Race Breakdown: The 2024 Amstel Gold Race possibly instructed us extra about why it is going to be tough for Mathieu van der Poel to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège subsequent weekend, than how Tom Pidcock gained the Dutch Basic. The World champion was trapped within the peloton with out a lot group assist. What did we be taught from the Amstel Gold Race?
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Pidcock’s win, however Van der Poel couldn’t dominate like he did within the cobbled Classics
Within the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Alpecin-Deceuninck was the perfect group, tactically and in rider energy. Regardless of being the favorite initially of the Amstel Gold Race, Van der Poel and his group took a again seat. Different groups had stated within the build-up that they wished to make the Dutch Basic as onerous as they might to put on down the World champion and his group. This labored as Van der Poel was remoted within the finale, however everybody will need to have the reminiscence of 2019 when MvdP got here storming by way of the race to take the win.
No repeat of 2019 for Van der Poel
The Alpecin-Deceuninck Amstel group was robust, though Jasper Philipsen had ended his Basic season, he may not have been a lot assist in the finale anyway. The largest downside was the abandonment of Gianni Vermeersch, who had been sick in the course of the evening. The Belgian had been the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider for the finals. This was the place Van der Poel was lacking an vital factor and left him remoted when he wanted assist. Quinten Hermans had crashed earlier and Axel Laurance couldn’t do something.
Van der Poel was trapped within the chase group with none employees
The Classics change with the Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race, from then on we see new faces within the peloton from the cobbled Classics. Amstel is a vital indicator for who will carry out within the Ardennes Classics. From the Prime-10 in final yr’s Amstel, 5 have been additionally within the Prime-10 of Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège inside every week later. So we should always anticipate to see Pidcock, Hirschi, Benoot, Vansevenant & Co. on the entrance in Wallonne and Liège.
Are these the blokes we’ll see in Liège?
This may not be the case this yr, because the favourites for Amstel weren’t within the last motion. The query needs to be; have been they hiding their type for subsequent week, or have been they unable to do something? This might effectively be the case for Van der Poel, he has gained Amstel earlier than and Liège would slot in properly to his palmarès. Amstel is extra of a tactical race and riders have been caught in a group recreation. Many groups had a person within the entrance group of twelve, so there wasn’t a lot of a chase. This might be seen when Mikkel Honoré was dropped by the leaders, then EF Schooling-EasyPost have been compelled to work as was Intermarché-Wanty, however it was too late. Van der Poel was within the place of not having any males to placed on the entrance.
Healy and EF tried, however it was too late
So, have been Mattias Skjelmose, Maxim Van Gils, Dylan Teuns, Benoît Cosnefroy and Romain Grégoire saving themselves for Liège?. Then there was Juan Ayuso, Andrea Bagioli, Ben Healy and Quinten Hermans, the identical story or have been they at ‘full fuel’? Pidcock, Hirschi, Benoot, Bilbao and Michael Matthews have been all within the motion within the Netherlands and will likely be in Wallonia. And don’t neglect Madouas, Mollema and Pacher, they may also wish to present that Amstel wasn’t a ‘one off’.
Don’t rule out Mollema and Madouas
There was solely considered one of ‘The BIG Six’ began Amstel final Sunday; Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard have been all lacking. However that shouldn’t take the shine off Tom Pidcock’s win, bear in mind he almost gained two years in the past and solely misplaced to van Aert by a tyre tread. Younger Pidcock solely has 5 skilled victories to his title and isn’t fairly on the identical rung of the ladder because the ‘the six’. Though all his wins have been large: Strade Bianche, the Queen stage within the Tour de France, Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race. And he isn’t one to take a look at different riders, he does his factor… win or lose. Final Sunday he didn’t look forward to Van der Poel, threw down his gauntlet and obtained on with racing – ‘He who dares wins’.
Tom Pidcock took the race by the neck
In fact Pidcock additionally has World titles in cyclo-cross and mountain biking and an Olympic title off-road. The 24-year-old goes in the identical path as Van der Poel, however he can tolerate the longer climbs. Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne will swimsuit him and bear in mind he was second final yr in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He desires to indicate effectively within the Tour de France, if he can do this, he’ll be a part of the choose group and we will likely be speaking of ‘The BIG Seven’.
Paul Lapeira was on the entrance for a lot of the day – Right here with Vervaeke and Frolich early on
Within the Amstel Gold Race we additionally noticed some new younger faces: Paul Lapeira (23) took fifth place and was a powerful rider within the lead group. Then there was 21-year-old expertise Romain Grégoire who was twelfth. Marijn van den Berg (24) was additionally there. Roger Adrià (25), Kévin Vauquelin (22) and Vito Braet (23) all had good races. We’ve got to additionally point out Mauri Vansevenant. The 24-year-old Belgian has been affected by a knee damage, however he had a storming experience within the Gold race. He’s aiming on the Giro d’Italia and having solely ridden the dutch Basic as soon as earlier than, he put himself into a pacesetter’s place within the absence of Remco Evenepoel. Vansevenant took a really onerous fought for 4th place, Soudal Fast-Step’s solely shiny spot of the spring to date.
Mauri Vansevenant – the savour of Soudal Fast-Step?
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* Due to ProCyclingStats and WielerFlits for information and figures. *
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