2023-11-29 18:15:16
Van der Poel’s Amstel was one of those eternal martianades
That Amstel Gold Race continues to be a topic of conversation in many social media threads and groups, the one that Mathieu Van der Poel pockets in extremis, coming from behind, from nothing, from the void.
Two of the best cyclists of that spring were running away.
Be careful, we are talking about four years ago, which with a pandemic involved, seems like an eternity, much more than an Olympic cycle, but four years nothing more.
Julian Alaphilippe won everything those days, he dominated San Remo and Strade at a stretch, with special mention to the first, which he had won superbly.
Jakob Fuglsang was, without knowing it, on the verge of winning alone in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a week later.
Amstel Gold Race 2019: one of Van der Poel’s biggest martianades.
???? pic.twitter.com/RgAHZUdV16— Iker Gallastegi (formerly @ikguallas) (@ikgallas) April 14, 2023
It was the favorite duo and it stood out quickly, you see. So an attack with 35 minutes to go seemed like hell to usbut more or less that’s where Alaphilippe attacked.
They both circulated with an interesting distance that seemed definitive.
More than half a minute to a mile when disaster struck for those in the lead.
The Frenchman, who had already accounted for the Dane in the Strade, saw how Jakob began to openly fight in the relays.
They both began to watch each other, to make long stretches along the road, without noticing that those behind were led by a furious Mathieu Van der Poel, who took his hand six from the finish line and from there they did not take him away until they crossed the arch of that Amstel.
What seemed incredible from a mile away, began to take shape from the red triangle and at about 400 meters no one doubted that it could jump into the air.
Kwiatkowski was also around and was the first to hunt.
Van der Poel led the group to the fright of Alahilippe who was overwhelmed to such an extent that he launched the sprint hastily and without gas.
The Dutchman would pass them, Simon Clarcke rose to second place and Fuglsang, be surprised, was third.
Julian fell off the podium while Schachmann, the lamented Lambrecht, De Marchi, Madouas and Bardet, among others, could not even catch the aspiration of the guy who had been losing his life in the chase for a while.
No bullshit, no shit, Van der Poel took cycling out of the comfort zone and put it on the news and news the next dayin the middle of football headlines and stuff.
Taking cycling out of its inner circle, that’s what Mathieu did, he put it high, very high, in one of those actions that transcend the sport in question.
When we talk about these coconuts, we can say that there was a first time for their assault, and if we have to place it somewhere, I would put it on that Sunday in April 2019.
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