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Marianne Vos doubles up on 2021 WorldTour wins at Amstel Gold Race

Dutch sweep in Valkenburg

April 18, 2021
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Marianne Vos became the first rider to repeat wins in the 2021 Women’s WorldTour as she took the flowers in Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race, the first competition of Ardennes Week. It was the legendary rider’s first Amstel Gold Race triumph. Vos was the fastest in a small bunch sprint that resulted in a Dutch podium sweep and Vos taking over the series lead.

Before Sunday the first four round of the Women’s WorldTour had seen wins from five different teams: Chantal van den Broek-Blaak of SX Worx took Strade Bianche at the beginning of March, Elisa Longo Borghini prevailed in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda to assume the WorldTour lead, Bike Exchange’s Grace Brown earned the Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne trophy, and Vos bossed Gent-Wevelgem to get Jumbo-Visma its first triumph as a squad. Annemiek van Vleuten triumphed at the Tour of Flanders, her second victory for new outfit Movistar.

The Course

There would be no meanders around Limburg this year. The women faced 7 laps of a 17 km circuit in Valkenburg, each containing the Geulhemmerberg (1.4 km of 4.6 percent), the Bemelerberg (900 metres of 5.2 percent and the Cauberg (800 metres of 7.5 percent. The final Cauberg peaked a kilometre from the finish line.

Going into the final lap, Grace Brown and Pauliena Rooijakkers led a group of 20 by 30-seconds. Van Vleuten, who had had some difficulty on one of the earlier laps, led the chase closer. World champion Anna van der Breggen was in a group farther behind.

Rooijakkers was dropped on the descent ahead of the final Guelhemerberg and Brown continued up over Bemelerberg and to the foot of the Cauberg solo.

Grace Brown solo on the final lap.

Brown finally submitted on the Cauberg. Van Vleuten attacked at the bottom, chased by Vos, reigning champ Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland/Canyon-SRAM) and Longo Borghini (Italy/Trek-Segafredo).

Niewiadoma attacks on the Cauberg, Longo Borghini and Vos just behind.

Van Vleuten was caught before Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini skipped clear and headed towards the finish. Reeled back at 500 metres to go after dithering, Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini would sprint it out with van Vleuten and Vos. Vos came out from around Spaniard Mavi Garcia and crossed the line just before Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx), perhaps celebrating too early. Van Vleuten made it a Dutch podium sweep.

The WorldTour and Ardennes Week continues on Wednesday with La Flèche Wallonne Féminine.

2021 Amstel Gold Race
1) Marianne Vos (The Netherlands/Jumbo Visma) 3:00:20
2) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx) s.t.
3) Annemiek van Vleuten (The Netherlands/Movistar) s.t.