Mattias Skjelmose stunned the cycling world with a dramatic sprint victory at the Amstel Gold Race, beating the race favorite Tadej Pogacar and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel. The 24-year-old Danish rider, competing for Lidl-Trek, secured his first major victory in a thrilling finish that left Pogacar, the reigning world champion, narrowly trailing.
The race, spanning 255 kilometers from Maastricht to Valkenburg in the Netherlands, was expected to be a showdown between Pogacar and Evenepoel. However, Skjelmose defied expectations and made his mark with an exceptional performance in the final stretch. Despite a solid lead established by Pogacar, who had built a 25-second gap with about 40 kilometers remaining, Skjelmose and Evenepoel mounted a fierce chase to reel him in.
Pogacar, known for his dominance in the Tour de France and other prestigious races, appeared to have the race under control as he pushed ahead alone. Skjelmose, initially targeting a place on the podium, set out to reduce the lead and was soon joined by Evenepoel, who had made a strong return after recovering from significant injuries. Together, they closed the gap in the closing climbs, setting up a nail-biting sprint to the line.
As the riders approached the final meters, there was little to choose between them. However, Skjelmose’s powerful sprint allowed him to edge out Pogacar by a mere tire’s width, securing the biggest win of his career. Evenepoel, who had worked tirelessly alongside Skjelmose, claimed third place after running out of steam in the final dash.
The race for the top 10 was fiercely contested, with Wout van Aert finishing in fourth, 34 seconds behind the leading trio. Michael Matthews, Louis Barré, Romain Grégoire, Tiesj Benoot, Tom Pidcock, and Ben Healy rounded out the top 10 positions. Despite being part of the chase group, Brandon McNulty finished just behind, claiming 11th place.
In the women’s race, held over a 157.3-kilometer route, an all-Dutch podium saw Mischa Bredewold emerge as the victor, marking her first major Classics win. Bredewold, racing for SD Worx-Protime, held off Ellen van Dijk of Lidl-Trek to claim the victory by a margin of seven seconds. Puck Pieterse of Fenix-Deceuninck took third place, finishing alongside Juliette Labous of FDJ-Suez, while Silvia Persico of UAE Team ADQ finished in fifth.
Bredewold’s win was a momentous achievement in her career, as she triumphed in one of the most prestigious one-day races on the calendar. The result was made all the more special by the fact that the top three spots were all claimed by Dutch riders, showcasing the strength of the Netherlands in women’s cycling.
The race, however, was marred by the crash of Anna van der Breggen, a former winner of the Amstel Gold Race in 2016. Van der Breggen, one of the sport’s leading figures, crashed heavily just after the 100-kilometer mark and was forced to withdraw from the race, a setback for her team, SD Worx-Protime.
Overall, the Amstel Gold Race proved to be an exhilarating day of racing, with both the men’s and women’s events delivering dramatic finishes. Skjelmose’s victory is particularly significant, as it establishes him as one of the rising stars of international cycling, while Bredewold’s win adds another highlight to the Netherlands’ dominance in women’s cycling.
