Sunday April 14, 2024 at 5:28 PM
In the final of the Amstel Gold Race there were four men who could compete for the win. A perhaps somewhat surprising name: Mauri Vansevenant. The Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step had a hard time several times in the final, but he caught his wagon every time. In the sprint he had to settle for fourth place. “It’s sad, but the boys in front of me are certainly not pancakes,” said the Belgian Sporza.
“It’s the most ungrateful place, isn’t it,” Mauri Vansevenant responds to his fourth place in the Amstel Gold Race. “I felt like I was very good. When Tom Pidcock attacks on the Bemelerberg, then I saw stars. For me it was follow, follow, follow and try to connect. After that it was just recovery for the sprint.”
In the sprint, the Belgian ultimately had to tolerate his three companions. “I couldn’t get away from the lead in the final straight line. The group came from behind quickly and then you have to decide. I chose to just sprint from the top. I’m now fourth and that’s a shame, but I did everything I could. The men in front of me are certainly not pancakes, so I can certainly be satisfied.”
“I was completely at my limit,” Vansevenant continues. “We have shown that we are there as a team, that we are the Wolfpack. On to the next classics,” he sounds combative. “We want to show the will to race and find the right flow again. There are mixed feelings now. Still, it was a great match and I felt good. The podium was there, but then again it wasn’t.”
