Valgren drops Sagan at Amstel Gold Race

A route change stripped the race of its summit finish

Amstel Gold Race 2018 - 53rd Edition - Maastricht - Berg en Terblijt 263 km - 15/04/2018 - Michael Valgren (DEN - Astana Pro Team) - photo Nico Vereecken/PN/BettiniPhoto©2018

RBA/AFP

Denmark’s Michael Valgren of Astana won the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, beating Roman Kreuziger in a cat-and-mouse finale after a rolling 263km race from Maastricht. Italy’s Enrico Gasparotto was third by a few seconds while pre-race favorites Peter Sagan and Alejandro Valverde came fourth and fifth after being dropped by a lightning break around 1km from the finish.

“The team was counting on me,” said Valgren, who underlined his classics form with a fourth-place finish at the recent Tour of Flanders. “In the escape I had the help of Jakob Fuglsang who was so strong and after all his efforts I had to win.”

A minute’s silence was observed at the start in memory of Belgian Michael Goolaerts, who died after suffering heart failure during the Paris-Roubaix last Sunday. The only one of the ‘Ardennes Classics’ to be run on Dutch soil featured 34 small climbs over constantly rolling terrain on narrow country roads. As expected, an early breakaway formed and the nine frontrunners went on to build a lead of over 15 minutes.

A route change made a long-range victory bid more likely on Sunday, the race being stripped of its summit finish. It took the efforts of Valverde’s Movistar team to reel in the earlier escapees, and that set the stage for a war of nerves between the key remaining contenders.

Amstel Gold Race 2018 – 53rd Edition – Michael Valgren (DEN – Astana Pro Team) – Roman Kreuziger (CZE – Mitchelton – Scott) – photo Nico Vereecken/PN/BettiniPhoto©2018

Valgren, who was second here in 2016, took a back seat while Danish compatriot Fuglsang kept Valverde, Sagan, France’s Julian Alaphilippe and Belgian Tim Wellens on tenterhooks with a series of false breaks. When Valgren suddenly accelerated, a tired-looking bunch looked to Sagan to close the gap. But the world champion, crowned king of Paris-Roubaix last week, refused the challenge. Kreuziger (Mitchelton-Scott) set off in pursuit of Valgren and the pair opened a gap that proved, for the Dane, to be the platform for a clever victory.

RESULTS

1. Michael Valgren (DEN) Astana 6hr 40min 07sec
2. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/MIT) same time
3. Enrico Gasparotto (ITA/BAH) at 2secs
4. Peter Sagan (SVK/BOR) 19
5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) s.t.
6. Tim Wellens (BEL/LOT) s.t.
7. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA/QST) s.t.
8. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN/AST) 23
9. Lawson Craddock (USA/EFD) 30
10. Jelle Vanendert (BEL/LOT) 36
11. Daryl Impey (RSA/MIT) 53
12. Preben Van Hecke (BEL/SVB) s.t.
13. Philippe Gilbert (BEL/QST) s.t.
14. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL/BMC) s.t.
15. Rudy Molard (FRA/FDJ) s.t.
16. Floris De Tier (BEL/LNL) s.t.
17. Matteo Bono (ITA/EAU) s.t.
18. Sergio Henao (COL/SKY) s.t.
19. Ion Izagirre (ESP/BAH) s.t.
20. Michael Woods (CAN/EFD) s.t.
Selected: 31. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL/SKY) 2min 11sec
32. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA/BAH) s.t.
33. Bob Jungels (LUX/QST) s.t.
36. Mikel Landa (ESP/MOV) s.t.