Benoot noticed Van der Poel was having an off day: "I expected a move from Mathieu there"

Tom Pidcock won, Marc Hirschi came second, and Tiesj Benoot secured third place in the Amstel Gold Race. The Flemish rider from Visma | Lease a Bike was naturally thrilled with the podium finish, especially since there was even a chance he might not have finished the race...

"It's possible I might have to go home quickly, but of course, I hope not." Those were Benoot's words just before the start of the Netherlands' most important one-day race. The 30-year-old Belgian was referring to the fact that his girlfriend could potentially give birth during the Amstel Gold Race. "It could happen any moment," he added with a laugh.

Wanting to be with his girlfriend, the Gent native had also missed the course recon earlier in the week with the Dutch WorldTour brigade. "I've given my girlfriend the phone numbers of our team directors, Frans Maassen and Arthur van Dongen. That's the agreement," Benoot could laugh about it before the 250-kilometer race.

Benoot's third place is a boost for Visma | Lease a Bike

But it didn’t come to that for Benoot, who – perhaps due to the impending birth – seemed to be riding on cloud nine. He was clearly on the offensive ("he probably wants to get home quickly," was often joked) and that ultimately earned him a fine third place. And that meant he attended the post-race press conference, where IDLProCycling.com was also present. "I'm very happy with this result," said the cheerful cyclist.

In a quasi-home race for Visma | Lease a Bike, there was finally that much-coveted podium finish for the rather beleaguered team. "It’s a race that suits me very well and I always enjoy coming here," he continued. "I was closer to winning here than in previous editions. That makes it perhaps even more disappointing because this time I really felt very good and came close. All in all, I'm still very happy with what I showed."

It was Benoot who, along with Pidcock on the Keutenberg, 29 kilometers from the finish, lit the fuse and broke away with a select elite group. "Tom and I were already well positioned on the Fromberg," Benoot explains. "There, I also expected an attack from Mathieu van der Poel, one from the back. But it didn't come. Then I thought that maybe he wasn't having his best day. Also on the Kruisberg, I had some doubts about his legs for the first time. He started at the front, and with the legs from the past few weeks, he would probably have attacked there. But he didn't. I wasn't completely convinced of his off day at that point. After the Keutenberg, I was. But seeing how he's been riding the past few weeks, it’s not that surprising."

Benoot hopes his girlfriend gives birth after Liège-Bastogne-Liège

In the final, Pidcock, Hirschi, Benoot, and Mauri Vansevenant (who finished fourth) had to battle it out. "That was very difficult. A select group and then it's hard to escape or surprise. I tried again in the final, but it didn’t work out. Also, the chasing group, which got quite close, made it extra challenging. We also couldn’t gamble too much."

Benoot, who became a father to Fien in 2021, also faced questions about his second child at the press conference. Especially in light of his upcoming week, when he was expected to also ride the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the topic came up. "What am I going to do next week? Mainly hope that my wife doesn’t give birth," he quipped, getting laughs from the audience. "After Liège is a much better time, haha! I'm actually really glad I could participate in the Amstel Gold Race today."