“I certainly didn't have the legs of the past few weeks" - Mathieu van der Poel absent from Amstel Gold Race finale

Tom Pidcock fired to victory at the 2024 Amstel Gold Race this Sunday afternoon. Notable by his absence, pre-race favourite, Mathieu van der Poel was not involved in the final shake-up.

“It was a difficult race. I didn't feel great, but I was okay. My plan was to cross the Keutenberg with the best rider, but they rode away. That's a bit of a shame, but overall we did well," the world champion reflected honestly in his post-race interview with NOS.

Whilst van der Poel couldn't or wouldn't respond, a dangerous and eventually race-winning move went clear including Pidcock, Tiesj Benoot and Marc Hirschi among others. “It was of course a difficult situation," van der Poel admits. "You then have to make some choices. When I jump, the other riders immediately jump on my wheel.”

“I certainly didn't have the legs of the past few weeks, but it was fun to ride the Amstel Gold Race again,” the world champion continues. “This is also a different type of race. Things may be a little more tactical here between the climbs. They (the organization, ed.) did a good job. The team has done a good job, but we may be short of one guy to jump with. But again, we did a good job.”