Skjelmose triumphs after nerve-wracking finale
Mattias Skjelmose has added the Amstel Gold Race to his palmarès. Pogacar looked set for a solo victory but was caught in the final kilometers. The Slovenian had to settle for second place, with Evenepoel rounding out the podium.
At 10:40 AM, the peloton officially began the 59th edition of the Amstel Gold Race. With favorable weather and an electrifying crowd in Maastricht, the riders set out on a long journey toward the loops around Valkenburg.
In the early phase, several riders from the Unibet Tietema Rockets team took the initiative. De Vries and Johannink broke away and were soon joined by Verstrynge (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Stannard (Bahrain-Victorious), Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ), Hessmann (Movistar Team), Beullens, and Drizners (Lotto). The peloton allowed them a controlled lead of 4'20".
Heading into the first climb of the Cauberg, Nys (Lidl-Trek), Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), and Van Aert (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) were involved in a crash. The three co-favorites escaped with abrasions and quickly rejoined the peloton. The pace remained high, and the breakaway’s advantage was reduced to just 50 seconds.
The first Cauberg ascent marked the moment for Pogacar’s (UAE Team Emirates XRG) teammates to raise the tempo. Lidl-Trek and UAE each put a rider at the front on the Bemelerberg, ending the early breakaway. On the second time up the Gulperberg, Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) launched an attack. Only the current world champion was able to follow.
On the Kruisberg, Pogacar made his move. He dropped Alaphilippe and launched a solo attack with 42 km to go. He built a 30-second gap that seemed unassailable. Ten kilometers later, Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) followed the leader’s example and went solo from the chasing group. In a last-ditch effort, Evenepoel bridged to Skjelmose, and with an impressive time trial effort, the pair caught Pogacar with just 7 km remaining. After a tense tactical standoff in the final kilometers, Skjelmose claimed victory in a nerve-wracking sprint. Pogacar and Evenepoel had to settle for second and third.
