Looking for Van der Poel during Amstel Gold Race? You’ll find him on the golf course

It was April 21, 2019. Van der Poel had won the Dutch national road title the year before and was tearing through the spring in the red, white and blue jersey. He had already won Dwars door Vlaanderen and, despite a crash, finished fourth on his debut at the Tour of Flanders. He also rounded off his preparation for the Amstel Gold Race with another victory, taking the win at Brabantse Pijl.

But Amstel is a different beast. “It is too much of a climbing race,” Van der Poel himself said at the time. And anyone looking at the start list saw specialists such as Philippe Gilbert, Julian Alaphilippe and Jakob Fuglsang. It looked like it would be a difficult day. The Dutch champion took the bull by the horns with an early attack, but appeared to pay the price for it. With ten kilometers to go, his gap to the leaders was still substantial.

Yet nothing is impossible. With one final, all-out effort, he stormed past everyone and suddenly had the front of the race in sight inside the final kilometer. The sprint that followed is etched into the memory of every Dutch cycling fan. Van der Poel did the impossible and won what may well remain the most bizarre Amstel Gold Race we will ever see.

He will not repeat that masterpiece this year. After a demanding spring in which, for the first time since 2021, he failed to win a Monument, Van der Poel has chosen to take a break. That means no Amstel Gold Race for him, with Alpecin-Premier Tech instead moving Tibor Del Grosso forward as its leader. The 22-year-old talent won the NXT Classic, the “mini-Amstel” in Limburg, two weeks ago.

So where will we find Van der Poel? On the golf course, naturally. Early in the morning, the former world champion was already out on the green, as could be seen on his Instagram. Golf is his biggest hobby, and even shortly before or after major races he can often be found hitting a few balls. Now that he is leaving racing aside for a little while, there is every chance he will be spotted there more often.