Review: Amstel Gold Classic

Philippe Gilbert returned to form as he claimed the Amstel Gold Classic in a race that reflected the action-packed start to the classics season so far.

Gilbert attacks on The Cauberg on his way to victory over that, one of his very favourite climbs.
Photo © Bettini Photo

The Amstel Gold Race each year promises a great race, especially considering it can be a target for non-one day specialists to test their legs. This year, the likes of Alejandro Valverde, Simon Gerrans, Samuel Sanchez, Daniel Moreno and Andy Schleck all started the race, but its notoriously attritional reputation hit home hard as Schleck, Joaquim Rodriguez (crashes) and Dan Martin (allergies) all abandoned.

The race proceeded with animations from crowd favourite Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), often seen at the head of a strong breakaway group including Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Peter Weening (Orica Green-Edge) and Tim Wellens (Lotto-Belisol).

It was a group that was tightly controlled by the main peloton, though, having seen Roman Kreuziger ride to victory for Saxo-Tinkoff last year and while the group stayed out in fragments until seven kilometres to the finish, it never gained an advantage that was likely to prove decisive.

The end of the Amstel Gold Race is infamous for the Cauberg climb (often simply referred to as ‘the Cauberg’ among cycling aficionados), so with the main group back at the front of the race the favourites became the strongmen and punchy climbers with what was left of their teams.

That left BMC in an optimum position, having saved their riders for the final climb from an ensemble that could rival any classics-oriented outfit. Samuel Sanchez went off the front and sapped the energy from the chasing pack; his attack weakening their opponents who needed to respond. In the end leaving Philippe Gilbert in the perfect place to launch his assault on the climb and the finish line having been dragged back to his teammate. It seemed a well-played one-two punch.

It marks a return to form for the recently beleaguered Belgian, who two years after securing a historic quadruple in the Ardennes Classics, has had precious little to celebrate. Still, with his third win atop The Cauberg, 2014 could be the year where we see the former world champion back at the front.

On the day he was strongly challenged by Jelle Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol) and Simon Gerrans (Orica Green-Edge), they couldn’t hold a candle to him and had to settle for second and third places on the rostrum, respectively.

“My teammates really did a great job before the final ascension of the Cauberg,” said Gilbert to the waiting media.

“During the briefing, it was planned for Samuel [Sanchez] to do an attack at the foot of the Cauberg, so it was not a surprise for me, but I think it was one for my adversaries. I only had to wait for the best moment to attack,” he said.

It goes to show that pro cycling is as much about the tactics of the team as it is about the form of the nominated team leaders. BMC, who boast one of the strongest lineups of the WorldTour series, now look like a serious threat for the remainder of the major races this season. The question remains though: Will they be able to convert this awesome collection of talent into success in the grand tours and remaining classics?

The Spartacus of Flanders!

Cancellara emphatically claims his third Ronde van Vlaanderen.

This image speaks a thousand words for Cancellaras indomitable spirit and strength of will in the classics races.
Image © EPA

De Ronde, as the race is known colloquially, is arguably the biggest of all the classics. Some claim it’s the cobbled climbs, notable for their surface and short sharp nature that make the race so special. One thing is for sure though, it’s Fabian Cancellara who has them tamed.

There were three clear favourites for the race before it began, with Cannondale’s in-form superstar Peter Sagan, Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s Tom Boonen and Trek Factory Racing’s Fabian Cancellara the chosen trio. Each had enjoyed success at the beginning of the season – and both Boonen and Cancellara pointed to the threat posed by Sagan despite a classic having yet to appear on his palmarès.

However, on a day that had a bit of everything including crashes that put both riders and spectators in hospital and non-stop action from start to finish, it was Cancellara who prevailed by simply out-riding and out-classing his rivals. At 18km to go, he made a break for it and never looked back, fatally wounding the chances of Sagan and Boonen in the process having identified the final two climbs, the Kwaremont and Paterberg, as the weakness in their armour.

Following his break, he engaged in some great tactical cat and mouse, where he took on Belgians Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and out-manoeuvred them to sprint to victory. It was a sprint rehearsed at the Milano-San Remo, but this time came off superbly.

It was a remarkable feat that proved his form in spite of losing high-profile lieutenants Gregory Rast, Yaroslav Popovych and Stijn Devolder, who were halted by various illness and crash-related maladies. As Directeur Sportif Dirk Demol put it, “These are the three that would normally be there with Fabian until deep in the final. We never panicked but it was a tricky moment for us. Fabian proved to be [physically] and mentally strong.”

Excellence.

Perhaps most interesting though is the continued excellence of Cancellara. A renowned time-triallist and classics rider, he has emerged as one of the great cycling strongmen of all time. Actually, this has been known for a while, but with every success it bears repeating.

His record is outstanding: since his first monument victory at Paris-Roubaix in 2006, he has gone on to claim a total of seven victories, seven further podiums and three additional top-ten finishes. In fact, in the last 12 classics he has raced in, he has failed to finish only once – and of the remaining 11 has finished on the podium. That’s some going.

It means he is also now tied with rival Boonen on total classics victories, and is also equal with him, Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman and Johan Museeuw as three time winners of the race in Flanders. Certainly, he feels at home in Flanders now: “I’m not the Lion of Flanders [the famous symbol of the region and race], but the Spartacus of Flanders,” he proclaimed after the race.

What price on a fourth next year? But for now, his focus shifts to the Paris-Roubaix this weekend, where he will again seek to match Boonen as a four-time winner and establish himself as the outright most successful monument rider currently still pedaling in the pro peloton.

Next up is the third monument of the season, the Paris-Roubaix, on Sunday 13 April.

February shows early season form book

Valverde, Froome and Kittel impress in February’s ProTour races.

Valverde won the Ruta del Sol in emphatic style.
© Cycling Weekly

February was the month in which teams and riders put their preparations into action for the upcoming Spring Classics and summer Grand Tours and we’ve been treated to a smōrgåsbord of action and statements of intent.

The month began in Dubai with Marcel Kittel proving he’d lost none of his 2013 season desire by repeatedly winning every sprint shown him, putting in the shade the likes of Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel.

His two main rivals have since begun to make headway, indicating this season’s sprints won’t be a foregone conclusion. Greipel claimed two stages of the Tour of Oman, while Cavendish and his Omega Pharma-Quick Step train finally began to click into gear with a win on the final stage of the Volta ao Algarve.

Other sprinters too have made their mark: Peter Sagan and Alexander Kristoff each claimed a stage of the Tour of Oman with consistently strong showings in particular from Orica-Green-Edge’s Leigh Howard, while Lampre-Merida’s Sacha Modolo also tasted victory in the Volta ao Algarve.

The Tour of Oman and the Ruta del Sol are equally, if not more about showing potential GC contender form for the remainder for the season. It was here that Alejandro Valverde and Chris Froome impressed the most, each claiming overall victory in the Ruta and Tour respectively.

In winning his third Ruta del Sol in a row, Valverde has written his name into the record books with his run of three victories overall, and in this years’ stages when the might of Team Sky quad Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, Richie Porte and Vasil Kiryienka tried and failed to break him, he showed incredibly impressive condition so early in the season.

Froome too has shown formidable form over in Oman, successfully defending his title and out-racing Tejay van Garderen and ex-Sky rider Rigerberto Ùran into second and third respectively.

While their victories were impressive and proved their race winning credentials, it represents a shift in approach to a whole season. Both Froome and Valverde have stated their goal is victory in the Tour de France in 2014 – yet this is five months away. The big test will be to see if they can hold their form to the biggest race on the calendar.

On the other end of the scale, Richie Porte has had a more measured start to his Grand Tour aspirations, the Tazmanian targeting the Giro d’Italia in May, placed second just as he did in January’s Tour Down Under – unable to dislodge Valverde despite that star-studded team around him. Perhaps this reflected more of Team Sky’s apparent lack of ‘Plan B’, instead relying on their usual tactic to drill the peloton with their brute strength in depth followed by an attack by their main man; in this case Porte.

That attack never really materialised – or if it did then Valverde was in such good form that he seemed to be able to lap it up and use it as a launchpad. To any bystander it was seriously impressive for him and potentially disappointing for Porte, especially considering the relative condition of Bradley Wiggins, often used up on the lower slopes to take advantage of his huge engine to thin out the herd, and Geraint Thomas who often looked as though he had to hold back to avoid simply riding off the front of the peloton.

Still, second is no mean feat and probably will not be viewed as a big disappointment considering the surprising strength of Valverde over the five days racing and still places him in good stead for the Giro in May.

Elsewhere, Alberto Contador stretched his legs with a stage win and second overall at the Volta ao Algarve, a race in which Michal Kwiatkowski claimed overall victory thanks to an attack on stage 2 and an individual time trial win (all the more notable because he beat World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin in the process).

Conspicuous by their relative anonymity though, was World Champion Rui Costa (not enjoying a particularly successful race at home in the Algarve), ex-World Champion Philippe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, who was so successful in the Spring Classics last year, and Cadel Evans (choosing to race at the Tour Haut Var instead). We wait to see if they can improve their form in time for March.

It all shows key players for the forthcoming Spring Classics are making moves and beginning to show their cards and it promises to be a rip-roaring ride as the WorldTour returns next month!

Have your own opinion or favourites for this year’s Spring Classics? Why not tell us about them above.