Amstel Gold Race 2025 with a surprise: Evenepoel overtakes Pogacar, Skjelmose puts them both in the bag

Berg en Terblijt (Holland), 20 April 2025 - TheAmstel Gold Race 2025 explodes a 42,5 km from the finish line, when Tadej pogacar he creates a vacuum as usual, apparently launching himself for the usual victory from very far away. However this time the script is very different, thanks to Mattias Skjelmose and especially Remco Evenepoel, who carry on a long and fruitful chase. The three control each other and prepare for the sprint after the last passage on the CaubergBetween two litigants, the winner is the one Skjelmose, who beats a sprinter pogacar today more human (and tired?) than usual and a evenepoel which, beyond everything, confirms his excellent return after the long ordeal. For the Dane of a Lidl Trek constantly growing come the 12st success in his career and perhaps the most important achievement, among other things with full credit for having had the courage to launch the chase when the number one favourite pogacar seemed to have closed the games. Audacity is rewarded, while for the world champion some reflections are opening up on a calendar that is perhaps too crowded: the impression is that the efforts of Paris-Roubaix 2025 may have presented their bill in a race, the Beer Classic, which over the years has always proven to be full of surprises and twists. Meanwhile, the previous women's race had seen the success of Mischa Bredewold, who at 2,4 km from the finish line finds the right sprint to greet the surviving group, with Ellen Van Dijk e Puck Pieterse to complete the podium: the best of the Italians is Silvia Persian, fifth.

Race report

 Il Ardennes Triptych It opens with theAmstel Gold Race 2025, which starts from Maastricht to then get to Berg and Terblijt after 255,9 km, embellished with well 34 walls. From the very first, the Maasberg (0,4 km with an average slope of 4,5%), the attackers try to compose the good breakaway of the day, but in the initial chaos the only objective achieved is the fragmentation of the group: the same Tadej pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) remains in a second group, with 20" to recover, before completing the pursuit thanks to the support of the team. It then forms, shortly before the Korenweg (0,6 km with an average slope of 3,2%), the good attack: it is composed of Michael Hessman (Movistar Team), Remi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ), Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious), Emile Verstrynge (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Cedric Beullens, Jarrad Drizners (Lotto Cycling Team), Hartthijs De Vries e Jelle Johannink (Unibet Tietema Rockets). Meanwhile the group falls Samuele Battistella (EF Education-EasyPost) and the pair composed of Reuben Thompson (Lotto Pro Cycling Team) and simon clarke (Israel-Premier Tech) tries to attack, imitated then by Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) e Dylan VanBaarle (Visma-Lease a Bike): instead Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step) retires. The breakaway progressively loses advantage and unity, with only Hessmann, Cavagna, Beullens Johannink to stay ahead. The group is shaken by a fall involving big shots like Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Wout van aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) e Jonathan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): the latter has the worst of it and is forced to retire. Shortly before the Bemelerberg (900 meters with an average slope of 4,6%) the breakaway of the first hour and the one composed of the counterattackers are caught and in practice another race starts, totally closed and controlled by the teams of the most awaited riders. The situation changes on the Gulpenrberg, a wall with a maximum slope of 19,7%, with the blaze of Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team): he immediately takes the Frenchman's wheel pogacar, which then to 42,5 km from the finish line, on Kruisberg (maximum slope of the 14,6%), begins to go solo. The Slovenian gains an advantage of about 30": behind him there is no agreement and so on Keutenberg, maximum slope of the 18,2%, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) takes off and sets off on its own in pursuit. 26,8 km from the finish line also starts evenepoel, but the rest of the best platoon immediately closes the gap. The Belgian doesn't accept this and delivers a second razor blow, which this time turns out to be the right one, to the point that he goes to recover SkjelmoseThe two proceed in agreement on the Cauberg (maximum slope of the11,8%) and they seem to be making money on pogacar, which in turn does not seem to be the case at all. The world champion is gaining more and more on the remaining platoon of the best, but is losing from the pair Evenepoel-Skjelmose, whose delay stabilizes around 15": what remains of the group is instead far away 1'. Surprise pogacar he gets up and waits for the two pursuers, who then even try to detach him: thanks to a evenepoel in train mode. There is no agreement between the three and so from the rear the small group seems to gain something. It tries to take advantage of this unexpected scenario marked by the impasse Van Aert: I am with him Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) e Louis Barre (Intermanché-Wanty). However, they remain in front pogacar, evenepoel e Skjelmose, who are preparing for the final and decisive step on the CaubergMeanwhile, they are also moving from the rear Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike) e Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost). The victory, however, is played out by the three in front in a sprint: part evenepoel, follows pogacar but the one who wins is Skjelmose, the name you don't expect that mocks the two favourites.  

Order of arrival Amstel Gold Race 2025

  1) Mattias Skjelmose (LTK) in 5h49'58" 2) Tadej Pogacar (UAD) st 3) Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) st 4) Wout Van Aert (TVL) +34" 5) Michael Matthews (JAY) +34" 6) Louis Barré (IWA) +34" 7) Romain Grégoire (GFC) +34" 8) Tiesj Benoot (TVL) +34" 9) Tom Pidcock (Q36) +34" 10) Ben Healy (EFE) +34"