Tadej POGACAR. 10 and praise. He wanted it, always wanted it, and wanted it with all his might. Even the walls of Flanders knew that Tadej desperately wanted his second Ronde after the bitterness of Sanremo, which was too sweet for him, too soft and pedal-friendly. He knew he couldn't afford to arrive at the sprint with Mads Pedersen and Mathieu Van der Poel, but had to create a gap, had to leave everyone behind to be sure. Eight attacks, eight times, to demolish the resistance of those born resistant like Pedersen and Van der Poel, but Tadej is not only resistant, he is resilient and elastic, flexible and moldable, above all a model, an absolute champion: unique. He wins his eighth Monument (4 Lombardy, 2 Flanders and 2 Liège), for the record. He is the seventh in the history of the Ronde to do so with the world champion jersey, on par with Louison Bobet (France) in 1955 and Rik Van Looy (Belgium) in 1962, Eddy Merckx (Belgium) in 1975 and Tom Boonen (Belgium) in 2006, Peter Sagan (Slovakia) in 2016 and Mathieu Van der Poel (Netherlands) a year ago. Ten days of racing, fifth seasonal victory, the 93rd of his career. On Sunday he will debut for the first time in the Hell of Roubaix, a gamble for those who also aim for Grand Tours, but if Merckx and Hinault did it, it's right that he tries too. He wants to measure himself in the queen of classics, in the most crazy and anachronistic race in the world: the gamble is guaranteed, as is the spectacle.

Mads PEDERSEN. 9. What can be blamed on him? Nothing. Lidl Trek interprets the race brilliantly and doesn't make a single wrong move. He does what he must do, what he can do, despite that guy over there, who is from another planet, who arrives where he wants to arrive because he belongs to the constellation of champions, but Pedersen is undeniably a champion.

Mathieu VAN DER POEL. 5.5. If he weren't the number one and a monument on wheels, he would be a 9 too, but he is the great favorite alongside the Slovenian and loses this time on his own roads, on his own terrain, suffering the pickaxe blows of Tadej, who slowly shatters him with the pickaxe. He does what he can, and arrives at the finish line stunned, also by Pedersen.

Wout VAN AERT. 5.5. With the team he always races numerically superior, but suffers at every acceleration on the walls, moves inappropriately when he would have the opportunity to rejoin the breakaway more easily thanks to two teammates. He tries to gain ground on the last passage of Oude Kwaremont, but his legs are what they are: equal to his tactical clarity.

Jasper STUYVEN. 8. A classics rider, he presents himself at the vernissage in his own way, making an absolutely top-level avant-garde race. A race of government and opposition: he does everything and does it well.

Tiesj BENOOT. 5. In the Visma that plays on the counter-attack, he remains out of play.

Stefan KÜNG. 7.5. Great performance, always in the thick of the race, with absolute clarity and tactical sense. Does everything by himself: team man.

Filippo GANNA. 8. Seizes the moment and enters the breakaway that puts pressure on Tadej and Mathieu. Resists on the walls until those two open the gas, but he doesn't suffer excessively, fighting until the end like a true Lion of Flanders. An 8th place that says more than the placement, for example that on Sunday at Roubaix he will have more chances than today.

Davide BALLERINI. 8. He is the symbol of a small Italy that is admired and appreciated in the Ronde together with Matteo Trentin (vote 7). When the tough ones start to play, he is already playing with Ganna, Trentin and company in the breakaway. Great Flanders, which makes him great.

Matej MOHORIC. 4. He has the characteristics to emerge in this type of race, but he drowns.

Yvan LAMPAERT. 4. He is the first of Soudal Quick-Step, never really present. A 38th place that says it all.

Alessandro ROMELE. 6.5. The 21-year-old XdS Astana rider takes the right "train" at km 37: a group of 8 men who manage to create a gap: Elmar Reminders (Jayco AlUla), Connor Swift (Ineos), Rory Townsend (Q36.5), Marco Haller (Tudor), Victor Vercouillie (Flanders Baloise), Timo Roosen and Sean Flynn (Picnic PostNL).

Jelle VERMOOTE. 6. The 23-year-old Belgian cyclocross rider is the first to sound the charge. As soon as the race starts from Bruges, he exits the group like a bullet from a barrel. The Wagner Bazin rider is a lightning bolt. Quick to start, the group is even quicker to catch him.

JURY. 4. Mathieu Van der Poel falls 120 kilometers from the finish and easily rejoins, also because he drafts behind the team car with absolute serenity. Question: isn't it appropriate, or rather, wouldn't it be fairer to allow drafting for everyone who falls or is slowed down by a mechanical issue? Instead, with the current regulations, when desired, one turns a blind eye, while for the naive, measures are taken by punishing them with a card. For the great champions, one closes an eye, for the little ones, one sharpens the view. I ask for help from home and maybe even from the world riders' union, which is probably the union of only part of them and not of all.