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Cycling

Three years after the lost millimeter sprint against Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) can finally cheer in the Amstel Gold Race. The Briton defeated his fellow escapees Marc Hirschi (UAE Emirates), Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step) in a sprint with four.

Marnix Taes and Hugo Coorevits

Today at 5:14 PM

Tom Pidcock is back in town. The Olympic mountain biking champion was the strongest after a fantastic final of fifty kilometers in which Mathieu van der Poel paid cash for the efforts of the past weeks. It already started on the Gulpenerberg (47.3 km from the finish) where Michal Kwiatkowski accelerated. It was the first time that the big engines were in position. An alert Mathieu van der Poel followed with Matteo Jorgenson on his wheel and Tom Pidcock nearby. It was a first weighing of the candidate winners.

The speed was continuously increased towards the Keutenberg. After the Eyserbosweg, Marc Hirschi, Valentin Madouas, Bauke Mollema, Mauri Vansevenant, Quentin Pacher and Roger Adria drove away, towards Lapeira and Honoré who were still in front, while the group of the favorites only became thinner. At 28.6 km from the end, the escapees were in for the effort.

Wear impact

Tiesj Benoot broke up the group on the Keutenberg (28.6 km from the finish). With all the effort in the world, Mauri Vansevenant, Tom Pidcock and Marc Hirschi were able to catch up. Paul Lapeira, Kevin Vauquelin, Mikkel Frölich Honoré, Bauke Mollema, Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher and Pello Bilbao were also able to make the jump. Five kilometers further the lead was 37 seconds. Mathieu van der Poel was isolated and had only a few teammates. He had to count on Jayco-AlUla who wanted to keep the gap manageable for Michael Matthews. Under the impetus of Mattias Skjelmose, the gap after the Cauberg was reduced to half a minute, but Van der Poel himself could not really force anything anymore.

On the Gulhemmerberg (13 km from the end) Tom Pidcock carried out another selection. Only Mauri Vansevenant, Tiesj Benoot and Marc Hirschi follow. The eight others tried to return, but they rode for fifth place. Even though the difference between the leaders and the peloton was barely 35 seconds just under three kilometers from the end.

Benoot tried to flash away on the left of the track in stocking feet and Vansevenant then tried to do so on the right. In the end it became a sprint with four after a pure attrition battle that was publicity for the sport. For Pidcock it was his first victory of the season after previously finishing fourth in the Strade Bianche, eleventh in Milan-Sanremo and seventeenth in the Tour of Flanders. Pidcock has something to do with the Amstel Gold Race because he came second here in Dutch Limburg behind Van Aert after a long check of the finish photo, came third last year and achieved his worst result ever in 2022 with eleventh place.