"Tadej drops Remco on the Keutenberg. Even then, Remco’s probably coming back, right?" - Is Evenepoel the favourite for Amstel Gold Race glory?

With the start of the Ardennes Classics on the calendar today, the cycling world has their eyes locked on the Amstel Gold Race. For the men, a mouth-watering battle lies in store including a host of notable names such as Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar.

After his triumphant return to racing at Brabantse Pijl in midweek, it's fair to say the Belgians have high hopes for their Olympic champion Evenepoel. “I’m putting him right alongside Pogacar,” says Thomas Dekker on the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast. "When you come back and make a return like that… He looked sharp, relentless, attacking like it was his last chance, racing like a lion. For cycling - and for the upcoming battle with Pogacar on Sunday - it’s just magnificent.”

“He just doesn’t give up, does he?" adds ex-pro Laurens Ten Dam in agreement. "You could easily think: ‘Well, Wout’s stronger, let it go.’ But he just keeps pushing, and in that final hour, he broke Van Aert down. Although at that point, Van Aert was still stronger."

Although Pogacar has been his typically dominant self for much of the 2025 season, Mathieu van der Poel has shown on a couple of occasions now that the world champion is beatable. Can Evenepoel follow suit? “There are only a few riders out there who seem to defy the usual laws of cycling. Mathieu’s one. Pogacar’s another. And now this guy, too,” assesses Ten Dam. “Let’s say Tadej drops Remco on the Keutenberg. Even then, Remco’s probably coming back, right? That plateau afterwards is pretty long and straight - Remco will just go full aero, and good luck staying ahead of him. You’d have to be superhuman.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be a two-man duel,” Dekker adds however. “They might end up off the front together, but I think this version of Van Aert can hang on for quite a while.”