Amstel Gold (vid of finish)

[Alpe d'Huez]

****WARNING****

While you can read this post and watch the video, every post after that will contain a spoiler, so watch, then read. Or STOP RIGHT NOW, don't do either until you've seen the race on your own time.

First, here's the link to the video. If you don't speak Dutch and don't know who is who, go ahead and read the two paragraphs after the below link, they won't spoil the finish, only identify the riders.

Amstel Gold, Final Kilometer.

The three riders you will quickly see are Robert Gesink in the orange Rabobank jersey, Sergei Ivanov in the white shirt with blue shorts, and Karsten Kroon in the white and black Saxo Bank colors.

The peleton charging in on them from 10 seconds back is lead by Phillip Gilbert, Damiano Cunego, and Tomas Dekker.

Great finish. More comments later.

 

[BikeCentric]

Ivanov was the strongest. Two attacks and a few hard pulls in that footage, and he leads all the way up the climb and does an awesome job keeping Kroon boxed on his wheel. Very nice racing by the grizzled old vet! Surprising to see Gesink get shelled on any climb but I didn't see the rest of the race, he could have torn up his legs plenty earlier on for all I know.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

It is a great finish, and great win for him. He said later this was his favorite race and always wanted to win here, so good for him. Gesink did look exhausted at the end, though was glad to see him hang on for third.

Cunego and Gilbert have got to be riled out about missing out like this, and will probably be quite motivated at Fleche-Wallone in a few days.

Valverde either sat up at the end, or was distracted about his likely suspension as he was last in the group at the end. Maybe only two more races for the Spaniard before he takes a long vacation.