Tadej Pogacar returns to Amstel Gold Race as Ardennes Classics campaign begins: “We leave the cobbled Classics with our heads high”
Cycling
Just one week after a remarkable debut at Paris-Roubaix
where he finished second, Tadej Pogacar is set to launch his 2025 Ardennes
Classics campaign this Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race.
The reigning world champion returns to a race he won in
memorable fashion back in 2023 and will once again lead UAE Team Emirates – XRG
across the Dutch hills. He’ll be supported by a mix of experienced riders and
emerging talent: Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark), Vegard Stake Laengen (Norway), António
Morgado (Portugal), Jhonatan Narváez (Ecuador), Florian Vermeersch (Belgium),
and Gen Z duo Duarte Merivoet and Gibbe Staes (both Belgium).
In a team press release, Pogacar reflected on the team's
spring so far and looked ahead to the week to come, “We leave the cobbled
Classics with our heads high, I think we can be happy with what we did there
and there were some great battles on the road."
Looking toward the challenges of the Ardennes, he added, “The
Ardennes races will be a new challenge. They are three hard one-day races
packed into a week but I feel we have the team to be able to challenge in each
of them. But we will take it one race at a time starting with Amstel Gold and
go from there."
His win in 2023 came via a commanding solo move that dropped
even the strongest contenders, “In that race I have some great memories from
two years ago when I managed to win, let’s see what’s possible this year.”
That year, Pogacar launched a long-range attack and held off
podium rivals Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy, eventually crossing the line solo.
This year, he’ll be the favourite again but will be up against Pidcock, Wout
van Aert, and the returning Remco Evenepoel. Evenepoel has not raced since Il
Lombardia last October, and it will be interesting see how his legs are.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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