Skjelmose stuns Pogacar and Evenepoel with sprint to Amstel Gold Race win
Mattias Skjelmose claimed a shock victory at the Amstel Gold Race as he won a sprint finish against favourite Tadej Pogacar and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel on Sunday.
It was supposed to be a fight between world champion Pogacar and Evenepoel but Denmark's Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) had not read the script as he beat Pogacar by the width of a tyre. Evenepoel, who recently returned from serious injuries sustained in a crash, was third.
The race took place over 255km from Maastricht in the Netherlands and concluded in gripping circumstances in Valkenburg.
'I was riding for the podium,' Skjelmose said. 'Already the podium would be a really good result for me. Of course, you sprint for the best result but I thought I was going to cramp, or see them go into the horizon.'
Slovenian Pogacar (Emirates-XRG) appeared to have the race won when he built up a 25-second lead with around 40km remaining after going solo at the front and extended it to 30 seconds.
Skjelmose, 24, was the first to try and catch three-time Tour de France and multiple Classics winner and was then joined by Belgium's Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-step). Working together the duo ate into Pogacar's lead over the final climbs.
There was seemingly nothing to separate the riders in the surge to the line but Skjelmose nosed in front at the last to claim the biggest win of his career.
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Wout van Aert (Visma) was fourth, leading a chasing pack 34 seconds back ahead of fifth-placed Michael Matthews (Jayco Alula), Louis Barré in sixth (Intermarché-Wanty), then Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Tiesj Benoot (Visma), Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) and Ben Healy (EF Education-Easypost) rounded out the top 10. Brandon McNulty (Emirates-XRG) was at the back of that group but finished 11th.
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