Spanish cyclist Paula Blasi (23) stunned the favorites on Sunday to win the 12th edition of the women’s Amstel Gold Race in Valkenburg, securing the biggest victory of her rising career with a solo breakaway that covered the final 22 kilometers.
Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma and the Netherlands’ Demi Vollering finished half a minute behind the Spaniard, taking second and third place. The two former Tour de France winners were slow to respond when the UAE rider launched her attack.
“This is incredible. I wasn’t even scheduled to take part in this race. I was called at the last minute to replace injured teammates,” said a stunned Blasi.
After riding alongside Dutch rider Nienke Vinke for three kilometers, the Catalan went solo with 22 kilometers to go on the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg, building a one-minute lead with 10 kilometers remaining.
“I’ve often been yo-yoing during the race, sometimes dropped in a very nervous peloton. So I opted for the breakaway to escape this crazy bunch. And it paid off. I’ll need time to process this,” the winner commented.
The former triathlete and time trial specialist notched her fifth professional victory in the Netherlands, by far the most significant of her career. Blasi is one of cycling’s brightest prospects, having won the European title and secured a bronze medal at the last U23 World Championships.
The Ardennes classics continue on Wednesday with the Flèche Wallonne. Absent on Sunday, French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will start with winning ambitions, as she will do the following Sunday in the oldest of the classics, Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
