'Last year I was lucky' – Tables turn on Mattias Skjelmose as he cannot match a fully fit Remco Evenepoel in the Amstel Gold Race

In 2025, the Amstel Gold Race finished with a shocking win for Mattias Skjelmose over the world's number one rider, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and the double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel. But this year, the pendulum swung the other way. With the world champion sitting this one out, Evenepoel proved to be the dominant rider this year, powering the winning move and then defeating Skjelmose in a two-man sprint.

Skjelmose likely knew his fate was sealed when he latched onto an attack with 42km to go that included Evenepoel, the race's overwhelming favourite. Whereas last year, Evenepoel was at the start of a delayed season after being doored and suffering numerous injuries, his 2026 campaign went far more smoothly. The Dane was philosophical about finishing second.

"Last year I was lucky," Skjelmose said. "This year, he just beat me with legs. I was on the limit, and I actually thought he would drop me on the climbs. So it was what it could be. I tried my best, and I'm happy with second."

The duo might not have been alone in fighting for the win had there not been a crash in their initial breakaway of five, but Kévin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers) slid out in a turn and took down another pre-race favourite, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike). Eventually, they also distanced Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United), setting up the closest replay possible.

Evenepoel called the finish "a bit of flashback to last year", adding, "I had more confidence now. I felt that on the climbs, I was probably the strongest today. So I felt that he was a bit on the limit when he was taking pulls. I felt that he was not as strong as in the beginning when we were gone. So yeah, I had a lot of confidence that I could finish it in the sprint."

Both riders expressed their love for the Amstel Gold Race, each attracted to the race for different reasons.

For Skjelmose, a lithe climber who usually targets the general classification of stage races and Grand Tours, the Amstel Gold Race is the "closest thing I come to competing in a race like the cobbled Classics," he said.

"For me, growing up and still, the cobbled Classics have always been what I enjoyed the most to watch. I think these special races are so special. And I think the Amstel is the closest thing I come to competing in a race like the cobbled classics, with the left, right, up, down, and small roads, obstacles. You're destroyed mentally after, but it's just such a crazy feeling, riding these roads and like having to be focused all the time. It just makes me happy to race here.

"This is for sure, if not my favourite, one of my favourite races in the whole calendar, even though it's very mentally demanding and physically hard. I want to come back. I was second this year and first last year, and hopefully I can take it back next year."

Evenepoel also enjoys the 257-kilometre romp through the Netherlands' Limburg province, with its numerous climbs and winding, narrow roads.

"This is one of my favourite races in the season, and to win it with my second participation feels amazing," Evenepoel said.

"Every win is a new one and is a beautiful one. But like I mentioned a few days ago, this race is just under a Monument, so it's really high on my ranking, for sure. It's in my top eight victories in my career. I'm one of the lucky guys to win quite a lot. So to win this one means a lot, and I'm very proud of it."

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