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“In the end it’s a shame that I came second”: Marc Hirschi narrowly missed out on winning the Amstel Gold Race
Marc Hirschi from Bern came second in the 253.6 kilometer one-day race in the Netherlands. He was only beaten by Brit Tom Pidcock.
In the end, only a few centimeters decided the race for first place in the Amstel Gold Race. Marc Hirschi from Bern had to settle for second place in the final sprint of the cycling semi-classic Amstel Gold Race. Only Briton Tom Pidcock was a touch faster. The 2021 mountain bike Olympic champion and 2023 world champion from the Ineos team took victory. The Belgian Tiesj Benoot came third.
Marc Hirschi (left) had to admit defeat by Thomas Pidcock (middle). Tiesj Benoot (right) came third.
The race started in Maastricht in the Netherlands and ran over a hilly route of 253.6 kilometers to Valdenburg. For Hirschi, who drives for UAE Emirates, the one-day race could have ended differently. He was present throughout the entire race. The preliminary decision was made around 35 kilometers from the finish. Marc Hirschi launched an attack shortly after the steep climb to Eyserbosweg. As a result, he was able to pull away with a group of 12 people.
Hirschi’s next attack came around 13 kilometers from the finish. Only Pidcock, Benoot and Vansevenant could follow the Bernese. In the last kilometers of the race he was the most active in the leading group. But in the sprint for victory, Hirschi was just behind.
Thomas Pidcock prevailed in the sprint.
Hirschi told SRF that he drove a good race tactically and was always at the front, adding: “In the end it’s a shame that I came second. Because the victory was there.” Although he was disappointed at first, he said: “I’m happy that I was able to be at the front in such a big race.”
Van der Poel disappoints in the home race
It would have been Hirschi’s second win of the season. He had already won the French one-day race La Drôme Classic. The top favorite Mathieu van der Poel, most recently the winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, was unable to convince in the home race. The Dutchman crossed the finish line 30 seconds behind and had to settle for 22nd place. He missed the top 10 for the first time this season.
The race ran from Maastricht to Valdenburg
The other Swiss Stefan Küng and Jan Christen ended up in 29th and 30th place, eleven seconds behind the winner. Küng was also at the front at times.
2024-04-14 15:40:12
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