Sometimes the longest race can be summed up in the shortest segment, and the 2024 Tour de Flanders was defined by the wicked slopes of the Koppenberg. Already infamous as a legend of the event, the sharp cobblestone walls outside Oudenaarde added another line to its long history in Sunday's rain-soaked competition.

For most riders, the Koppenberg is an ascent to endure rather than attack. It was also the moment when Mathieu Van der Pol's race-winning acceleration with 44km to go literally stopped the challenge of his rivals.

From various pre-race reconnaissance, there were already rumors that the Koppenberg would be covered in mud this spring. Furthermore, even at its best, the 20% gradient is known to force experienced professionals to dismount and walk.

Setting the tone here was Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar), who led the race into the 600m climb after breaking away from the lead group a few kilometers earlier. The Spaniard climbed strongly on the lower slopes, but on the steepest section his tires lost traction and stopped. He feared the problem would be repeated later in the race.

"There was no grip at all. I tried to reduce the pressure a bit, but there was nothing I could do. When he arrived at the mixed zone, Garcia Cortina shook his head in disappointment and explained. 'I knew that if we didn't do this at Koppenberg, we would have the same problem later at Paterberg.'

While Garcia Cortina struggled with tire pressure in the gutter, Van der Pol settled into a seated acceleration that led to victory. In his cyclo-cross career, the Koppenberg has not always been the world champion's favorite track, but he remained relatively nimble on this rough terrain, maintaining a fast rhythm as long as conditions permitted.

Chasing Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease A Bike) also fought valiantly to close the gap to Van der Pol, and managed to run to the front.

Behind them, however, a number of riders were unclamping or letting their bikes walk in an attempt to stay in contention for the podium. They must, of course, have already guessed that Van der Pol's rainbow jersey would not reappear before the finish in Oudenaarde.

In fact, most of the riders chasing Van der Poel did not even spot him on the climb. Such is the case with the Tour of Flanders, and this was a particularly extreme version, plagued by miserable conditions and constant attacks. By the last 100 km, most of the riders were tired and chasing the race rather than actively participating in it.

Matteo Trentin (Tudor), in 19th place, counted himself among them when he reached the finish, cheerfully saying, "It was kind of a bad day. Despite his gnashing of teeth, the Italian paused in the mixed zone to talk to reporters about Koppenberg.

"I can't get up because of the rain and the mud, Trentin said. 'Nobody could have stood up on the bike. It was muddy and there was nothing we could do, and we were all exhausted by then. I think we all were. We were all covered in mud and couldn't do anything. Honestly, in a race as fast as this, my legs just couldn't handle it. Even the shoes. 0]

The steep gradient of the Koppenberg was tough on Magnus Sheffield's (Ineos) tires. He eventually caught up with the group chasing Van der Poel and finished 6th in Oudenaarde.

Later, like the rest of the riders, who were muddy and dizzy as they rode through the mixed zone, Sheffield knew that Koppenberg was the turning point of the day. The monument temporarily became a foot race, and each and every one of them fought for themselves.

"There's a cyclocross race in Koppenberg that I think best describes it," Sheffield smiled. 'To be honest, road shoes aren't meant for riding on cobblestones. I saw the riders remounting and I tried to do the same. I think Mathieu had already attacked at that point, and from there I just chased him as best I could."

The women's Koppenberg, won by Elisa Longo Borghini, was not as chaotic as last year when only two riders climbed it. This time, Chloe Diggart crashed, forcing most of the riders, including world champion Lotte Kopecky, to get out of the saddle and stand up.

"I knew Koppenberg was going to be a nightmare," Koppecky said. 'Unfortunately, my run didn't go the way I wanted it to. It's only the second time this year that I've encountered Koppenberg in our race. It's not good that only two of us walk and don't climb, as we did last year. It's an iconic climb, but not a good one when we have to run."

The Koppenberg was first introduced into the men's race in 1976, but was again removed from the route after the 1987 race. This incident led to Koppenberg's expulsion from the Ronde for the next 15 years.

In 2007, Koppenberg was banned from the Ronde for another year, but has been running uninterrupted in the Ronde ever since. The organizers of the Flanders Classic have decided to exclude Canaliebeg and Kortekele from the 2024 event due to safety concerns.

Garcia Cortina, who was the first to set foot in the area, shook his head at the suggestion of putting him in the mixed zone." No, it's like this, we're all the same. I think it's part of the history of this sport."

Not surprisingly, Van der Pol, on the heels of his record-breaking third Ronde win, shared this view when he sat down with the press. Throughout his cyclocross career, he and Koppenberg have had a sometimes acrimonious relationship, but when it came to this gradient, he raced his own race.

"The Koppenberg was very slippery and I struggled to get the power down," Van der Pol said.

"I don't think so. I mean, after a while you can throw it all away. The new climb, the road to Kappelberg, was probably more dangerous than the road we took last year. I think the problem is the riders, not the road."

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