Overview
- Mathieu van der Poel sealed victory Friday after a 63 km solo that barely held off a late chase into Harelbeke.
- A late quartet almost caught him under the red kite, with Per Strand Hagenes finishing second and Florian Vermeersch third.
- He launched the winning move after the Taaienberg by dropping Tim Van Dijke, then went clear on the Paterberg with 42 km to go.
- Tadej Pogacar and Wout van Aert skipped the 208.5 km race, leaving Mads Pedersen and Dylan van Baarle among the main threats.
- E3 acts as a dress rehearsal for the cobbled Tour of Flanders, with shared climbs like the Vieux Quaremont guiding team plans for next week.