PAULA BLASI SURPRISES DEMI VOLLERING AND KASIA NIEWIADOMA-PHINNEY TO WIN AMSTEL GOLD RACE WOMEN WITH 22KM SOLO ATTACK
UAE Team ADQ’s Paula Blasi stunned a host of favourites as she rode away with 22km to go to win the Amstel Gold Race Women and claim the biggest victory of her career.
The 23-year-old had not even been down to race the first of three Ardennes classics, but the late call-up proved attack was the best form of defence as she became the first Spaniard to podium and win in Valkenburg.
A list of five former winners took to the start race with the likes of Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ), Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) and defending champion Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) all shaping the race from a series of attacks.
But with 24km to go, it was Blasi who bridged over to Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime), with the duo managing to gain an advantage of 16” over the bunch.
By 22km to go and on the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg, the Spaniard attacked Vinke to time-trial away and grow her lead to over 1’00”.
Image credit: Getty Images
Despite taking the wrong turn on a roundabout with 4.2km to go, Blasi’s advantage proved to be untouchable as the race reached the closing stages.
Vinke was eventually reeled back in by the peloton with 2.2km to go, with Niewiadoma-Phinney attacking on the final ascent of the Cauberg, with only Demi Vollering able to follow.
Winning by 27 seconds over the former winners, the 23-year-old picked up her biggest win of her career, with Niewiadoma-Phinney pipping Vollering to the line in a sprint finish for second.
”I don’t know actually right now [what it means to win] because I was not even supposed to be here,” she said post-race.
”I just signed up yesterday for the race because we had some injuries and some sickness, so it was not even on my mind to be racing here. I need to take a breath and accept what happened.”
'I was not even supposed to be here' - Blasi reacts to biggest win of her career
Video credit: TNT Sports
14:10
14:10
WATCH: 'THE BIGGEST VICTORY OF HER CAREER' - BLASI RECORDS REMARKABLE WIN AT AMSTEL GOLD RACE
'The biggest victory of her career' - Blasi records remarkable win at Amstel Gold Race
Video credit: TNT Sports
14:07
14:07
TIME FOR THE PODIUM PIC
It wouldn't be the Amstel Gold Race without the traditional half pint of beer.
If you happened to be interested in the outcome of that particular race, Paula Blasi wasted no time claiming her second victory of the day, whilst Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney finished a close second.
WATCH: 'THAT MIGHT HAVE COST HER' - BLASI TAKES A WRONG TURN
Nearly a late twist as Paula Blasi took the wrong turn but having built such a healthy advantage over the rest of the bunch, she was able to shake off the incident with little impact to her race.
'That might have cost her' - Blasi takes a wrong turn
Video credit: TNT Sports
13:44
13:44
BLASI: I WAS NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
”I was alone when I crossed the finish line, I did not even know how many kilometres left I had.
”I was like, 'oh hopefully I have just five to go,' and then suddenly they said 'no, you still have 22 to go', and I was like 'oh' and I knew it was going to be a hard day in the front.
”Five minutes before I did the breakout, I was dropped.
”So I just came back, and I said ok, let’s give it a go, try to help the team, and then suddenly I found myself in the front.
”Since the beginning, I said to the team that I was struggling quite a bit with the positioning because it is my first race here in Ardennes, so I was a bit nervous, and it was nothing like I have done before.
”It is quite crazy, it is quite difficult to be in the front and that is actually the most important part, so I was struggling a bit.
”I was way far behind, so I was kind of being dropped, coming back, being dropped, coming back.
”At one point I said, 'be at the front, if you can go in the breakaway, it will be better because then you will not have to fight for the position'.
”I don’t know actually right now [what it means to win] because I was not even supposed to be here, I just signed up yesterday for the race because we had some injuries and some sickness, so it was not even on my mind to be racing here, so I need to take a breath and accept what happened.”
Image credit: Getty Images
13:40
13:40
WATCH: 'GOING ON THE ATTACK HERE' - VINKE AND BLASI GO HEAD-TO-HEAD ON CAUBERG
A moment to relive the winning move from Paula Blasi (UAE Team-ADQ).
'Going on the attack here' - Vinke and Blasi go head-to-head
KASIA NIEWIADOMA-PHINNEY PIPS DEMI VOLLERING TO SECOND
On the throw, the Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto rider claims second in front of Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ), with Letizia Paternoster (LIV AlUla Jayco) brings home the rest of the chasing group.
13:18
13:18
PAULA BLASI (UAE TEAM ADQ) WINS AMSTEL GOLD RACE WOMEN!
She's done it!
What a ride from 22km to go to keep the gap and ride away from the bunch.
There's a sprint between Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), with the podium looking to be decided on the throw.
13:15
13:15
1KM TO GO: FLAMME ROGUE
They're going to run out of time as Paula Blasi nears the finish line.
Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) and Sarah van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike) are trying to reel Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney in.
13:15
13:15
2.0KM TO GO: NIEWIADOMA AND VOLLERING ATTACK ON CAUBERG
It's a massive attack by Kasia Niewiadoma and Demi Vollering as the Polish champion grits her teeth.
The gap reduces to 37" as the duo manages to distance themselves from the peloton but this is going down to the wire.
13:13
13:13
2.6KM TO GO: CAUBERG - ONE LAST TIME
The weather has changed as the raincoats and umbrellas are out on the course but Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) just needs to put her head down and pedal.
It's full gas as the peloton makes their last moves to try and close this gap.
13:11
13:11
4.3KM TO GO: NEARLY THE WRONG WAY FOR BLASI
Looks like the UAE Team ADQ leader might have managed to get away with it as she manages to go the wrong way on the roundabout and is forced to quickly adjust.
She hasn't lost too much time as it sticks to around 1'00".
13:07
13:07
7.2KM TO GO: VINKE ABOUT TO BE CAUGHT
Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime) is about to be caught by the chasing peloton but that gap to Paula Blasi is remaining strong and over 1'04" as the Spaniard nears the Cauberg.
13:03
13:03
10KM TO GO: BLASI EXTENDS GAP TO OVER 1'00"
Blasi is riding away with 10km to go and is just time-trialling away.
As Marty MacDonald McCrossan says on commentary, if Blasi is brought back, it is going down to the wire.
12:59
12:59
12KM TO GO: BEMELERBERG TIME
Paula Blasi begins her approach to the penultimate climb of the day and she still has an increasingly healthy advantage of 36" over Vinke and 56" over the peloton.
There's still time to close this, with FDJ United-SUEZ and Lidl-Trek among the teams riding at the front of the group.
Notably, Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) is sitting rather far back in the group despite her team doing much of the work in the bunch.
12:56
12:56
15KM TO GO: CHASING GROUP CAN SEE BLASI
The gap remains 22" to Vinke and 41" to the peloton but in these wide open straights, the peloton would be able to see the situation unfold.
Vos returns to the back of the peloton but given she has been dropped twice on the Cauberg, it might be difficult to make it stick on the final approach.
12:48
12:48
20KM TO GO: ONE LAP TO GO
And Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) continues to hold her advantage over Nienke Vinke and the rest of the peloton.
In fact, the Spaniard's advantage has grown to 45" over the bunch as she descends the Cauberg.
12:45
12:45
22KM TO GO: BLASI ATTACKS ON THE CAUBERG
Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) decides to go it alone as she attacks on the Cauberg and opens a gap on Nienke Vinke.
It grows to over 15" on Vinke and 30" on the peloton as she begins to time-trial away on the Cauberg.
12:42
12:42
24KM TO GO: TWO-RIDER BREAKAWAY FORMS
Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime) is once again in the breakaway and is joined by UAE Team ADQ's Paula Blasi and this time a gap manages to stick.
It grows to 16" as we hit the bottom of the Cauberg, which will mark our final passage.
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