Tadej Pogacar storms to Amstel Gold glory from Ben Healy and Tom Pidcock with dominant victory

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) stormed to victory at Amstel Gold Race with another dominant display, as he beat Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).

Pogacar made his move with 28.5km to go on the Keutenberg and the Slovenian didn’t look back, as he went on to win the Dutch Spring Classic for the first time.

Although the way Pogacar clinched the victory may have been predictable, by soloing away on the steepest of the remaining climbs, the events which preceded and set up the win were far from orthodox.

The first of the week-long Ardennes series of races began, as it typically does, in Maastricht, in the Limburg region of the Netherlands.

After just 4km, seven riders – Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo) Ward Vanhoof (Team Flanders – Baloise) Martin Urianstad (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) Tobias Ludvigsson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) and Leon Heinschke (Team DSM) – were given the time and space to establish a break. Although they were granted as much as five minutes of advantage, the margin was not long-lived.

UAE Team Emirates, with the firmest of favourites in their fold, were tasked with controlling things from the outset. This was a responsibility they were happy to take on, and tactically take advantage of, as they allowed it for some time, before reeling it in far earlier than would ordinarily be expected.

With 110km of road remaining, the race was all back together, but not for very long. As the peloton approached the finishing circuit, 27km later, a group of strong riders inspired a sizeable split at the front of the bunch. That breakaway included Tadej Pogacar along with Tom Pidcock, who had been watching the Slovenian’s wheel like a hawk.

The group was, for a short while, sixteen strong. It also had a healthy cooperation to it – certainly more so than there was in the peloton – and was able to achieve a lead of a shade under 30 seconds. Which was where it stayed for kilometre after kilometre, berg after berg.

Some riders, such as Chris Juul-Jensen (Jayco AIUla) were dropped on the steeper climbs, but enough were able to keep up with the strong pace insisted upon by Pogacar. Trek-Segafedo, Bahrain Victorious and Jumbo Visma, all having missed the move, were the teams with most responsibility for keeping it within reach and bringing it back.

The bunch’s efforts weren’t helped by a crash towards the back which took out, whether by injury or mere interruption, some two dozen riders.

At 29km remaining, at the foot of the Kruijsberg, Pogacar was finally able to get his bike change. If was as if he’d received a power-up. He gobbled up the gap that had opened briefly between himself and the others.

Less than 3km later, on the Eyserbosweg, Pogacar launched the move that would decide the podium. On the steep slope perfectly suited to him, only Pidcock could hold his wheel. Healy (EF Education EasyPost) was able to regain contact with the pair on the plateau.

Pogacar only needed to make one more move and it came on the Keutenberg, with 28.4km remaining. It wasn’t a massive attack but a big enough acceleration for no-one to go with him.

The race was over at that point. Pogacar was never coming back. The only possible surprise remaining was the order of the next two places.

Healy attacked Pidcock with 12km remaining on the Geulhemmerberg and dropped the British rider on his way to one of the best results of his career. Pidcock just held off Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny) to take the last step on the podium.

“It’s unbelievable today,” said Pogacar. “I did not expect to break away so early. I was on a flat tyre for many kilometres on the front and was doubting I could get to the finish solo. In the end, I squeezed as much as possible to come to the finish line and I made it.

“Mathieu van der Poel told me I should go on the Keutenberg. It is the most hard climb and suits me the most. He messaged me three days ago. I will thank him for the advice!”

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