As it happened: Pogacar delivers another exhibition at Amstel Gold Race

Welcome to live coverage of Amstel Gold Race. The peloton will roll out of Maastricht at 10.45 local time and they are scheduled to hit kilometre zero at 10.50. 253.6km and 33 climbs separate them from the finish in Berg en Terblijt. 

There are 175 starters in Maastricht, including two-time winner Michal Kwiatkowski, Tom Pidcock, Benoit Cosnefroy, Jai Hindley and Tiesj Benoot, but all eyes will be on Tadej Pogacar, who arrives in Limburg looking to pick up his campaign where he left off in Flanders. That Ronde win was the Slovenian's 10th victory of the season and he insisted in the build-up to this event that the "hunger is still there" for more success in this remarkable opening phase to his season. The last leg of Pogacar's Spring campaign begins here and continues at Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. 

A year ago, even though the route was more or less the same, there was a slightly different felt to Amstel Gold Race due to the fact that it came a week earlier than usual following a swap of dates with Paris-Roubaix to accommodate the French presidential election. It ensured that a number of men with designs on Roubaix glory - most notably, Mathieu van der Poel - lined out in Limburg. Victory ultimately fell to Michal Kwiatkowski even if the unfortunate Benoit Cosnefroy thought he had done enough to claim the decision.

After signing on in Maastricht, Benoit Cosnefroy cast his mind back to last year briefly before looking ahead to today's race. "No, it was a good memory," he said, when asked about the images of last year's sprint on the big screen at the start today. "Everybody wanted me to cry at the finish but I took a lot of pleasure from Amstel last year, sprinting for the win. I hope I can enjoy it as much this year. For me, it will be a hard race as it will be in Pogacar’s interest to make the race difficult. That’s what he’ll try to do with a strong team around him. But the finale of Amstel can often be tactical, and I hope it will be. That might offset any numerical superiority and make it more complicated if he has more than one rival to watch."

The peloton has rolled away from the start and is making its way through the neutralised zone. There is one non-starter to report: Andrej Zeits (Astana-Qazaqstan) has been forced out this morning due to illness.

-253km

The peloton hits kilometre zero and the 2023 edition of Amstel Gold Race is formally underway.

The details of the succession of ups and downs and twists and turns in the long and winding road around Limburg are available here. These hills are not, of course, part of the Ardennes, which begin over the border in Belgium and stretch south towards Luxembourg, but this race has come to be grouped in both date and style with the Ardennes Classics. When the race finished atop the Cauberg between 2003 and 2012, it certainly felt a little too similar to Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and shifting the finish line a kilometre or so beyond the climb, as the organisation did from 2013 to 2016, did little to change that. The move to the current configuration in 2017, however, has made this a very different and more open kind of race. 

-245km

It's been a brisk start to proceedings here, though a group of seven has managed to eek out a small advantage. Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X) have 20 seconds or so in hand on the bunch, and it looks as though they may be given a degree of leeway.

-240km

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X) have a lead of 1:30 on the peloton after the day's first climb, the Maasberg. Only 32 to go...

-241km

The pace has settled considerably in the bunch, where UAE Team Emirates have made it clear that they're happy to allow this move to forge clear and establish an early buffer. The day is still long...

-240km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 2:20

-231km

At Sittard, home of the Tom Dumoulin bike park, the seven leaders have 3:40 in hand on a peloton where UAE Team Emirates are on policing duty.

Tadej Pogacar cut a relaxed figure at the start in Maastricht: "I like Ardennes, I really like them. The last few years I didn’t do Amstel but it’s really good to include it back into this programme. It’s a really tactical race and hectic, super-fast with short climbs, but I think we have a good team to stay at the front. I know the key climbs but I don’t have a good pronunciation in Dutch so I won’t say them. It’s totally different to cobbled Classics but it’s also different to Liège. It has its own little charm. It’s a beautiful race."

-221km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 4:20

A puncture for Tom Pidcock, but the Briton gets a quick change and immediately rejoins the peloton. Out in front, meanwhile, the leading septet are over the second climb, the Adsteeg.

At the start, Tom Pidcock downplayed the idea that the entire bunch was waiting for Pogacar's inevitable volley of attacks in the finale - or sooner. Amstel remains Amstel. "Of course you have to be ready for Tadej to attack, because this is the guy you can’t give a gap to, but then again you can’t base your whole race around one rider either,"  Pidcock said. "You have to nail certain sections and this race has a lot of points where you need to be at the front as a team, so those tactics don’t change. I only raced the full circuit here once. It’s a super hard race and one I really like."

-212km

The UAE-controlled peloton remains content to give the breakaway its head in this early phase of the race, and the gap has stretched out towards the five-minute mark.

-207km

Over the Bergseweg for the seven leaders, whose advantage seems to have stabilised at around the 4:30 mark for now.

-205km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 4:00

-196km

Unlike the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the break was able to form quite quickly this morning and that made for a - relatively - steadier start. The escapees still covered 42km in the first hour, mind. 

Matej Mohoric crashed out of the Tour of Flanders and had to settle for 29th at Paris-Roubaix, but his Bahrain Victorious team has been prominent towards the head of the peloton thus far. “I was feeling good in Roubaix, the condition and the legs are there. It’s frustrating that I didn’t get any results in the big races so far but I’ll try to turn that around in Amstel, Flèche and Liège," Mohoric said at the start. "I don’t think I’m one of the favourites to win, but we have a strong team here to support me. My ambition is to do a top five result but of course it’s not easy with Pogacar. But we’ll see what happens in the finale. If I’m there in the finale, I think I can follow the move and hopefully get in the selection and then try to play my cards – either by anticipating or by waiting for the sprint and doing the best I can.”

-184km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 3:25

There has been a definite uptick in the urgency of the peloton and the break's lead is beginning to contract accordingly on the long and relatively flat section that leads towards the day's seventh climb, the Wolfsberg. 

-175km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 3:00

AG2R Citroen have  been to the fore in helping to control the peloton with UAE, while Ineos Grenadiers have been visible keeping Tom Pidcock as close to the front as possible.

-165km

Away from Amstel Gold Race, the tryptych of races in Franche-Comté comes to an end this afternoon with the Tour du Doubs, where Thibaut Pinot is chasing a victory on local roads in his final season as a professional. The Frenchman, building towards the Giro d'Italia, placed second to Kevin Vauquelin at yesterday's Tour du Jura. "Everybody is talking about a farewell tour, but I want to give my answer on the road," Pinot said afterwards. "This shows that I’m not just here to sign autographs and take photos, but also to win races. That’s what’s important." Read more here.

-163km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 2:05

The pace has been ratcheting gradually upwards in the peloton and the break's lead continues to shrink, dropping to just north of two minutes after the day's eighth climb, the Loorberg.

-150km

After the ninth of 33 climbs, the Schweibergerweg, the break's lead has edged out again to 2:30.

There are 33km left in the women's race, incidentally, and James Moultrie is describing the action for us. His live coverage is available here.

-141km

In the men's race, the seven leaders still have 2:30 in hand after the Camerig, the day's longest climb. The race will shortly make a brief sortie over the border into Belgium in between the ascents of Drielandenpunt (11) and Gemmenich (12). The drie landen in question at that point, incidentally, are the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The hill, also known as Vaalserberg, overlooks the spot where the borders of the three countries meet. Vaalserbeg is the highest point in the Netherlands, at 322m above sea level.

Fresh from a sparkling Tour of Flanders debut, Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) is one of the foremost contenders to take on Pogacar this afternoon. The American's qualities of endurance should be to the fore as this mammoth race draws on. “I was a little bit sick for a few days after Flanders but the last week I was pretty feeling good again. I hope the fitness is still there, I’m still very motivated to do something today," Powless said at the start. "I think the only way we can beat Tadej is to have multiple riders in the finale and make him chase. Hopefully we can come there in the end with two or three riders. It’s hard to do, it’s a technical course, but we have the power to do it. If everybody positions well, hopefully we should be able to be there.”

-132km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 1:55

-125km

The race is past the midpoint in terms of distance, but the bulk of the climbs are still to come. Next up is ascent 13 our of 33, the Epenerbaan. The average speed in the first three hours of racing has been just north of 40kph, but the pace is increasingly in the bunch... The break's lead has suddenly dropped under a minute... 

-124km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 0:54

The race is back on Dutch roads by now, of course, and this injection of urgency has the feel of the first gentle tinkling of alarm bells in the peloton. The scramble for positions will begin in earnest now and the tension is high.

The break's lead is continuing to shrink rapidly. 40 seconds the gap, and the seven leaders now look like they will struggle to stay out in front until live television pictures start at 14.30 CET.

-118km

Break:

Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Leon Heinschke (DSM), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Tobias Ludvigsson, Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X)

Peloton at 0:25

-114km

It's almost all over for the escapees, who are on the cusp of being swept up by the bunch after the day's 14th climb, the Eperheide...

-107km

The early break has been reeled in decidedly early in the race. Gruppo compatto at Amstel Gold Race, though we can well imagine that the peloton will soon splinter into shards as the pace and succession of climbs take their toll.

Josh Tarling (Ineos), Martin Svrcek (Soudal-QuickStep) and Daryl Impey (Israel Premier Tech) were among the fallers following a crash in the peloton a short time ago. The race is bunch but the tension is high as a new phase is about to begin.

-97km

Into the final 100km for the men's peloton. Meanwhile, Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition has come to a conclusion. Our rolling coverage is available here and the full report will soon be in place here.

-93km

After the climb of St. Remigiusstraat Huls, a dozen or so riders have managed to open a small gap over the peloton, but it's not yet clear if this move will be allowed to gain any traction.

-89km

A group of sixteen riders has a lead of 15 seconds over the bunch, but Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is eager to press on and he attacks alone from this group.

As live television pictures begin, we can see Tom Pidcock (Ineos) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan) are among the riders in this 16-man group. We're awaiting full confirmation of the rest of the names present, but the gap has stretched out considerably...

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is also in this group, and one imagines this could go the distance...

-85km

• Empty list

Break:

Magnus Sheffield, Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Tosh van der Sande (Jumbo-Vimsa), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Lars van dern Berg, Kevin Geniets, Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Alex Zingle (Cofidis), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan), Christopher Juul-Jensen, Matteo Sobrero (Jayco-Alula), Arjen Livyns, Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)

Peloton at 0:15

-82km

The front group hits the Cauberg for the first time, and Pogacar immediately takes up the reins at the head of the race. His effort is stringing out the break, and Juul-Jensen and Van der Sande are among those distanced.

There's a degree of panic in the peloton, where Benoit Cosnefroy has missed the boat and is trying to accelerate once they hit the Cauberg. It may already be too late for last year's runner-up, given that the Pogacar group seemingly has half a minute, although time gaps are scarce from the organisation.

-80km

After the Cauberg, the Pogacar group - down to 11 riders after his accleration on the climb - passes the finish line for the first time with 28 seconds in hand on a peloton where Trek-Segafredo and Jumbo-Visma are leading the chase.

-76km

Break:

Magnus Sheffield, Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Stan Van Tricht (Soudal-QuickStep), Lars van den Berg, Kevin Geniets, (Groupama-FDJ), Alex Zingle (Cofidis), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan), Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)

Peloton at 0:35

-75km

With strongmen like Pogacar, Pidcock and Lutsenko out in front, and such a solid spread of teams - including EF-EasyPost and Soudal-QuickStep - also represented, you'd have to feel this break has every chance of going the distance. The onus is firmly on Jumbo-Visma to lead the pursuit in the peloton, but the gap is growing.

-71km

Pogacar helps to drive on the break, and their lead over the Jumbo-led bunch is out to 40 seconds with 70km and 11 climbs to go. 

-70km

Before the Keerderberg, Jumbo-Visma have started to get some welcome reinforcements from Arkea-Samsic and Bahrain Victorious and the gap comes down to 36 seconds.

Tadej Pogacar raised an arm for his team car, but there are no cars in that gap for now. It's not immediately clear if the Slovenian has a bike issue or if he is seeking a bidon. 

-68km

Break:

Magnus Sheffield, Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Stan Van Tricht (Soudal-QuickStep), Lars van den Berg, Kevin Geniets, (Groupama-FDJ), Alex Zingle (Cofidis), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan), Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)

Peloton at 0:33

-66km

The escapees hit the Bemelerberg, where Oskar Camenzind slipped away to win the 1998 World Championships on a day of driving rain, upsetting the pre-race favourite Michele Bartoli, who had to settle for bronze after a forlorn attempt to lead the pursuit on the final lap. Peter Van Petegem beat the Tuscan to silver, while Camenzind continued a most unexpected purple patch by winning the Tour of Lomardy six days later.

Bahrain Victorious have taken up the reins of pursuit from Bahrain Victorious, while it's interesting to see Matteo Trentin tucked in third place in the bunch, seemingly to serve as a spolier for Pogacar.

-64km

Bahrain Victorious keep trying to push the pace in the peloton, but the collaboration remains smooth in the front group of 11. The gap remains at 24 seconds.

-60km

The next climb up is number 25, the Loorberg, and the peloton is trying to avail of a relatively flat section before that ascent to make inroads into the break's lead. It remains stubbornly around the half-minute mark, despite Wout Poels' efforts. If Bahrain don't bring them back before the Kruisberg-Eyserbosweg combination with 40km or so to go, they're unlikely to see Pogacar et al again.

Ireland's Ben Healy has enjoyed a fine 2023 season to date, with a stage win at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali and victory at GP Industria & Artigianato before his second place at Brabantse Pijl, and the EF Education-EasyPost rider is in the right place again today - off the front with Pogacar and Pidcock. 

-56km

Pogacar hasn't shown any obvious signs of distress since he was unable to hail his team car a few kilometres back. The Slovenian is helping to drive the break, still 27 seconds clear of the peloton. 

-55km

Break:

Magnus Sheffield, Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Stan Van Tricht (Soudal-QuickStep), Lars van den Berg, Kevin Geniets, (Groupama-FDJ), Alex Zingle (Cofidis), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan), Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)

Peloton at 0:32

The collaboration in the break is about as smooth as could be expected considering the competing interests out there, even if some riders are tapping through and presumably citing leaders in the peloton behind. Pogacar seems to be taking a few extra turns to ensure they keep ticking over, however, and the gap remains steady at 30 seconds.

-51km

A crash in the peloton ahead of the Loorberg sees a number of fallers, including Brabantse Pijl winner Dorian Godon (AG2R Citroen) and Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

The crash has split the peloton, too, of course, and amid the confusion, the break's lead has yawned out to 42 seconds on the Loorberg.

Meanwhile, Trek-Segafredo have taken it up in the peloton on behalf of Mattias Skjelmose, but they will be hard pressed to bring back Pogacar, Pidcock and company.

-50km

The Loorberg, meanwhile, is whittling down the break. Lars van den Berg loses contact as the gradient bites, while Lutsenko dances on the pedals in front.  

It appears that Neilson Powless went down in that crash. The American is on his bike, but he has been distanced by the peloton on the Loorberg and it looks as though his race is over.

-48km

Lars van den Berg was dropped but not definitively distanced on the Loorberg. He gives desperate pursuit over the other side, but even if he gets back on, he surely won't survive too much longer in this company.

-44km

With eight climbs remaining, the Pogacar group has half a minute in hand. Next up is the Gulperbergweg, which is followed by the key Kruisberg-Eyserbosweg combination.

Lutsenko climbs from the saddle on the Gulperbergweg while a seated Pogacar looks very comfortable on his rear wheel. Back in the peloton, Bauke Mollema accelerates in a bid to forge across, but it's an ambition that looks beyond his abilities this afternoon. 

-42km

Break:

Magnus Sheffield, Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Stan Van Tricht (Soudal-QuickStep), Kevin Geniets, (Groupama-FDJ), Alex Zingle (Cofidis), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan), Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)

Peloton at 0:22

Lars van den Berg, incidentally, never made it back up to the break, leaving ten riders in front. Back in the peloton, meanwhile, Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) has accelerated and he has helped to form a chasing group of around 20 riders, which also includes Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma).

-40km

This chasing group has closed to within 25 seconds of the break, but we can perhaps expect some moves from the front of the race as soon as the Kruisberg in a couple of kilometres.

Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe) attacks from the chasing group, but he has Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) sitting like a dead weight on his wheel on behalf of Pogacar.

-39km

A bike change for Pogacar at the foot of the Kruisberg. It seems he had an issue all along... But can he get back up to his erstwhile companions? This could change the entire complexion of the race...

Can he what? Pogacar closes the gap in double quick time, bridging back up to the break just as they reach the crest of the Kruisberg. Trentin, incidentally, had attacked Schelling in a bid to come across and help Pogacar, but the Slovenian didn't need any help at all.

Pidcock was at the front on the Kruisberg, but the Briton made no apparent effort to profit unduly from Pogacar's bike change. He may rue that generosity of spirit as the afternoon draws on...

-37km

The on-screen time gap keeps oscillating between 20 and 30 seconds before the Eyserbosweg, but that may be due to the vagaries of using GPS positioning on roads as sinuous as these. Pogacar et al still look to have a winning gap.

Tadej Pogacar accelerates from the very front of the break on the Eyserbosweg and only Tom Pidcock can resist his forcing. The Briton comes through near the top of the climb, and then Ben Healy does well to make it a group of three at the summit. 

-35km

Break:

Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Chasers at 0:13:

Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)

Lutsenko and Kron look set to get across to Pogacar, Pidcock and Healy out in front. Behind, a group of chasers including Benoot, Mohoric and Schelling have picked off the remnants of the break but it doesn't look like they're getting any closer to Pogacar et al.

-32km

I spoke too soon about Lutsenko and Kron getting back on. Pogacar drives on the pace to push the gap out to 10 seconds. Pidcock has also put in some long turns. Healy is riding well, but he knows he's in exalted company here and cutting his cloth accordingly.

-31km

Break:

Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Chasers at 0:13:

Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)

Peloton at 0:56

-29km

Pogacar leads into the final 30km, and Pidcock and Healy look content to force the Slovenian to do the bulk of the pacemaking. Jai Hindley, incidentally, is in the third group on the road, 1:05 back.

-28.5km

And then there were two... Ben Healy is dropped on the Keutenberg as Pogacar dials up the intensity...

And within another 150 metres, it's one man alone at the head of the race. Pidcock can't resist Pogacar's overwhelming force. The Slovenian is briefly out of the saddle but it looks effortless as he rides Pidcock off his wheel.

-27.5km

Tadej Pogacar presses on with that unhurried, almost languid style of his. He has 11 seconds on Pidcock and Healy and 35 seconds on Lutsenko and Kron. The Benoot-Hindley group is now at 1:38. 

Not for the first time this season and surely not for the last, Pogacar is in a race utterly of his own. Next up for him is the Cauberg and the penultimate passage over the finish line, but he is already on his lap of honour here.

-2

Break:

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)

Chasers 1 at 0:24:

Tom Pidcock (Ineos), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Chasers 2 at 0:48:

Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan)

Chasers 3 at 1:43

-21km

Tadej Pogacar powers towards the base of the Cauberg with a lead of 24 seconds over Pidcock and Healy, and 1:00 over Lutsenko and Kron. Benoot, Hindley et al are now two minutes back.

-18.5km

The Cauberg may no longer be the finale to the Amstel Gold Race, but it remains its beating heart. Pogacar dances his way up the cavernous gradient out of Valkenburg between two walls of noise. 

Pidcock and Healy swap turns on the climb, but the gap to Pogacar is out to 30 seconds and growing. 

-16km

Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line in Berg en Terblijt for the penultimate time and takes the bell. If this were boxing, the fight would have been stopped by now. Instead, Pogacar will continue to dole out the punishment for another 10 miles before he is proclaimed the winner here. 

The Cauberg has been climbed for the last time, incidentally. From here, the race tackles the Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg before taking a different route back to the finish line.

The third chasing group featuring Hindley, Benoot, Bagioli, Skjelmose crossing the line some 2:32 down on Pogacar. 

-14km

Pogacar is onto the Geulhemmerberg, and he makes light work of the climb with that familiar, gentle bobbing of his shoulders. Behind, Ben Healy tries to drop Pidcock on the climb and it looks like he might succeed...

Healy duly drops Pidcock on the Geulhemmerberg, and the Irishman has given himself every chance of claiming second place behind the unassailable Pogacar.

-10km

This is an impressive effort from Healy, who has closed Pogacar's advantage to 20 seconds, while Pidcock is 40 seconds back.

-9km

Pogacar presses on again, inexorably, and his lead is out to 24 seconds again before the Bemelerberg. The race director's car is a little too close to Pogacar for comfort on these narrow roads...

-8km

Healy, by contrast, has nothing but open road in front of him, but - crucially - the same is true behind. The Irishman is well on course for second place here.

-7km

Pogacar has 30 seconds in hand on Healy as he begins the Bemelerberg and 49 on Pidcock. The Slovenian appears to have been appraised of Healy's pursuit and he has upped his pace accordingly.

Healy pushes his way up the Bemelerberg, but Pidcock hasn't given up the ghost, and he's just over 10 seconds back on the Irishman, per the on-screen graphic. But Lutsenko and Kron look to be closing in on Pidcock too...

-5.5km

There are, of course, no doubts about the head of the race. Tadej Pogacar is over the Bemelerberg with a lead of 43 seconds in this, his latest exhibition of the year. 

-4km

Into the final 4km for Pogacar, who becomes the fourth man after Eddy Merckx (1975), Jan Raas (1979) and Philippe Gilbert (2017) to win the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race in the same year.

And on this evidence, of course, Pogacar will have to be fancied to emulate the late Davide Rebellin (2004) and Philippe Gilbert (2011) as a winner of the Amstel-Fleche-Liege hat-trick.

-2km

Ben Healy looks over his shoulder as he enters the last 2km, but he looks destined to take second place here, as Pidcock is nowhere in sight. 

-1km

Tadej Pogacar cruises into the final kilometre a dominant winner of Amstel Gold Race.

Pogacar looks over his shoulder as he rolls down the finishing straight. The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Tadej Pogacar wins Amstel Gold Race.

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) takes a fine second place, emulating Stephen Roche in 1982.

Tom Pidcock (Ineos) was struggling in the final kilometres but he just holds off Alexey Lutsenko and Andreas Kron to claim the final step of the podium, some 2:16 down on your know who.

Result

Tadej Pogacar reveals that he had a flat tyre prior to his bike change just ahead of the Kruisberg: "It’s unbelievable today, actually. I did not expect that we’d go in the breakaway so early. I was on a sort of flat tyre for many ks in the front and I was doubting I could come to the finish solo. In the end I squeezed as much as possible to come to the finish line and I made it.

"I was really frustrated because we didn’t have cars for such a long time but we managed to get the bike just in time before the final climbs. It was really tight and really nervous at one moment."

Pogacar's presence in the front group with 90km to go, he said, was unplanned: " I just went to the front and I saw some really good riders in that group, many riders, so I jumped to the front and our guys could sit at the back and control so either way we were in a good situation because we had in the back Hirschi and Trentin but I think they had some bad luck in the end."

The winning move on the Keutenberg, on the other hand, was on the advice of a very friendly rival.

"Mathieu van der Poel told me I should go on the Keutenberg and it is the hardest climb and it suits me the most. He told me that three days ago, he sent me a message. I will thank him for the advice," said Pogacar, who now turns his attention to the Ardennes. "On Wednesday, it’s the Flèche. It’s a hard race for me. I never did a good result there, but with good shape right now and a good team, we can also do a good result in Flèche."