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There can only be one winner: Benoît Cosnefroy and Michal Kwiatkowski
Photo:
IMAGO/ERIC LALMAND / IMAGO/Belga
Polish professional cyclist Michal Kwiatkowski has won the 56th edition of the Amstel Gold Race.
The former world champion from the Ineos Grenadiers team won the most important classic in the Netherlands after 254.1 kilometers in Valkenburg in the sprint, just ahead of Frenchman Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën).
Only after several minutes of evaluating the finish photo did the jury declare the 31-year-old Kwiatkowski the winner.
Initially, Cosnefroy celebrated what was supposedly the first victory for a Frenchman at the "Amstel" since the legendary Bernard Hinault in 1981.
"It was very confused at the finish, a big mess," said Kwiatkowski, who had already won the race in 2015.
Kwiatkowski and Cosnefroy broke away from a leading group about 20 kilometers from the finish shortly after the last passage on the notorious Cauberg.
Top favorite Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix), who had won the Tour of Flanders a week earlier, tried in vain to close the gap, eventually finishing fourth behind Belgian Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma).
Previously, Italy's Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) had won the women's race by a narrow margin ahead of a six-man chasing group in which Team SD Worx's Demi Vollering from the Netherlands outpaced German rider Liane Lippert in the final sprint.
Third place after 128.5 kilometers was the best result of the season so far for the 24-year-old from Radteam DSM.
The preliminary decision was also made for the women at the Cauberg.
Only Lippert was able to follow a hard attack by ex-world champion Annemiek van Vleuten before five other riders caught up.
Shortly after the summit of the Cauberg, the former Italian road cycling champion Cavalli set the ultimately successful counterattack.
The Dutch top favorite van Vleuten was only fourth.
sak/sid/dpa