Amstel Gold Race Women: Mischa Bredewold holds off chasers for thrilling solo win after late attack on the Cauberg

Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) gained the Amstel Gold Race Girls, soloing to the end simply seven seconds forward of a gaggle of 4, the place Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) got here round Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) within the closing metres to take the runner-up spot.

That they had all been a part of a 23-rider breakaway that shaped at first of the antepenultimate lap, following the second ascent of the Cauberg. 

On the ultimate lap, Pieterse compelled a variety on the Geulhemmerberg that ultimately led to a entrance group of 5, additionally together with Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez) and Silvia Persico (UAE Workforce ADQ).

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Van Dijk attacked inside 6km to go, Bredewold jumped throughout, and the opposite three could not or would not shut the hole. 

After a high-speed descent into Valkenburg, Bredewold left Van Dijk behind on the Cauberg and held off the chasers each on the climb and the 2km run-in to the end to take the most important victory of her profession to this point.

“I had a tough week mentally, the workforce actually pulled me by way of. Topsport shouldn’t be simple. You set a lot effort and time and emotion into it, and typically it doesn’t fall in the fitting place. It nearly doesn’t really feel honest, and it doesn’t work like that. It’s onerous to win a race. You want a workforce, and that’s what helped me win as we speak,” stated an emotional Bredewold after the race, earlier than recounting how the race performed out.

“That is how we race as a workforce. We are able to all the time assault, seize the chance, and this was excellent. On this breakaway, I used to be struggling a lot. After which we did this little descent, I really like that descent, we had a spot, and Puck and Juliette went. 

“For some motive, I couldn’t observe them, however I might keep actually shut, and Ellen [van Dijk] was the right companion. I stated to her ‘come on, we have to do it collectively, for certain they can’t tempo tougher than we will if we do it collectively.’ I’m additionally pleased she dedicated totally.”

After chasing onto three lead trio, Van Dijk was instrumental to Bredewold’s victory in one other manner, spurring the 24-year-old into motion together with her assault.

“I’m glad she did [attack]. I used to be perhaps too scared to assault. I believed I’d gamble on my dash, perhaps I can observe them this time. Ellen went and I believed they’d bounce, [but] they didn’t. After which I believed ‘it’s as much as me.’ Danny [Stam], behind me within the automotive, was saying ‘now it’s all or nothing, simply full gasoline collectively.’ I hated this Cauberg, however I believed I simply hold going and don’t take a look at the powermeter, simply go,” Bredewold stated.

“This victory means a lot. That is Amstel, it’s such an enormous race, and it’s in Holland. It’s only a fucking dream, actually.”

The way it unfolded

An early breakaway of 9 riders was reeled in earlier than the primary passage of the end line with 73.4km to go of the 157.3km race, and Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) needed to chase again after a crash.

On the lap of the ending circuit that adopted, Anna van der Breggen led the SD Worx-Protime workforce in splitting the peloton with a blistering tempo.

Assaults on the Cauberg and the plateau afterwards led to a entrance group of 23 riders that consisted of Marion Bunel, Femke de Vries (each Visma-Lease a Bike), Blanka Vas, Bredewold, Lorena Wiebes (all SD Worx-Protime), Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility), Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal), Neve Bradbury (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Labous, Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez), Pieterse, Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Anna Henderson, Van Dijk (each Lidl-Trek), Quinty Ton (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Mareille Meijering, Paula Patiño (Movistar), Mara Roldan, Megan Jastrab (Picnic-PostNL), Brodie Chapman, Persico (UAE Workforce ADQ), Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels), and Alison Jackson (EF Schooling-Oatly).

Because the break pulled away, Jade Wiel (FDJ-Suez), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), and Kristen Faulkner (EF Schooling-Oatly) shaped a chase trio in an try and bridge to the entrance, however they had been absorbed by the peloton with 30km to go.

By that time, the entrance group was 1:30 forward, and once they climbed the Cauberg close to the tip of the penultimate lap, the assaults started. 

Labous was the primary to make a transfer, then Pieterse countered, however issues got here again collectively on the plateau. Additional behind, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) elevated the tempo as effectively, however because the peloton was 1:38 minutes behind coming into the ultimate lap, the victory was out of attain for a lot of the pre-race favourites.

Pieterse and Labous attacked once more on the Geulhemmerberg to separate the group for good. Persico, Van Dijk, and Bredewold managed to restrict the hole, and Persico left the opposite two behind on the higher a part of the climb to start out a solo chase, bridging the hole with 16.8km to go. 

Van Dijk and Bredewold returned with 12.3km to go and with solely the comparatively simple Bemelerberg and the ultimate ascent of the Cauberg to return. 

After Bredewold responded to Van Dijk’s assault 5.6km from the end, the 2 riders labored collectively till early on the Cauberg, the place Bredewold left Van Dijk behind. 

Within the group behind, Labous dropped Pieterse and Persico, choosing up Van Dijk near the highest of the climb. Pieterse got here again simply after the climb and instantly accelerated previous the opposite two, however couldn’t get a spot. 

Labous and Pieterse led the chase with Van Dijk sitting on, however Bredewold was nonetheless 4 seconds forward going into the ultimate kilometre and held on to win. 

Persico returned with 500 metres to go however had nothing left for the dash that was opened by Pieterse. On the ultimate metres, although, Van Dijk got here from behind with velocity to complete second.

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