Home > Training Guide

How a terrible bike throw cost Cosnefroy Amstel Gold

The Frenchmen lost to Kwiatkowski in the finale

Photo by: Sirotti
April 11, 2022
Share on SMS

Michal Kwiatkowski beat French rider Benoit Cosnefroy by only a few centimeters at Sunday’s Amstel Gold race, and it was all because of a great bike throw. In fact, you could argue it wasn’t even his great bike throw, but Cosnefroy’s lousy one.

For three minutes it looked like a Frenchman had triumphed in Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race for the first time in 41 years, as Benoit Cosnefroy celebrated thinking he had beaten Michal Kwiatkowski in a sprint for the title, but the finish photo revealed that, in fact, it was the opposite.

As the pair rode into the final sprint, it seemed like it would be an even match between the two. And it sure was, with the sprint being neck and neck. Cosnefroy led with 1 km to go. With 250 m to the line the French rider had to open it up. Kwiatkowski made his move on the left, but neither was sure who won. Someone told the Frenchman he had, but he was deflated not too long after his exultation. Kwiatkowski experienced the opposite.

But ultimately, Cosnefroy lost because of a really crappy bike throw.

A good bike throw is crucial in a finishing sprint. You should drop your shoulders and straighten your arms explosively. Then, you need to push your rear off the seat, and push the bike forward as far as possible just as you cross the finishing line. Kwiatkowski did exactly this. Cosnefroy did not. You can see his arms aren’t locked, and his butt isn’t off the back of his bike, so there’s no “push” to the finishing line. On the other hand, you can see in the video and photo that Kwiatkowski clearly edges the French rider as a result of a textbook bike throw.