'A poisoned gift - Evenepoel’s lesson from last year’s Amstel Gold Race

Sunday offers a new opportunity. And this time, the dynamics look very different.

Evenepoel’s 2025 campaign in the Dutch classic was shaped early by misfortune. A crash more than 100 kilometres from the finish forced him into a long chase, costing both energy and control over the race. “That situation didn’t help him or the team,” recalls former sports director Klaas Lodewyck to Het Laatste Nieuws. “The effort to come back took a lot out of him.”

Yet even after that setback, Evenepoel managed to turn the race on its head. Inside the final 25 kilometres, he produced one of the rides of the day, bridging across to Tadej Pogačar with Mattias Skjelmose on his wheel. A gap of more than half a minute disappeared in a single, sustained effort.

It set up a three man finale that, on paper, should have tilted in Evenepoel’s favour. Instead, it unravelled in the final moments.

Drawn into a tactical battle, he launched his sprint too early, reacting to a feint rather than dictating the move himself. “Too early,” he later admitted. Skjelmose capitalised, taking the win, while the strongest rider on the day was left empty handed.

Looking back, the days leading into that race may also have played a role. Just 48 hours earlier, Evenepoel had taken an emotional sprint victory over Wout Van Aert at the Brabantse Pijl. According to Lodewyck, that moment may have influenced his approach in Amstel.

“That win turned out to be something of a poisoned gift,” he said. “He carried that same confidence into the final. But Pogačar was on the limit, and Skjelmose would likely have been dropped with one more hard acceleration on the Cauberg.”

Instead, hesitation crept in at the decisive moment. “In the sprint, neither of them wanted to give way,” Lodewyck added. “And that’s how it slipped away.”

The lesson is clear heading into this year’s edition. Evenepoel does not need to force the race from distance. The course itself offers opportunities late on, particularly on the Cauberg, where timing can be just as decisive as strength.

“He doesn’t have to go from 40 or 50 kilometres out,” Lodewyck said. “There are still chances to make the difference late in the race. Use them.”

This time, the absence of Pogačar changes the equation. Without the world champion controlling the narrative, the race opens up. More riders will sense opportunity, but that also makes the outcome less predictable.

Evenepoel arrives in a very different place compared to last year. His third place at the Tour of Flanders has reinforced both his confidence and his evolution as a rider, particularly in positioning and race craft.

“Four or five years ago, he would have struggled in that kind of race,” Lodewyck said. “Now he’s much more complete. There’s very little that unsettles him.”

With several key contenders absent, the field is more open than usual. Riders like Jorgenson, Skjelmose and Bilbao are expected to play a role, but the spotlight will inevitably return to Evenepoel.