Amstel Gold Race 2025, one day classic, April 20 (men's)

[gregrowlerson]

I cursed Julian Alaphilippe but he somehow managed to lure Pog into attacking too early

There's always a joker in the pack.

 

[Netserk]

Bemelerberg delivers again! Fantastic that they kept the additional kms afterwards before the descent to Cauberg.

@Libertine Seguros

 

[Oldman]

Remco should have launched his sprint on the Cauberg. A very amusing cameo by Alaphilippe. I suppose the race was great because the Pog was there for the taking. Perfect that Skjelmose won too.
(Unfortunately, I expect the Pog to reload and be in unbeatable form in Liege, but maybe, just maybe ... so I'll watch LBL anyway - it's kind of my monument).

Listening to Pogi's and Remco's interviews they both kinda waited for an attack. If it had happened it might have been the attacker that would have been third place. They were all tired but not so much a closely watched attack would just turn into a leadout. They all rode the smart finale and Skjelmose was quicker. Great result for him!

That overall course is great and I think most serious cyclists would love to ride it hard in a controlled environment....the roads are amazing.

 

[tobydawq]

Bemelerberg delivers again! Fantastic that they kept the additional kms afterwards before the descent to Cauberg.

@Libertine Seguros

I'm sure she still yearns for the days when Gilbert would just wait until Cauberg and make his team lock the race according to that wish.

 

[Netserk]

I'm sure she still yearns for the days when Gilbert would just wait until Cauberg and make his team lock the race according to that wish.

Spoiler

And it even delivered in the women's race as well!

 

[proffate]

Yeah, but I think in this case he was right about starting his sprint too late. The whole run in I was shouting in my head..."Remco, do NOT lead them out!"

And here I am thinking he started his sprint too early. When you're on the front all you have to do is lose less than one bike length, and the shorter the sprint the easier that is to do. Remco started a few seconds before he had to and also took an angle that lengthened the distance to the line. Ideally you would not get out of the saddle until the moment the riders behind are attempting to come around.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Do you think he won?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1913986694258270244

View: https://x.com/LidlTrek/status/1913986694258270244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1913986694258270244%7Ctwgr%5E866b2fac255a1059d74741952edd7da7c3164406%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.dk%2Fcykling%2Fdeler-vild-video-efter-sejr-jeg-tror-jeg-vandt

 

[Peyroteo94]

Do you think he won?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1913986694258270244

View: https://x.com/LidlTrek/status/1913986694258270244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1913986694258270244%7Ctwgr%5E866b2fac255a1059d74741952edd7da7c3164406%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.dk%2Fcykling%2Fdeler-vild-video-efter-sejr-jeg-tror-jeg-vandt

Ahahah so heartwarming! You can feel how "humans" get surprised when they beat the alien Pogacar. He never thought he could win. Well done Skjelmose!

 

[gregrowlerson]

They both pulled and you know it.

To be fair I think that most of us were doing some pulling.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

To be fair I think that most of us were doing some pulling.

For sure. Pulled my TV closer.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Do you think he won?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1913986694258270244

View: https://x.com/LidlTrek/status/1913986694258270244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1913986694258270244%7Ctwgr%5E866b2fac255a1059d74741952edd7da7c3164406%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.dk%2Fcykling%2Fdeler-vild-video-efter-sejr-jeg-tror-jeg-vandt

Beautiful.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Pog cannot help it. He's got that dawg in him.
I like him for the same reason I liked Contador and like MvdP - he animates the race. I like Healy for the same reason too.

Why was Froome given the honour of being called dawg?

Should have been called dawq (which would still be an honour).

 

[elguapo]

UAE needs a team coach to plan and help execute race strateggies while the race is in progress. McNulty should have been told to join Skjelmose and Evenepoel when they chased Pogacar. Normally, DS gives eating advise, forgetting that his other riders could contribute too. I doubt if DS was monitoring the speed of the chasers in relation to the speed of their breakaway rider. If closely monitored, lead rider would be asdvised to cruise to maintain distance or incrase wattage to extend the gap.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Remco should have launched his sprint on the Cauberg. A very amusing cameo by Alaphilippe. I suppose the race was great because the Pog was there for the taking. Perfect that Skjelmose won too.
(Unfortunately, I expect the Pog to reload and be in unbeatable form in Liege, but maybe, just maybe ... so I'll watch LBL anyway - it's kind of my monument).

Alaphilippe: "I did that all for topcat. He's always supported me. He's my topdawg."

Spoken suavely slurred of course.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Lil 40th place for new Tudor leader Marc Hirschi. More than 2M a year for that, who wouldn't.

Froome.

 

[gregrowlerson]

LOL I just realized he actually finished 20th

Such a funny spontaneous prediction!

 

[Sciatic]

UAE needs a team coach to plan and help execute race strateggies while the race is in progress. McNulty should have been told to join Skjelmose and Evenepoel when they chased Pogacar. Normally, DS gives eating advise, forgetting that his other riders could contribute too. I doubt if DS was monitoring the speed of the chasers in relation to the speed of their breakaway rider. If closely monitored, lead rider would be asdvised to cruise to maintain distance or incrase wattage to extend the gap.

McNulty didn't have enough in the tank to do that. No one stayed with Remco once he made that last attack, and then he linked up with Skelmose who was already out in front.

 

[Froome]

Froome.

It's all about getting the hard mil(lions)es.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

UAE needs a team coach to plan and help execute race strateggies while the race is in progress. McNulty should have been told to join Skjelmose and Evenepoel when they chased Pogacar. Normally, DS gives eating advise, forgetting that his other riders could contribute too. I doubt if DS was monitoring the speed of the chasers in relation to the speed of their breakaway rider. If closely monitored, lead rider would be asdvised to cruise to maintain distance or incrase wattage to extend the gap.

Exactly. I keep yelling at my screen all the time as well "JUST FOLLOW POGACAR" or "CLIMB FASTER, YOU LOUSY HACK!". I mean, it's so obvious what they should do, even a child could think of it. And i still can't figure out why they just don't do it. It's not rocket science, just ride faster than the other guys and win the race.

Or maybe UAE should count their blessings that McNulty was even there at that point to begin with and he was able to shut down Evenepoel's first attack at all.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Eddy the goat, would not have lost a sprint like that.

Eddy lost a number of sprints when he came to the line with Freddy or Roger or a few others.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Bemelerberg delivers again! Fantastic that they kept the additional kms afterwards before the descent to Cauberg.

@Libertine Seguros

Bemelerberg delivered nothing.

The additional kilometre detour did have its use in the men's race at least.

So, how about that final ascent of Cauberg coming back? I'd say the race delivered a bit of a bloody nose to both of our theories.

 

[tobydawq]

Bemelerberg delivered nothing.

The additional kilometre detour did have its use in the men's race at least.

So, how about that final ascent of Cauberg coming back? I'd say the race delivered a bit of a bloody nose to both of our theories.

Wasn't the main theory that today's style of long distance-racing would not be influenced by Cauberg's reintroduction in the final? Which was proven true.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Wasn't the main theory that today's style of long distance-racing would not be influenced by Cauberg's reintroduction in the final? Which was proven true.

Netserk was pushing that adding a further climb of Cauberg would be a negative relative to recent years because the race had been better for having Bemelerberg as the finale, I was pushing that Bemelerberg is a nothingburger and extending the run-in before final Cauberg would be a negative impact because if Cauberg was the final climb, extending the gap between penultimate and final Cauberg would neuter racing earlier than Cauberg.

Turns out Netserk was right that the impact of reintroducing Cauberg wouldn't be as great as I feared, but claiming that Bemelerberg delivered is also very much wrong because it, as anticipated, delivered nothing. However, the detour on the final lap between it and the final Cauberg that I was so critical of was, in fact, crucial to the denouement of the race.

The other thing was the thinking that their reasoning behind reintroducing the Cauberg finale was that they were trying to push the race as being more of a hilly Classic - but while Pogačar built his lead on the sequence of the good climbs in the race, it was the flat part where he was brought back. I also bear a grudge against that crappy 2012 circuit because of its detrimental effect on the women's race for several years and the fact that the involvement of the actual good climbs AGR has to offer are usually a token ride through 100km from the finish for the ladies.

 

[tobydawq]

Netserk was pushing that adding a further climb of Cauberg would be a negative relative to recent years because the race had been better for having Bemelerberg as the finale, I was pushing that Bemelerberg is a nothingburger and extending the run-in before final Cauberg would be a negative impact because if Cauberg was the final climb, extending the gap between penultimate and final Cauberg would neuter racing earlier than Cauberg.

Turns out Netserk was right that the impact of reintroducing Cauberg wouldn't be as great as I feared, but claiming that Bemelerberg delivered is also very much wrong because it, as anticipated, delivered nothing. However, the detour on the final lap between it and the final Cauberg that I was so critical of was, in fact, crucial to the denouement of the race.

But why would you want the hardest climbs at the end? It's perfect that the Eyserbosweg and the Keutenberg are placed quite far from the finish to initiate relatively early action instead of just being immediately before the finish. And it's certainly fine to have small lumps like Geulhemmerweg and Bemelerberg in the run-in instead of it being completely flat like the long drags home we have in some of the cobbled classics like Kuurne, E3 and Gent-Wevelgem where the racing really gets quite stale.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

But why would you want the hardest climbs at the end? It's perfect that the Eyserbosweg and the Keutenberg are placed quite far from the finish to initiate relatively early action instead of just being immediately before the finish. And it's certainly fine to have small lumps like Geulhemmerweg and Bemelerberg in the run-in instead of it being completely flat like the long drags home we have in some of the cobbled classics like Kuurne, E3 and Gent-Wevelgem where the racing really gets quite stale.

I just felt the organisers wanted to be more of a 'hilly Classic', which was behind their desire to bring back the Cauberg finale, but if that's what they want then using the extended circuit that put those nothingburger climbs near the finish but having the Cauberg finale is actually worse than either the 2003-12 routes (which had the Cauberg finale, but the other climbs closer to the finish) or the 2017-24 routes (which didn't have the hilltop finish, meaning that those nothingburger climbs were the last climbs, incentivising earlier action but perhaps getting away from the identity the organisers were trying to push). For me, 2013 to 2016 were some of my least fondly-remembered editions and the 2012 Worlds circuit (and its extension with Geulhemmerweg) has been terrible for the women's race, so restoring that route had a very negative connotation to me.