Poel has never won. If he triumphs in In Flanders Fields on Sunday, he will join his fellow Dutchman. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider has already finished second in Wevelgem once, but on Sunday he will chase his first title against, among others, Wout van Aert.