Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, April 20, 2026

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Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in full bloom. - Rumi

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Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• April 20 - 24: Tour of the Alps

Upcoming racing:

• April 22: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 26: Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Latest completed racing:

• April 19: Amstel Gold Race
• April 15 - 19: Tour of Hainan
• April 14 - 18: O Gran Camiño
• April 17: De Brabantse Pijl
• April 19: Tour du Doubs race cancelled
• April 12: Paris-Roubaix
• April 6 - 11: Itzulia Basque Country (Tour of the Basque Country)
• April 7 - 10: Région Pays de la Loire Tour
• April 8: Scheldeprijs
• April 5: Ronde van Vlaanderen
• April 4: GP Miguel Indurain
• April 4: NXT Classic
• April 3: Classic Adélie de Vitré
• April 1: Dwars door Vlaanderen

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Amstel Gold Race reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.

Here's the report from winner Remco Evenepoeol's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe

Two weeks after finishing third in the Tour of Flanders, the 26-year-old expanded his personal record of achievements. The two-time winner of Liège–Bastogne–Liège has now added another race from the Ardennes Triple to his list of victories.

This also sees Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe continue to make a strong impression after the cobbled classics. In their tenth appearance at the Amstel Race, this marks the team’s first ever victory in this race. Over the course of the season, a rider from the WorldTour team has now secured victory for the eleventh time.

Remco Evenepoel enjoys his victory. Sirotti photo

Decision made in the sprint:
With 42 kilometers to go, a leading group comprising all the favourites had formed. Up to that point, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe had the race completely under control. When the final lap began around 20 kilometers from the finish, taking in the Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg and Cauberg, Evenepoel was alone with Mattias Skjelmose. The race was only decided in the final 300 metres. Whilst the Dane had come out on top in the sprint the previous year, Evenepoel was clearly the stronger rider this time.

Remco Evenepoel: "I really love this race. Lots of short, hard climbs, and actually the race more or less opened on the same place this year again, so I was really confident. I felt much better than I did last year in the final. For sure, it's the most beautiful victory of the season. For me this race is just under the monuments, so it's really high on my ranking. It's in my top 8 of victories in my career, probably."

Klaas Lodewyck, DS: "Today was an incredible day for the team. I think, from the start until finish, we really had control over the race. Everybody did their job to perfection, I would say. And yeah, Remco kept his head really cool, did a masterclass sprint, and so we have an Amstel now on the palmarès. That's really great."

Here's the Amstel Gold Race report from second-place Mattias Skjelmose's Team Lidl-Trek:

After his huge victory in the Netherlands last spring, everyone knew that the rolling, tough climbs of the Amstel Gold Race suited Mattias Skjelmose very well. Coming into the 2026 edition of the race as defending champion always would bring a weight of expectation, but the Danish rider lived up to the hype, executing a fantastic race to finish in second place behind winner Remco Evenepoel on Sunday.

Remco Evenepoel & Mattias Skjelmose sprint for the line. Sirotti photo

Well-positioned by his teammates throughout the early stages, Skjelmose was able to bide his time until the decisive moment came to follow the attacks of other key contenders. After marking plenty of moves, the Danish rider made it into a select front group as the race passed inside the final 50-kilometres. On the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg, Evenepoel played his card and Skjelmose was able to follow the Belgian rider’s punchy acceleration. The pair then found themselves leading the race with just under 20-kilometres to go.

Working well together in a two-man break, the gap between Skjelmose and the chase group – which included his Lidl-Trek teammate Albert Withen Philipsen – grew to over one minute and it was clear he and Evenepoel would sprint for victory between them. Heading into the final kilometre, Skjelmose took to the front and waited for Evenepoel to start his sprint. After a tough drag race, the Dane narrowly finished in second place to finish nearly six hours of gruelling racing. Philipsen came in eighth from the sprint behind – a breakthrough performance from the young talent which points, once again, to his bright future in these types of hilly races. Skjelmose reaffirmed his consistency at the highest level, backing up his 2025 win with another podium in one of cycling’s most prestigious one-day classics.

In Skjelmose's words:
" I’m happy. I was a little bit sick after Basque so I didn’t know what to expect from today. Second place and looking at the numbers, my performance was good. Following a rider like Remco to the finish is a great result and for the team, it is raining on a really dry place. When he didn’t drop me on the Cauberg I thought I might be able to win, and I tried when he launched the sprint but he was the superior rider in the end.

"I have a special relationship with this race, I always dreamed of doing the cobbled classics but my ability lay somewhere else. Amstel is the closest race you get to doing a cobbled classic with the left, right, up, down, and small roads and obstacles. I love this race. Even though every time I finish it, I think I won’t do it again because it’s insane, but for sure I want to do it again."

Here's the report from third-place Benoît Cosnefroy's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Benoît Cosnefroy continued his run of form in the Ardennes today, delivering a solid ride to take third place at the Amstel Gold Race, securing a podium finish for UAE Team Emirates-XRG in one of the jewels of the Ardennes classics campaign.

The 257km race from Maastricht to Valkenburg, featuring 33 climbs across the Limburg hills, was raced at a relentless pace throughout the day, with a large early breakaway establishing a lead before the peloton gradually increased the tempo heading into the decisive final circuits, with Marco Frigo (NSN Cycling) the last survivor to resist being caught.

The race exploded in the final 70 kilometres on climbs such as the Loorberg, Gulperberg and Kruisberg, where a select group of favourites including Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull Bora hansgrohe) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl Trek) forged clear. The decisive move came on the Keutenberg and subsequent climbs, where the leading duo ultimately distanced their rivals and went on to contest victory between themselves.

Behind, Cosnefroy remained attentive in the chasing group, though found few colleagues to collaborate in the chase. Riding with patience and experience, the Frenchman held his position as the race fragmented on the final circuits, including the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg, where the front of the race was definitively established.

At the finish in Valkenburg, Evenepoel outsprinted Skjelmose to take victory after a two-man move, while Cosnefroy timed his sprint well from the reduced group to secure third place, finishing just under two minutes behind the leaders.

 

Benoît Cosnefroy finishes third. Sirotti photo

Benoît Cosnefroy:
“It was a really hard race from the start, with a lot of attacks and a very high pace on the climbs. I’m happy with the podium result and to be here competing for the win. It’s a race that suits me well on paper and one I’ll hopefully keep coming back to in the future. I’ll have a rest up tomorrow and we’ll go again for another big day out on the Mur de Huy on Wednesday.”

The Ardennes action will continue on Wednesday at the Fleche-Wallonne classic.

And here's the Amstel Gold Race report from fourth-place Romain Grégoire's Team Groupama-FDJ United:

Romain Grégoire’s spring campaign continues to gain momentum. Two days after his fourth-place finish at the Brabantse Pijl, the Groupama-FDJ United rider once again played a major role this Sunday at a higher level, in the Amstel Gold Race. He was indeed the one who blew the race apart with 40 kilometres to go, following excellent work by his teammates. Long in contention for a podium spot, he ultimately had to settle for fourth place, in a group that also included Ewen Costiou (9th).

Before fully diving into the “Ardennes Classics”, with La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, another major objective awaited Romain Grégoire and Groupama-FDJ United this Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race. The Frenchman had finished seventh in the race last season, and the course suited him perfectly, with around thirty climbs spread over the 257 kilometers. As in the 2025 edition, the Cauberg, climbed three times in the final third of the race, resumed its role as the last decisive point, just two kilometres from the finish.

The race gets started in Maastricht. Sirotti photo

Before the decisive moves began, nine riders took advantage of a breakaway to build a lead. Their advantage exceeded four minutes but was cut by more than half by the first ascent of the Cauberg. From then on, tension steadily increased in the peloton. The battle for position proved particularly fierce approaching the Loorberg, 53 kilometres from the finish, but Romain Grégoire handled it perfectly. “The guys were exemplary, and we must highlight this very strong collective effort,” praised Benoît Vaugrenard. “Once again, we showed that as a team we are very solid this year in the big races,” confirmed Romain. “You could see it in the positioning. We had everything we needed with Ewen to be in the best possible situation.”

Perfectly launched by Enzo Paleni, Kevin Geniets, Lorenzo Germani, and Quentin Pacher, the Groupama-FDJ United leader was able to stay near the front of a stretched and fragmented peloton as he approached the Kruisberg, 43 kilometers from the finish, in the top five positions. While some briefly tried to ease the pace, he did not hesitate and opened the main battle. “Romain knows this race, we had experienced riders around him, and we know this is often where things happen,” Benoît continued. “The goal was to follow Remco because we knew he could take us far. In the end, Romain made the move because he felt good, and he did it very well.” “I have more confidence in myself, I dare to take charge, and I think that’s how you have to race if you want to achieve a big victory,” explained the rider.

His attack created the first real selection, with only five riders able to follow, including Remco Evenepoel and defending champion Mattias Skjelmose. A few minutes later, those two and Romain Grégoire even broke clear after a crash among their rivals. The trio went on to catch and drop Marco Frigo, the last survivor of the breakaway, while Ewen Costiou appeared in a chasing group of about ten riders, around twenty seconds behind.

At the front, cooperation proved fairly efficient, and Grégoire and his companions held a 30-second lead at the start of the second and penultimate ascent of the Cauberg, just over 20 kilometres from the finish. Unfortunately, it was on these slopes that the Groupama-FDJ United rider had to give way under repeated accelerations from the Belgian rider.

“I was in an ideal situation, I had everything to get on the podium,” said Romain. “But I could feel Remco wanted to drop me as he was going really fast on every hill. I didn’t miss much to get over the Cauberg with them, but I lost 10 meters at the top, then 20, and after that it was over.” When crossing the line, Romain Grégoire was only ten seconds behind the leading duo, but the gap soon became definitive. “I tried to disrupt the chase behind Romain, but it was difficult because the speed was really high,” said Ewen, still present among the pursuers. In the final 15 kilometers, that chasing group gradually closed in on the Frenchman. “At first, I told myself I needed to catch my breath and try to get back onto the wheels of the group and still aim for the podium,” added Romain. “I still believed I could get it.”

In the final 10 kilometres, Evenepoel and Skjelmose pulled clearly away, while several attacks animated the chasing group. “Once we caught Romain, the goal was to make sure no move went without me and to help him recover,” explained Ewen. “I managed to recover for about 5–6 kilometres,” added his teammate. Ultimately, no decisive gap formed among the eight remaining chasers on the final ascent of the Cauberg, and everything came down to a sprint. “I tried to control things so no one would attack late, which is why I had to launch early,” said Ewen.

In a long, hard-fought sprint, Romain Grégoire secured fourth place, while the Breton rider finished a strong ninth. “Once again, I was just missing a little something in the sprint, but I don’t have many regrets,” said Romain. “I had the right wheel and did the sprint I needed to do. It’s the third time I’ve finished fourth in a major race this year (after Strade Bianche and Brabantse Pijl). It’s starting to add up, so I’m a bit disappointed. On the other hand, Ewen was still there, and it allowed us to take two solid results. We won’t console ourselves with that, but we didn’t come away empty-handed either.” “The goal was the podium, I really think we deserved it today, but that’s racing,” added Benoît.

Romain Grégoire has nevertheless matched his best result in a WorldTour Classic, while Ewen Costiou delivered his best performance in a one-day race of this level. Encouraging signs ahead of what’s next. “Wednesday’s La Flèche Wallonne will be a very different race, but we still want to aim as high as possible,” concluded Benoît.