Let the Ardennes week begin! Welcome to the start line in Maastricht, the capital of Limburg. After 256 kilometer we will finish in Valkenburg, at the top of the Cauberg. Over the day the riders are tasked with climbing many small hills, the total elevation being close to that of a mountain stage. Positioning is key with many turns, ups and downs. May the best rider win today!
The first three attackers are sighted in the streets of Maastricht: Gillett, Menten and Karatzios. They likely won't be the only members of the breakaway, we see more people attacking in the background.
A further three riders want to join the breakaway: Restrepo, Sosnitskiy and Siriwardena. From the peloton, Roson and Min attack as well.
The peloton thought eight was too many, so Roson and Min were brought back. There was another attempt but that was not allowed either. The six earliest attackers would form the definitive breakaway: Gillett Karatzios Menten Restrepo Siriwardena Sosnitskiy
The gap is allowed up to 7 minutes before we see the first teams starting to chase: SPAR, Bennelong, Evonik, Air France and Fablok.
Preidler suffers a puncture in the middle of the peloton. He safely navigates to the side of the road, receives a new wheel and rejoins the peloton. Better now than in a decisive phase.
The break reaches the highest point of the race, concurrently the highest point in the continental part of the Netherlands: the Vaalserberg at 322 meters high. The lead has shrunk to 4'40 at roughly the halfway mark of the race. It has started to rain, but it will dry up before the scheduled finish time.
And the rain comes down heavier on the small detour through Belgium. Isostar takes control of the peloton with Frankiny and Polanc, together with Bernard, Belgasem and Olesen for Fablok, Evonik and Air France respectively.
Another rider with a puncture: Van Niekerk. Like Preidler he is quickly up to speed and does not lose time as a consequence. 80 kilometer to go, the gap is 3 minutes.
No, we are not seeing double, another Festina rider with a puncture, it's Karatzios! The other members of the breakaway decide not to wait for him as their lead is coming down, the Greek has to fight his way back.
The first cracks at the front of the peloton become apparent as a few riders increase the pace: Marzuki, Rumac, Riesebeek and Van Avermaet. Most favorites in the first 30 places so not in danger of falling behind yet. Notable riders who are in the back group and really distanced already are national champion Vermeltfoort, Thurau, Vink, Kastrantas, Vliegen, Smit, Lane, Mosca and Roson.
The second time the break crosses the Cauberg, the next time will also be the finish line. The five leaders have 1'30 to Karatzios and 2'30 to the front of the peloton, which isn't really a peloton anymore but some small groups which are all not that far apart. 70 kilometer to go, the finale starts here.
It's raining punctures today, they claim their biggest victim as of yet: Skujins! He was amongst the front 20 to cross the top of the Cauberg and very safe from any split. Luckily the cracks are very small at this point and there is enough time to undo the damage.
In the outskirts of Maastricht, we have a good look of the first 46 riders which make up the first peloton. Favorites in there are, in order from front to back: Hagen, Bakelants, Ponzi, Mohoric, Lutsenko, Sagan, McCarthy, De Bie, Van Garderen, Gastauer, Koretzky, Ginanni, Boswell. Generali, Evonik and Puma lead the second group for Ulissi, Skujins and Demare as most notable favorites to miss the first cut, Buchmann, Anuar Aziz and Vakoc also in this group.
Karatzios caught at 50 kilometer, E1 still has roughly 2 minutes. The leading group peloton is reduced to 40 but Skujins is back after a push on the Bemelerberg. McCarthy and Ginanni have gone the other way around to the second group in a moment of inattentiveness on that climb. Puma pushing to get second group back, using Arndt, Declerq and Hadi.
After the descent and a flat section, the group is back to 90 riders with all favorites except Anuar Aziz in it. The third, now second peloton is at two minutes with Anuar Aziz, Teuns and Moazemi. The breakaway holds out pretty well, their lead is 1'50 with 33 kilometer to go having survived another hill: the Loorberg.
The peloton fractures again, this time because of Belgasem. Thirty riders make the cut, Ulissi and Demare once again on the back foot, forcing Generali and Puma to chase again. They are joined by Kulczyk and eBuddy, because Boswell and Vakoc are also in the second group as well as Buchmann.
On the Gulperberg, 25 kilometer to go, the two groups are reunited. In the final 25 kilometer we have the Kruisberg, Eyserbosweg, Fromberg, Keutenberg and finally the Cauberg. The five leaders have a gap of 1'13 at this points.
Five becomes four as Siriwardena dropped on the Kruisberg and is caught at the foot of the Eyserbosweg. Mazurki, Rumac and De Souza lead the group, Hagen and Skujins right behind them. They go up the hill with a slight lead as they took more risk on the descent.
The break survives to the top but only just, the lead is less than 30 seconds. Right after the top, De Bie is the first of the favorites to attack, followed by Koretzky and Van Garderen. The advantage for some going into the previous climb was undone in the first meters.
On the Fromberg the trio of attackers has nearly caught up with the breakaway, but so has the counter-attack of Mohoric, Skujins, Hagen, Lutsenko and Ponzi. Eight favorites chasing four surviving breakaway members, Gillett struggling to keep up.
None of the favorites however wanted top press on, so a larger group rejoins. Vakoc the only major name who has not returned. Menten, Restrepo and Sosnitskiy lead with 25 seconds on their way to the Keutenberg, the steepest climb of the race.
The high gradients are at the foot and the breakaway is caught there, their legs simply wouldn't get them up the climb. Bakelants on the other hand has plenty of energy and accelerates, with Hagen, Skujins, Mohoric and Ponzi right behind him. Twelve kilometer to go.
The Keutenberg managed to be very selective, with the favorites now in smaller groups.
The eight leaders are: Bakelants Hagen Ponzi Skujins Lutsenko Van Garderen Mohoric Koretzky
A small gap to: Gastauer De Bie Boswell
In the next group at a bigger gap we find: Sagan McCarthy Ginanni Gerts Raileanu Formolo Polanc Restrepo Sosnitskiy
And behind them a group likely out of contention for the win, including: Demare Ulissi Buchmann
Sagan moves over from the third to the second group, which is only sixteen seconds behind with seven kilometer to go as there is almost no cooperation out front.
Ponzi and Skujins reluctantly take over from Bakelants who was the only one setting a decent pace, and the lead group is now back to twelve. Make that twenty as also the third group, including McCarthy and Ginanni, returns. Group Demare/Ulissi at a minute.
Rainleanu and Polanc, as one of the few teammates of favorites, led the group to Valkenburg such that group Demare could not return. We reach the foot of the Cauberg with 20 riders awaiting the two-kilometer sprint up the hill. Mohoric and Ponzi looking good in third and fourth position behind their teammates.
Polanc still leading the group into final kilometer, no banner to signal it though. Mohoric coming on his right, Hagen and Ponzi on his left. The second row is occupied by Lutsenko, Sosnitskiy, Sagan and Skujins. Restrepo, van Garderen and Bakelants behind them, followed by Koretzky, Gastauer and De Bie in line. Boswell, Ginanni and McCarthy at the back of the group.
Polanc now falling through the order. Mohoric, Hagen and Ponzi virtually inseparable. Lutsenko finds the gap left by Polanc, Sagan and Skujins basically blocked from going forward.
Mohoric losing out slightly, it's Ponzi versus Hagen again unless Sagan can find his way through the middle of them, or Skujins or Lutsenko has a final punch in them.
150 meters, the gap is there but does Sagan have the punch to get them? Skujins tries to go right of Ponzi. Bakelants too late with his sprint but might challenge Mohoric and Lutsenko for fifth.
A close finish but the photo clearly shows Simone Ponzi as winner of the 2019 Amstel Gold Race! His second consecutive and fourth overall victory in this race.
Edvald Boasson Hagen second for the second time in a row. Peter Sagan takes the final podium spot but might have taken the win if there were a few more meters.
Fourth place for Skujins, fifth place fo Lutsenko, sixth place for Bakelants.
Mohoric just holds off De Bie. Van Garderen and Koretzky complete the top ten. Gastauer falling just outside in eleventh.
The rest of the group crosses the line: Boswell, Polanc, Gerts, Formolo, Ginanni and McCarthy.
Sosnitskiy and Restrepo finishing eighteenth and nineteenth, rewarded for their effort today.
Raileanu sacrificed his result for Ponzi's, a good call in the end. He finishes in twentieth ahead of Marzuki, the best of the second group.
Becis leads the next group over the line. Demare finishes 31st, Buchmann 35th, Ulissi 41st, Vakoc 44th. Their day has ended in disappointment by missing the decisive moves.
