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FALKENBURG, NETHERLANDS: Tadej Pogacar claimed his 11th victory of the season on Sunday as he left Tom Pidcock on the slopes and climbed more than 30 kilometers solo to win the prestigious Amstel Gold Race before taking the A glass of beer is taken away with astonishing speed.
The UAE’s 24-year-old Slovenian took first place in the Dutch Classic in 6:01:02, ahead of the disappointing EF Education-EasyPost’s Ben Healy of Ireland. British driver Pidcock was third.
Alexey Lutsenko and Andreas Kron rounded out the top five after narrowly beating Pidcock in their desperate pursuit of third.
On the winner’s podium, Pogacar and the others were handed a glass of Amstel Gold beer, which Pogacar downed in one long gulp and smiled broadly at the cheering onlookers.
Pogacar changed bikes before the climb and it was different.
“I didn’t expect us to go into disengagement so early. I was on a leak for many kilometers.
“I doubted I could get to the finish line alone. In the end I squeezed as far as I could to get to the finish line, which I did,” he said.
On an overcast day between Maastricht and Valkenburg, the trio was part of a massive 90km assault on 253.6km of unforgiving hills.
Pogacar later eased a shot from the in-form Pidcock up the Keutenberg hill, which explains why the double Tour de France winner claimed victory in his Tour de France earlier this month.
Pogakar will face Remko Evennipoor in a mouthwatering duel next weekend in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, with the Belgian defending champion tasked with taming the 2021 champions Winner.
Dutch rider Demi Vollering emerged victorious on the final downhill to win the women’s race, taking the 26-year-old’s third major win of the season after the Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders.
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