Gasparotto wins Amstel Gold Race in two-up sprint

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Enrico Gasparotto (Wanty - Groupe Gobert) rolled back the years to win Amstel Gold Race on Sunday. The Italian attacked on the final ascent of the Cauberg and was quickly joined by Michael Valgren (Tinkoff Team). The pair traded turns on the front before Gasparotto's experience and faster finish shone through with the 2012 winner of the race taking the victory in a two-man sprint. Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani – CSF) led the peloton home in third place with pre-race favourite Michael Matthews (Orica GreenEdge) finishing in fifth.

Gasparotto, 34, came into the race as one of the underdogs but he and Valgren were the only riders either capable or willing to attack on the final ascent of the race. The Italian first had to catch Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), who had attacked with less than 10 kilometres to go and built up a lead close to 20 seconds before the foot of the final climb.

When Gasparotto attacked only Valgren could answer with the Tinkoff rider bridging up just as the road began to plateau. Lotto Soudal launched a desperate late chase but Valgren effectively sealed the race's fate by taking a long, crucial pull on the front with 800 meters to go. That effectively ended the hopes of those behind but allowed Gasparotto almost an armchair ride to the line. With the win in sight the Italian came around the Dane's wheel.

The win was an emotional one for Gasparotto and his Wanty teammates for several reasons after Antoine Demoitie lost his life in a crash during Gent-Wevelgem.

"When I won in 2012, I did most of the Cauberg with the 39 instead of 53, and I decided to do the same today. I almost crashed at the corner at the bottom and then I moved up to the front. Nobody was attacking so I went with the 39 and then I switched to the 53 when I came to the old finish," Gasparotto said at the finish.

"I was lucky that Valgren came with me, I wouldn't have won if I'd been alone because there was a super strong headwind over the top. I was maybe lucky that it wasn't Roman Kreuziger too, because we would have played a bit before the sprint. Instead Valgren was happy to pull to make sure he came second at least, and I was able to wait and wait for the sprint."

How it unfolded

Amstel Gold Race's reputation as one of the most fraught events on the calendar precedes it, and the peloton hadn't even left the neutralised zone in Maastricht before the day's first crash, with Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo) forced to abandon with a facial injury after he came down before passing the city limits.

Once the flag dropped, there was a typically brisk start to proceedings, and the high speed lasted for much of the opening hour, as it took some time for the day's early break to form, with both Astana and BMC quick to close down some of the initial moves. The searing pace was enough, meanwhile, to convince an ill Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) to bring the curtain down on his ill-starred Classics campaign.

After 35 kilometres, on the approach to the day's fourth climb, the Bergsweg, a breakaway attempt finally gained some traction, with Laurens de Vreese (Astana), Tom Devriendt (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Laurent Didier (Trek), Alex Howes (Cannondale), Matteo Montaguti (AG2R-La Mondiale), Matteo Bono (Lampre-Merida), Kevin Reza (FDJ), Larry Warbasse (IAM Cycling), Josef Cerny (CCC-Sprandi), Fabien Grellier (Direct Energie) and Giacomo Berlato (Nippo-Vini Fantini) forging clear.

The 11-man move had already built up a lead in excess of five minutes by the time they crossed the finish line for the first time with 192 kilometres remaining, after the first of four ascents of the Cauberg. As the climbs and kilometres ticked down thereafter, the break's lead was slowly pegged back by a peloton, where Team Sky – with defending champion Michal Kwiatkowski in mind – were particularly active, and the gap was down to 3:30 by the time the 11 leaders came over the Cauberg for the second time with 86 kilometres remaining.

A crash for Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) gave a timely reminder of the dangers the tight Dutch roads offered but up front the race began to take shape with a four-man move comprising of Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto Soudal), Niccolò Bonifazio (Trek Segafredo), Gianni Meersman (Etixx QuickStep) and Björn Thurau (Wanty) skipped clear.

The Trek rider was merely a passenger but the intent from the remaining three was enough to distance the peloton and swallow up a number of the early break once cracks began to show in the leading group.

Team Sky was still a presence on the front of the peloton, with the race entering the final 40 kilometres. The break still had a two-minute lead but the peloton were becoming restless and Michael Albasini (Orica) launched clear.

The Swiss rider's antics merely inflamed the situation with Sky chasing him down before the foot of the Fromberg. LottoNL and BMC Racing duelled on the front and the increased pace saw the Van der Sande group caught at the summit.

Any rider with convictions of winning the race needed to be near the front so it was a major surprise to see Philippe Gilbert (BMC) distanced with still 25km and two more ascents of the Cauberg to go.

Up ahead the remnants of the break – they were down to just five – crested the penultimate race to the top of the Cauberg with 15 seconds as Bob Jungels (Etixx QuickStep) and Enrico Battaglin (Lotto NL) spearheaded yet another counter attack. One would assume that Team Sky would take control but within a blink of an eye their leader and the defending champion, Kwiatkowski, had been dropped. Instead Orica, still with Mat Hayman and Albasini, drove the peloton on.

The break was eventually caught with 14km to go but it wasn't until Roman Kreuziger attacked did the race spark into life again. Like Gasparotto, the Tinkoff rider was once a champion in this race and his move with 8km to race had a certain plausibility to it. However Wellens made Kreuziger look like he was standing still as he powered clear.

The Belgian had timed his move well and as hesitation crept in the quickly established a 20 second lead. He needed at least that in order to give himself a chance as he took the left hand turn onto the Cauberg for the final time but one last pull from Albasini ended his chances on the lower slopes.

Gasparotto, meanwhile, was lurking near the front of the peloton. His attack only created a few meters but it was enough and when Valgren made contact the pair had all they needed to make it to the line.

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