The 24-year-old from Sondrio was our best-placed rider Sunday afternoon.
Four days after finishing in the top 10 at a rain-soaked edition of Brabantse Pijl, Andrea Bagioli repeated that result at the only World Tour race held in the Netherlands, but this time he improved his position by two places after a gutsy ride.
Comprising more than thirty climbs, narrow roads and lots of road furniture, Amstel Gold Race exploded 90 kilometers from the finish, when 15 riders rode clear from the peloton just moments after the original breakaway was brought back. Soudal Quick-Step was represented there by Stan Van Tricht, who booked a place in the group that ended up turning into the race-winning move, despite the gap hovering around 30 seconds at all times.
When Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) launched his attack with 28 kilometers to go, the other riders in the group were distanced, and some of them even got caught by the group behind. Among these was also Stan, who joined Andrea and helped with the chase, as they tried to narrow the gap down. This work wasn’t for nothing in the end, Bagioli finishing a strong sixth for his first top 10 in an Ardennes Classic.
“I am satisfied, but at the same time a bit disappointed, because I wasn’t in the first group. I am confident I could have fought for a better result, but when those guys went away, I was a bit blocked behind and couldn’t join them. The good thing is that I had good legs and hopefully I will carry this form into Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne”, said Andrea at the finish.
Photo credit: ©Bas Czerwinski / Getty Images
