"I went completely crazy after we finished" - Fuglsang recalls Van der Poel's legendary 2019 Amstel Gold Race victory
Cycling
The 2019 Amstel Gold Race witnessed one of the most epic race finales of our generation. The race seemed set to be decided among pre-race favourites Julian Alaphilippe and Jakob Fuglsang who have built a notable lead in the final kilometers at the head of the race. And then, Mathieu van der Poel emerged from thin air and stole the spotlight.
Fuglsang was at the front of the race for forty kilometers, together with Julian Alaphilippe. The two rivals seemed too strong for their competitors, which allowed them to play a bit of games - something that would backfire terribly.
The Dane has been riding for Astana at the time and had team manager Alexandre Vinokourov in team car. The 2003 Amstel champion gave his leader clear instructions from the car:
"I was told over the radio: 'Now you have to stop riding him at the front. Otherwise, you'll just end up in second place!' The first time, I did nothing. I just kept riding around," Fuglsang says as a commentator for DR. The second time, however, he did listen to the order: he stopped taking pulls with the normally faster Alaphilippe.
At that time, it seemed like a reasonable tactic. The leaders' gap to chaser Michal Kwiatkowski has been quite substantial - Vinokourov was told 40 seconds with three kilometers to go. That was incorrect, but the group led by Mathieu van der Poel not too far behind the Pole proved to be the main obstacle.
Van der Poel had further 8 riders in his wheel who have refused to take a turn, and he still managed to close the gap on his own. And then beat everyone to the line too. Absolute display of power. But his victory was allowed to happen primarily by the tactical shenanigans between Fuglsang and Alaphilippe.
Could've won in the sprint
In retrospective, Fuglsang regrets not believing in his own strength, as he reckons he might've stood chance against Alaphilippe head-to-head. "I probably should have just kept riding there, then I could have pulled off a real sprint," Fuglsang knows now. "I wonder if I could have beaten him (Alaphilippe) that day, because I think I had the upper hand."
The fact that the Dane finished third, only behind Van der Poel and Simon Clarke but ahead of Alaphilippe, certainly suggests this. Fuglsang was furious afterwards. "I went completely crazy after we finished in Amstel. My wife Loulou tried to calm me down and said: 'Oh, but it's okay. It is what it is.' She already had a feeling it would be three-two-one."
By that, she meant the rest of the Ardennes trilogy. She turned out to be right: a few days after the Amstel Gold Race, Fuglsang had to concede defeat to Alaphilippe atop Mur de Huy at La Flèche Wallonne.
But one week after the Amstel disaster, Fuglsang took revenge at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, winning after a 13-kilometer solo.
Fuglsang was at the top of his game in 2019. He continued to go on to win the Critérium du Dauphiné and his one and only Grand Tour stage at Vuelta a Espana.
La Doyenne did not remain Fuglsang's only Monument victory. One year later, Fuglsang returned post-covid with just as great level to win Il Lombardia - last winner other than Tadej Pogacar, top-5 World Championships and finish 6th overall at Giro d'Italia.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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