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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, April 17, 2023

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2022 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. - Eleanor Roosevelt

Current racing:

• April 17 - 21: Tour of the Alps

Latest completed racing:

• April 16: Amstel Gold Race
• April 3 - 8: Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
• April 4 - 7: Région Pays de la Loire Tour
• April 9: Paris-Roubaix
• April 11: Paris-Camembert
• April 11 - 14: Il Giro di Sicilia
• April 16: Amstel Gold Rac
• April 5: Scheldeprijs
• April 2: Ronde van Vlaanderen
• April 1: GP Miguel Indurain
• April 1: Volta Limburg Classic

We posted the report from winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates with the results.

Here's the report from third-place Tom Pidcock's Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Tom Pidcock put in a gutsy ride during the run-in of Amstel Gold Race to secure third place overall.

The Brit's result made it three podium finishes for the team in the last three seasons at the biggest one-day race on Dutch soil.

Tom Pidcock riding to third place. INEOS photo

Pidcock and teammate Magnus Sheffield formed part of a strong 11-man group which pushed on heading into the final 80 kilometres of the race. Sheffield worked hard for his teammate, who was well placed to follow an acceleration from eventual race winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).

A trio formed with Irishman Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) joining the pair with 38km to go.

A big attack from Pogacar on the Keutenberg climb saw the Slovenian go clear, eventually pushing on to secure victory by a margin of 38 seconds.

Healy was able to steal away to wrap up second, with Pidcock bravely battling to limit his losses to the chasing duo of Andreas Kron (Lotto Dstny) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana). In the end the Grenadier crossed the line moments ahead of the pair to seal a big podium finish.

Tom Pidcock:
"I had absolutely nothing left at the end there. I struggled a little bit with the distance. At the end the last 20km was a long way for me there.

"It was certainly a good situation. The idea was to get Magnus up the road. It was very strange with the break being caught so early and I just thought I'd go. I was feeling a bit blocked from the rain, so I thought I'd open myself up a bit and get warm. Then we found ourselves off the front. It was a long way out, at some point we thought we were going to get caught, and that made it hard for sure.

"[Pogacar] showed that he was strong. I think he changed his bike on one of the climbs and he came back very quick. Like I said before the race we knew he was the guy you can't not watch. When he goes he goes hard and sometimes there's nothing you can do about it.

"It was good today. I just lacked a little bit I think."

Here's the report from Andreas Kron's & Maxim Van Gils' Team Lotto Dstny:

Lotto Dstny has concluded a strong Amstel Gold Race with a fourth place for the Dane Andreas Kron and a seventh place for the Belgian Maxim Van Gils. The Dutch WorldTour Classic opened really early and would never be quiet again until the finish in Berg en Terblijt.

Team Lotto Dstny is presented during the starting ceremonies. Sirotti photo

It was at just under 100 kilometres from the finish that the Amstel Gold Race was decided when a strong group detached itself from the bunch. Two Lotto Dstny riders joined the move: Andreas Kron and Arjen Livyns. The front group worked together really well and was systematically reduced on the many hills in Limburg. The bunch tried but would never return to the head of the race.

At the front, Pogacar launched a first attack on the Eyserbosweg. Kron could not follow the impressive acceleration by the Slovenian but kept fighting in the chase, together with Lutsenko. Pogacar eventually finished solo and for a moment it seemed Kron and Lutsenko would sprint for third but Pidcock could narrowly hold off the duo. Kron emptied himself and rewarded a strong Amstel with a fourth place. A little later, Van Gils sprinted to 7th and gifted Lotto Dstny a second top ten place.

Andreas Kron looks back on Amstel with satisfaction. “I am really proud of this team performance but of course it’s a pity to come so close to the podium. To be honest I didn’t feel great anymore in the final and due to maybe a moment of hesitation we could just not catch Pidcock.”

“The race was opened really soon and together with teammate Arjen I could join the interesting move. I could not match the acceleration of Pogacar on the Eyserbosweg. I knew that I could not go over the limit and had to save some forces, so we could maybe return. We still rode really fast in the chase but Pogacar really is on another level. With a fourth and seventh place we can go into the next Ardennes Classics with confidence”, concludes the Dane.

Also Maxim Van Gils rode a strong race and felt better as the day progressed. “It took a while before I got up to speed but eventually I felt really strong in the final. With Andreas Kron at the front we were in a good situation but that way I could maybe not empty myself completely. Maybe an even better result was possible, personally but a fourth and seventh place in Amstel is a really nice performance for Lotto Dstny. I’m a good duo with Andreas and hopefully we can show it again in the next races.”

Fifth-place Alexey Lutsenko's Team Astana Qazaqstan posted this:

Less than 48 hours after winning the Tour of Sicily, Alexey Lutsenko finished fifth in the Amstel Gold Race, the first of the three Ardennes classics.

Alexey Lutsenko leading Andreas Kron to the finish. Sirotti photo

“Fifth is not bad when you notice that, less than 48 hours ago, I finished and won the queen’s stage in the Tour of Sicily”, explained Alexey Lutsenko. “After four hours of sleep I had a long travel day as well.”

Alexey Lutsenko had been part of the decisive 16-man move that went clear with 90km to go.

“When you look at the big races nowadays, the finale always starts at 80, 90 kilometers from the finish. So, I followed some favorites and arrived in the break with Pogacar, Pidcock, etc. I don’t think I worked too hard in that break. In the beginning I worked a lot as it was important for me to stay in front with our group.”

With a meanwhile reduced front group and with 36km remaining, Lutsenko was not able anymore to withstand Pogačar’s attack on the Eyserbosweg.

“We have to be honest, at this moment Pogacar is too strong for everybody. Watching my Watt meter I saw that I was not bad at all. The gap between Pogacar and his two companions and me was 5 seconds for a long time but Andreas Kron, my companion in the chase, did not pull – let’s say – very well. After 200 kilometers it is not abnormal that you cannot close a gap anymore. In the last kilometer it looked that we could catch Pidcock for a podium spot, but we just came too late. And honestly, when I tried to start my sprint, my legs didn’t respond any more after six hours of racing. They were dead. We are no machines, but I may be happy with the result. What a hard day in the cold and rain”, concluded Alexey Lutsenko in Valkenburg, where, 11 years ago, he became U23 world champion.

Simone Velasco finished 17th.

And here's the report from 6th-place Andrea Bagioli's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Four days after finishing in the top 10 at a rain-soaked edition of Brabantse Pijl, Andrea Bagioli repeated that result at the only World Tour race held in the Netherlands, but this time he improved his position by two places after a gutsy ride.

Andrea Bagioli (right center) leads the group in that finished at 3min 14sec. Sirotti photo

Comprising more than thirty climbs, narrow roads and lots of road furniture, Amstel Gold Race exploded 90 kilometers from the finish, when 15 riders rode clear from the peloton just moments after the original breakaway was brought back. Soudal Quick-Step was represented there by Stan Van Tricht, who booked a place in the group that ended up turning into the race-winning move, despite the gap hovering around 30 seconds at all times.

When Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) launched his attack with 28 kilometers to go, the other riders in the group were distanced, and some of them even got caught by the group behind. Among these was also Stan, who joined Andrea and helped with the chase, as they tried to narrow the gap down. This work wasn’t for nothing in the end, Bagioli finishing a strong sixth for his first top 10 in an Ardennes Classic.

“I am satisfied, but at the same time a bit disappointed, because I wasn’t in the first group. I am confident I could have fought for a better result, but when those guys went away, I was a bit blocked behind and couldn’t join them. The good thing is that I had good legs and hopefully I will carry this form into Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne”, said Andrea at the finish.

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