"Women's cycling is just as beautiful as men's cycling": Knetemann alerted by dismal screen time of women's Amstel
Cycling
The 2026 Amstel Gold Race Ladies brought with it a thrilling edition with a rather unexpected winner in Paula Blasi. The rising Spanish talent left behind seasoned professionals Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Demi Vollering to battle for a mere second place. But rather than excitement over a great race, the feeling that the 2026 Amstel left behind is that of bitterness as voices call for conceptual changes of the race format as, of the 158 kilometers of the Sunday race, fans saw only the final 50 kilometers in their TVs.
Why couldn't we enjoy the race earlier? "I've actually been asking this for six or seven years," said Roxanne Knetemann on the In het Wiel podcast. "The NOS says the helicopter can't take off any earlier. I think it's a financial matter."
Cycling journalist Daniël Dwarswaard echoes his co-host's words. "It's almost demeaning; it's outdated. You just want to see it, but you miss decisive moments in the race. You sit there waiting for it to be broadcast, but by then they're almost finished. That's not how it should be."
Vollering had to settle for a third spot, but this time we can hardly blame her tactics for the defeat... based on her own account. "It is a real, real shame that you only saw the last 50 kilometers, because from the start we rode very strongly and dominantly as a team," she said after the finish. "Before we reached the local circuit, we rode up every climb at full throttle. So it is very unfortunate, for everyone, that that wasn't shown."
Sign of a more complex issue
In the precise case of Amstel Gold Race, it might just be the organizer to blame as the men's race also wasn't broadcast in full the past weekend, even though men still enjoyed much greater screen time. But the difference becomes much more apparent in other races.
The Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders, the men's race was visible from start to finish, but the women? That broadcast only started after the finish of the men's race. Knetemann is not happy about it and sees that the broadcast times are still lagging behind the evolution of the sport.
"Everyone is also being vague about who has to pay for it. But that the party does not want to pay for it seems clear to me. We are long past the atmosphere surrounding the women's race, where they have to beg on their knees for being allowed to ride here. Women's cycling is certainly just as beautiful as men's cycling. The women have worked very hard on that, but you see it coming back meagerly in this race."
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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