Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe captured his first Amstel Gold Race title on Sunday. He outsprinted defending champion Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek by exactly one second to cross the finish line in 5:59:40. The victory provided direct retribution for the 2025 edition of the Dutch classic, where Skjelmose beat Evenepoel in an identical late-race showdown.
The 257-kilometer route from Maastricht to Valkenburg forced the riders through difficult, rainy conditions. The decisive fracture occurred at the 43-kilometer mark. Romain Grégoire launched a sudden attack on the Kruisberg climb.
A severe crash ripped through the peloton at the exact same moment. The incident eliminated major pre-race contenders, according to live timing reports confirming the critical 43km crash involving Matteo Jorgenson and Kévin Vauquelin.
Evenepoel, Skjelmose, and Grégoire successfully broke away from the chaos. Evenepoel then drove a relentless pace on the Cauberg climbs. He dropped Grégoire entirely with 22 kilometers remaining. This set up the final two-man sprint to the finish line, where Evenepoel secured the victory.
Benoît Cosnefroy of UAE Team Emirates-XRG won a trailing eight-man sprint to secure third place. He crossed the line 1 minute and 59 seconds behind Evenepoel.
Following the victory, Evenepoel stated he felt much stronger in the final sprint compared to his performance last year. He also credited his team for maintaining tight control in the rain.
How the 2025 Loss Redefined Evenepoel’s Cauberg Strategy
Evenepoel’s maiden win at the Amstel Gold Race is a calculated tactical correction from his 2025 defeat. Last year, Skjelmose successfully matched Evenepoel’s accelerations and conserved enough energy for the final kick. On Sunday, Evenepoel neutralized that specific threat by pushing a heavier pace on the Cauberg climbs and forcing a draining two-man isolation over the final 22 kilometers.
By adding this Dutch classic to his Olympic, World Championship, and two Liège-Bastogne-Liège titles, Evenepoel proves his raw power output can overcome specialized sprint tactics. The result adds another major trophy to his professional sports resume in just his second career appearance at the event.