Welcome everyone for the coverage of the 2018 Amstel Gold Race, the first of the three Ardennes classic this week, and the only one in Dutch territory. Over 250 kms between Maastricht and Valkenburg, and with the Cauberg in the final kms of the race to decide who follows Peter Sagan in the palmares of this race, as if you don’t remember, the Slovak rider won last year after attacking from Keutenberg hill with 12 kms to go and then beating Trofimov and Bakelants in the sprint for the win once he was caught after the final pass over the Cauberg
Amezawa, Siriwardena and Bester are the three riders that the bunch lets to go in the breakaway. A really fought breakaway appearances, as for almost 40 kms there were attacks from a lot of different riders, even from teams like Grieg and Moser, despite them having big favourites for the win today
The highest gap for the breakaway was 8 minutes, which was the gap for a long time, until teams like Grieg, Hugo Boss, Air France and Moser started to reduce the gap, so with less than 100 kms to go, the gap would be now only 5 minutes for the leading trio
With only 50 kms to go the race is entering it’s final part, with several hill climb in those kms. Nothing has really happened so far, just that Hugo Boss is setting the pace in the bunch right now, which has made the breakaway’s gap to be barely more than 1 minute at this point. Ponzi really wants to add a third win in this race, specially after what happened last year here, as he had to pull out with a stomach issue
Pretty slow pace up the Kruisberg with less than 30 kms to go, and that helps the 3 riders in front to get again almost 2 minutes of gap. Last year Trofimov attacked here to open the fight, but this time no one was brave enough to launch an attack so “early”
Just 3 hills left, and with 20 kms to go the riders are doing now Fromberg. The group is led by Mosca, which is a clear sign of the slow pace, and the zero agression of the favourites. They might want Van Stayen to destroy them in the sprint at this rate. The breakaway is still up there with 1’20 of gap, and they look like they’ll make it at least to the Keutenberg
And just as i said that, the two-times winner Hagen is the first to attack! He’s followed by Skujins and Gastauer, while Mosca ups the pace in the group, working for Sagan
But those 3 riders didn’t go far, as the great job of Mosca and Gillett made them be back in the bunch right after starting the descent of Fromberg. The breakaway only has now 30 seconds
The breakaway is getting caught in the moment that they are going to start Keutenberg, the last climb before Cauberg in this race, and there are still 165 riders in the bunch...
We can spot Van Stayen with Skujins within the first places, with Ponzi, Hagen, Bakelants, Sagan, Kelderman, De Bie and Van Garderen well placed too
And the World Champion goes for it in the Keutenberg! Hagen and Bakelants are attentive and try to follow the Italian’s acceleration, with Ginanni and Van Garderen looking good too
Why is the peloton so stupid? The race is over for all but 6 riders, the first that reacted to Ponzi’s move. The rest of the bunch is either completely stopped up Keutenberg, or are blocked by other riders.
Ponzi, Hagen and Bakelants have a 15-second gap to Ginanni, Van Garderen and Kelderman. 40 further seconds behind is Skujins, with Sagan following closely, and De Bie is the latest to jump from the bunch. So if the bunch continues to be reactless, they’ll fight for 10th place at best
Ponzi, Hagen and Bakelants seem to be working fine in the roads that will lead to Cauberg, once they have passed the final 10 kms kit. The chasing trio is working hard too, though it’s Kelderman taking the biggest relays right now. Sagan and Skujins are 50 seconds behind the leaders, with De Bie and Trofimov alone way ahead of the bunch, who has lost 2’30 in like 2 kms to Ponzi’s group
The first two groups merge together, and with 7 kms to go, we have 6 riders that will fight for the win in Valkenburg
Ponzi Hagen Bakelants Van Garderen Ginanni Kelderman
De Bie has arrived to Skujins and Sagan duo, and all three are 55 seconds behind. They would need a slow pace in the front, which could happen, as i don’t think neither of the riders in front will want to work for others, with Trofimov not too far from the chasing group. The bunch is still 2’30 behind, and they’ll fight for 11th place
Ponzi is leading the group onto the downhill that goes to the bottom of Cauberg, and it looks like there’s no power in the chasing group, as the gap keeps rising, now 1’10 with 5 kms to go
First slopes of Cauberg for the race leaders, and it seems like Ponzi is accelerating again!
And not everyone can follow this attack! Kelderman and Ginanni give up and will have to fight for the fifth place, with Van Garderen joining the 3 strongest puncheurs in the world in the front
Kelderman has tried to leave Ginanni behind and join the leaders, which the Dutch champion was succesfull, but the bigger news is that Bakelants is losing ground to Ponzi and Hagen with a bit more than 2 kms to go, and Van Garderen is dropped too, as the American champion can’t go around Bakelants
Hagen is struggling a lot to stay in Ponzi’s wheel at this point, and the Italian looks set to win again this race.
Behind, the gap to Bakelant’s group keeps rising, while Trofimov is leaving Sagan, De Bie and Skujins behind, in the fight for seventh place
Hagen manages to stay in Ponzi’s wheel ahead of the final km, but the 2011 and 2013 winner looks like he wouldn’t be able to sprint. Bakelants keep trying to close the gap, without any help from Van Garderen and Kelderman, which might help Ginanni to come back to the podium fight
Final km for Ponzi and Hagen, two riders that are double winners of this race. One of them will get to win by a third time here, who will be?
500 metres to go and the sprint has been launched! Ponzi was ahead and still keeps that first place, with Hagen on his wheel
Hagen is still hanging on Ponzi’s wheel, to the surprise of the Italian star, who is losing a bit of speed in the final 200 metres
But at the end, the superior sprint of Simone Ponzi gives the reigning World Champion his third win in the Amstel Gold Race, adding to his wins in 2015 and 2016. What a season so far for him, who has already won Tirreno - Adriatico and Strade Bianche this year, crushing the “Rainbow Jersey curse”.
Great second place for Hagen, as losing in a sprint against Ponzi is no shame
The final podium place is still in play, with 4 riders fighting for it, once Ginanni got back to this group. Van Garderen has a decent lead with 400 metres to go. Bakelants is behind him, but he’s the better sprinter, so he could overtake him at the end, though against him might be all the energy wasted in the chase, with Van Garderen always sitting on his wheel
At the end it was a clear third place for Van Garderen, who wins that sprint ahead of Bakelants, Kelderman and Ginanni
Skujins takes seventh from Trofimov, while De Bie beats 2017 winner Sagan, who has to settle for a 10th place today
Mohoric takes 11th being the best of those who stayed in the bunch. A few seconds behind, Gastauer beats Boswell and Claeys for the 12th place
And Lutsenko completes the Top15 of this race, just ahead of two Isostar riders, with Kratochvila and Brataschuk. Not the biggest of results for Mohoric, but the team got a nice depth, as Kump also finishes just outside Top20, being beated by Van Stayen, Reimer and Koretzky for a place in there
Simone Ponzi celebrates in the podium yet another hilly classic win for him. He’s obviously aiming to repeat his 2015 campaign in the Ardennes classic, when he won all three of them. And given his form so far this season, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see that happening
