Top favourites cracked by stunning talent Blasi in Amstel Gold Race
CyclingSunday, 19 April 2026 at 14:25
Paula Blasi has won the women’s Amstel Gold Race. The Spanish rider from UAE Team ADQ managed to ride clear around 25 kilometres from the finish and powered well away from her exhausted rivals. In doing so, the young talent claimed the biggest victory of her career. Top favourite Demi Vollering could not make it happen: her move came too late, and she finished third behind Kasia Niewiadoma.
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The roll of honour at the Amstel Gold Race shows just how finely balanced this race tends to be year after year. Will a solo rider take the win, will it come down to a sprint between three major favourites, or will a slightly larger group fight it out for victory? Last year, Mischa Bredewold proved both the strongest and the smartest, while the year before that Marianne Vos surprised Lorena Wiebes in the sprint.
The defending champion was there again, as was third-place finisher Puck Pieterse. But there were plenty of other big names in the race too: alongside Bredewold, four former winners lined up in Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, Anna van der Breggen and Vos. World champion Magdeleine Vallieres was also present in Maastricht.
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From the start, it took a while before the first climbs arrived. The opening phase was flat, but five women eventually managed to make the difference there. Among them were two Dutch riders: Nicole Steigenga of AG Insurance-Soudal and Scarlett Souren of VolkerWessels. They were joined by Belgium’s Annelies Nijssen of Lotto-Intermarché, Canada’s Kiara Lylyk of Mayenne Monbana My Pie and the American Heidi Franz of St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93.
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Leaders caught on first Cauberg passage
After around 45 kilometres of racing, the first hills appeared. From that point on, there would hardly be a flat metre left. The Eyserbosweg was the first real leg-breaker, but the Keutenberg soon followed. In that phase, the lead of the breakaway had already dropped to around 1:30. Lylyk and Souren could no longer hold on, leaving three riders out front.
They managed to survive a little longer, but the top teams were closing rapidly. On the first passage of the Cauberg, roughly halfway through the race, the final breakaway riders were reeled in. At that moment, around 40 riders were still left in the peloton. FDJ-SUEZ and UAE Team ADQ had taken responsibility for setting the pace.
World champion Vallieres had meanwhile suffered mechanical trouble at a very unfortunate moment and found herself a long way behind. With the speed high in the bunch, she was unable to return. With 50 kilometres to go, Loes Adegeest of Lidl-Trek opened the finale, having already looked strong in Brabantse Pijl on Friday. Her move came to nothing, but the real debate had begun.
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Early nerves in the finale as Wiebes is dropped
Many of the big names were already moving towards the front in this nervous phase. Vollering and Pieterse were both visible, among others, but the pace kept surging and slowing. Bredewold and Wiebes also tried something, yet the race came back together before the next ascent of the Cauberg. There, Wiebes had to let go: this would not be her day. Van der Breggen took over with a scorching tempo, reducing the peloton to around 25 contenders with 40 kilometres still to race.
Vos was the next rider to struggle. On the Geulhemmerberg, she appeared to be dropped for good. However, after several attacks the pace eased again, allowing the two-time winner to return. It was then Riejanne Markus of Lidl-Trek who opened a gap, together with Karlijn Swinkels of UAE Team ADQ and Nienke Vinke of SD Worx-Protime. A Dutch trio, and three genuine power riders.
Vollering herself then closed that move on the Bemelerberg. Every attack was short-lived, but it also felt like only a matter of time before the decisive move would come. SD Worx-Protime in particular refused to let the race settle. Once again it was Vinke who went, for what felt like the umpteenth time. This time Paula Blasi of UAE Team ADQ followed, and now the pace behind really did drop away.
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Read on below the video!
Spanish talent Blasi goes solo
On the penultimate passage of the Cauberg, Vinke cracked, leaving the Spanish rider alone at the front. Blasi was setting a very strong pace and had built a 45-second lead over the major favourites as she entered the final lap. It was a sizeable gap — but could it still be closed? FDJ-SUEZ initially seemed to be left to do the chasing alone, but eventually received help from Lidl-Trek and SD Worx-Protime. Even so, the domestiques were not really getting any closer.
In fact, the gap only grew. Elise Chabbey and Juliette Berthet rode themselves inside out, but the leader simply went faster. The question was whether one of the stars behind could still launch an attack, but could anyone really close around a minute in ten kilometres? Nothing happened on the Bemelerberg, meaning the Spaniard headed towards the final Cauberg with a relatively reassuring advantage. The strong Vinke was also still somewhere in between.
Blasi almost missed a corner, but she arrived at the Cauberg with a minute in hand. Behind her, Niewiadoma accelerated, and Vollering was able to follow. The European champion then took over, and suddenly the gap was cut in half. But the Spaniard was already over the top: the favourites had left it too late. Blasi won the biggest race of her career, ahead of Niewiadoma and Vollering.
Results Amstel Gold Race 2026 - women
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Latest Comments
- Here is a novel idea......it's a road bike race, stick to smooth asphalt courses! Cobble is like mild off-road cross riding!!!!Germanrazor14-04-2026
- To lose a race like that on a mechanical problem in this day and age is unforgivable. Why aren't all riders using the same (interchangeable) gear? It is the job of the team manager to manage and reduce risk variables. The fact that he not only didn't pick up on the potential issue but actually ok'd it is just madness.fatehasfans13-04-2026
- Rider X, y and z? Could you update?yaNzKEWL21-03-2026
- Can anyone help me understand the thinking behind the two punishments? Are the commissaires saying you get thrown out of the race for a second inadvertent disposal of a bidon (even to the delight of fans) but that as long as you can afford it you can show off your phalangeal cuticles all day long on international TV? Aking for a friend.packfiller7112-03-2026
- It's a bit embarrassing that. Isn't the main sponsor supposed to keep them at 36.5 ?tomjacques03-03-2026
- They were close to cracking a very tired Tadej that wasn't fully focused on the TdF with a team of riders focused solely on cracking Tadej. And if they cracked him, he would have still won. Tadej won't be racing the giro this year. It'll be an even easier win for him.Veganpotter09-02-2026
- Nice!Bea22-01-2026
- Those events are mental rest for him. Fun, without expectations. *Sagan lost his abilities because he gained weight and got lazy. Pogi will likely retire before that has a chance at happening.Veganpotter14-12-2025
- Ah, the consequences of riding for Israel.Veganpotter11-12-2025
- Pidcock could follow everyone but Pogi while finishing 3rd. No second place rider this season😃Veganpotter16-11-2025
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