Skjelmose stuns Pogacar and Evenepoel in exciting Amstel Gold Race finale

In recent years, the Amstel Gold Race has followed a set formula. Since 2017, the decisive moments have moved further away from the finish line to create a more open race. This has worked because, since then, it has always been a battle. They have now decided to revert to the finish used between 2012 and 2016: the Cauberg is back in the final stretch. After that, there are still two kilometers to go. This is the same recipe for the women's race, where Mischa Bredewold proved it can provide plenty of spectacle.

Just like last year, the men of Unibet Tietema Rockets had a wildcard for the Dutch WorldTour race. They wanted to capitalize on this and succeeded: Jelle Johannink and Hartthijs de Vries were in the early breakaway group. They were joined by Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ), Michel Hessmann (Movistar), Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious), Jarrad Drizners, and Cedric Beullens (Lotto). The eight riders set the pace, but the lead was not significant: UAE Team Emirates-XRG took Tadej Pogacar's role as favorite very seriously and made sure the gap remained small.

On the first passage of the Cauberg, with 85 kilometers to go, the gap was reduced to just a few riders. Johannink didn't like it and accelerated, taking Cavagna, Hessmann, and Beullens. The latter dropped on the Geulhemmerberg, leaving only three riders in the lead. Behind them was a bit of panic when Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert, and Thibau Nys suddenly hit the ground. The three Belgians with the best chances gave the fans a scare, but they all got back up and rejoined the peloton relatively unscathed.

The same could not be said for Jhonatan Narváez, who crashed hard. He had to give up with many abrasions, and Tim Wellens and Marijn Van den Berg also had to give up early. However, after a brief period of calm, it was clear that the race would break open in the last 50 kilometers. That happened on the Gulperberg. It was not Pogacar or Evenepoel but Julian Alaphilippe who made a huge move. Only Pogacar could follow, and together, they rode away from the rest, but the Frenchman from Tudor had given too much. Once on the Kruisberg, it was the world champion's turn.

Pogacar was alone again, and behind him, the chase was on. But that group was still about 15 strong, with little teamwork. Evenepoel still had help from his teammate Ilan Van Wilder, but it was mainly lone riders for the rest. On the Keuteberg, Mattias Skjelmose broke away on his own, but he didn't get any closer. A little later, Evenepoel made his move, and together they pushed on.

Suddenly, the lead grew rapidly. From 30 seconds, it went to 25, then 20... On the penultimate climb of the Cauberg, the two saw Pogacar riding, and when they passed the finish line, the difference was only 13 seconds. Anything could still happen in the final stretch of the Amstel Gold Race! The group behind, including van Aert, Pidcock, and Michael Matthews, were already 35 seconds behind. It looked like it was over for the front-runner, but he managed to pull away again after the Cauberg.

But as the kilometers progressed, the gap closed again. The two chasers gradually closed in. On the Bemelerberg, Skjelmose and Evenepoel were nine seconds behind. But the world champion did not give up. It became clear that it would remain exciting until and over the Cauberg. After the Bemelerberg, he threw in the towel: we had three men in the lead!

It was a bit of a gamble, which allowed the chasers to close the gap again. But at the foot of the Cauberg, it was clear that these three were the ones who stood a chance. Right? On the final climb, they kept their legs still, allowing the chasers to get closer and closer. That's why the pace picked up again, and it came down to a sprint between the three. Evenepoel retook the lead, but he slowed down. Pogacar overtook him, but Skjelmose appeared out of nowhere and claimed a magnificent victory. Pogacar finished second, ahead of Evenepoel.