photo credits @ WTFK
Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) won a breathless edition of the Amstel Gold Race, after the British rider edged out Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) and Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the line in a sprint finale, while with Mauri Vansevenant(Soudal Quick-Step) completed the top four.
With the peloton fast on their heels, the quartet wasn’t allowed to relax for a moment during the last few kilometers, with Vansevenant being the first to open up his sprint with around 500m to go. However, the Belgian rider was quickly overhauled, as Benoot and Pidcock came around him, while Hirschi clung to Pidcock’s wheel.
Despite a final surge by Hirschi, the Ineos Grenadiers rider had enough in the tank to take his first road win since Strade Bianche last year and his team’s fourth win of the season.
Earlier, the quartet had been part of a twelve-rider breakaway group that came to form over the Eyserbosweg with 35km remaining, later pressing clear of their breakaway companions over the penultimate climb of the Geulhemmerberg.
From there, it was clear that race favorite Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wasn’t going to repeat his dramatic comeback win of 2019. Instead, the world champion and his team missed the decisive move over the Eyserbosweg, never truly getting back on terms with the main peloton.
Race Highlights
Tosh Van der Sande (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Enzo Leijnse (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Alexander Hajek (BORA – hansgrohe) and Zeb Kyffin (TDT – Unibet Cycling Team) were the first protagonists of the day, with the trio attacking with 70km still to go.
However, their time out front was short-lived, as the trio was reeled in some 30km later.
The next move came from the likes of Mikkel Honore, Louis Vervaeke and Paul Lapeira, who quickly opened up a slight gap of around 20 seconds. However, just a few kilometers later, Hirschi sprung from the chase in pursuit of the escapees, taking Valentin Madouas, Roger Adria and Bauke Mollema along with him, while Pello Bilbao, Benoot and Pidcock later bridged their way to the group.
With 20km to go, the leaders had extended their advantage to 46 seconds, only to have their margin dip to 33 seconds as they entered the final lap.
Sensing a fast-approaching peloton, Bennot, Pidcock, Hirschi and Vansevenant distanced the group with 6km remaining, with Pidcock later attacking.
But, the elastic was quickly snapped on Pidcock, bringing the foursome back together for a final battle on the line.
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