Gilbert strikes late to take Amstel Gold victory

THE AMSTEL GOLD Race was won yesterday by Belgian classics specialist Philippe Gilbert (OmegaPharma-Lotto).

After 258 km in the saddle Gilbert was the first to the top of the Cauberg climb at the race’s end in Valkenburg. Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) finished second and Simon Gerrans (Team Sky) was third.

There was an unusually large group of riders remaining at the front of the race with 15km to go when Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) attacked and quickly gained a ten second advantage. Schleck’s lead fluctuated slightly but remained steady heading into the last of 32 climbs, 1.5km up the Cauberg to the finish line.

With 500 metres to go, Schleck ran out of puff and was swept up by a small group led by Gilbert’s team-mate Jelle Vanendert which contained pre-race favourites Gilbert, Rodriguez and Robert Gesink (Rabobank). Rodriguez opened up his sprint for the top with Gilbert the only rider capable of staying with the Spaniard as he calmly latched on to the back wheel. The most consistent classics rider in the world took his time and eased past Rodriguez to finish several lengths clear and in doing so took his second consecutive victory in the Amstel Gold Race.

The finish of the race was almost identical to last year when it was Alexandr Kolobnev rather than Schleck who arrived first, alone at the foot of the Cauberg with a slight gap. But like Kolobnev before him, Schleck didn’t have the legs to stay clear. And just like last year, Gilbert remained patient and powered clear in the final 300 metres to take the victory.

The past 30 editions of this Dutch classic had seen 30 different winners. Gilbert has become the first multiple winner of the race since Jan Raas won it five times in the late seventies and early eighties. In addition, Gilbert has extended his incredible run of results in the classics as he has now finished in the top 10 of the last 12 classics that he has ridden.

Nicolas Roche (AG2R-LaMondiale), Philip Deignan (RadioShack) and Irish champion Matt Brammeier (HTC-HighRoad) all took to the startline yesterday. This Irish presence was the most in this race since Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and Martin Earley all participated in 1991.

Deignan finished 2’28″ behind Gilbert in 44th place in a group of five riders. While Roche finished 20 seconds further back in 59th place. Unfortunately, Brammeier did not finish the race. With such a hilly route, it’s a race which was never likely to suit the riding style of the Irish champion.

Both Deignan and Roche are still building form and finishing such a challenging race will have contributed nicely to their fitness for further challenges in the coming weeks. 1982 remains Ireland’s best year at the Amstel Gold Race when Roche finished second behind Jan Raas and Kelly ended up slightly further back in fourth place.

Roche and Deignan are both due to take part in Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, the second of the three Ardennes classics, where they will be joined by compatriot Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervelo).

Elsewhere, the An Post-Sean Kelly team took part in Zellik-Galmaarden, a Belgian one-day race. It is a race which has been won in the past by team leader Niko Eeckhout way back in 1996. More recent winners include Paris-Roubaix champions Tom Boonen and Johan van Summeren.

It was a great day for the An Post-Sean Kelly team as Mark McNally finished on the podium in second place behind Gaetan Bille (Wallonie-Bruxelles). In addition, Andrew Fenn finished fourth and Driers Hollanders took 11th place to cap an excellent performance by the team as they continue to build towards the An Post Rás in May.