This Sunday is the 58th edition of the Amstel Gold Race. First act of the Ardennes triptych, this one-day race takes place between Maastricht and Berg en Terblijt (Netherlands). The 174 runners present at the start will have to cover 253.6 km and survey the 33 mountains that will rise up before them. Already winner of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Poulidor's grandson, Mathieu Van der Poel, is the big favorite to succeed Tadej Pogacar. But some riders will try to snatch victory from him.
Van der Poel, big favorite
One week to the day after his disconcertingly easy victory at Paris-Roubaix, Mathieu Van der Poel is back in action. This Sunday the Dutchman will start the Amstel Gold Race with the label of man to be killed. The rider from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, who already won this classic in 2019, presents himself in Maastricht in total relaxation.
“I think we can go to Maastricht with confidence,”
he said
.
In a good dynamic and sure of his strengths, he will be able to count on the support of his teammates.
“It sounds cliché, but above all I rely on my own strength and that of the team. We have proven in recent weeks that as a team we can take control when necessary. I will also be well surrounded on Sunday, with guys who have all proven that they are in good shape. »,
he enthused. Van der Poel will notably be supported by the Frenchman Axel Laurance
.
Who to play the trouble?
Whether their name is Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), Michael Matthews (Jayco alUla), Ben Healy (Ef Education) or even Tom Pidcock (Ineos), they will all want to compete with Mathieu Van der Poel to win this Sunday. Last mentioned, the Briton has real ambitions.
“The Amstel is a great race and I love racing there, so I hope to do better this time
,” he explained to the GCN. As a reminder, the 24-year-old runner finished third last year.
For his part, Maxim Van Gils will be the leader of the Belgian team Lotto Dstny. The native of Brasschaat (Belgium) has had an excellent start to the season. He stood out in the Italian classics with a third place obtained on the Strade Bianche before securing a Top 10 during Milan-Sanremo. He finished seventh. Good results which make him one of the main outsiders.
Cosnefroy, the desire to believe in it
This
“punchy”
course could suit Benoît Cosnefroy and his qualities as a puncher.
“The Amstel is a little less easy to master (than the Paris-Roubaix), it is perhaps more difficult to make big gaps too
,” he confided after his victory on Wednesday on the Flèche Brabantonne. The Frenchman wants to believe in his chances of doing it again this Sunday in the Netherlands:
“I don't really know, in my head, I tell myself that it's possible (to win)”
.
Raise your arms to Berg en Terblijt, the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale training runner in a dream. This reward had eluded him in 2021. He had lost by a narrow margin by finishing second behind the Polish Michal Kwiatowski. Consolation prize, he finished ahead of a certain Van der Poel, at the foot of the podium that year.
The premiere of the TDT – Unibet Cycling Team
Second division team (ProTeam), the TDT – Unibet Cycling Team will make its WorldTour debut this Sunday on the Amstel Gold Race. She had not obtained any invitation to the previous classics and will therefore confront the elite of world cycling for the first time in her history. A great reward for the Dutch team created in 2023 at the initiative of YouTuber Bas Tietema.
The only team promoted to ProTeam this year, it will wear a colorful jersey made by the clothing brand Santini. An honor.
“This collaboration is an important milestone for the team, as Santini Cycling is one of the most renowned cycling clothing brands in the world. We are very honored and proud to join forces for the future, because this is the next step in our development as a professional team,”
said Josse Wester, co-owner of the Dutch team.
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