He will never catch up with Jan Raas who, so far the undisputed record holder, has won it five times, but Enrico Gasparotto, 35 years old, also has a special feeling with the Amstel Gold Race that transforms him for one day into a sort of elusive Batman. If his success in 2012 was a surprise when he beat Vanendert and Sagan at the top of the Cauberg, the encore obtained yesterday on the finish line in Valkenburg certainly wasn't because Gasparotto, unpredictable in every race, in that of beer, the only classic that it takes place in Holland, in a sort of ring in the green and orderly countryside of Limburg with the tear of the Cauberg which has always decided the victory, since then he has been one of the favourites, closely watched and feared by people with much more resonant names than his such as Philippe Gilbert, Mikal Kwiatkowski, Michael Mattwes or Roman Kreuziger.
Gilbert was delayed and out of the running, his hand still suffering from the attack suffered a week ago in training, it was Kreuziger who ignited the tussle in the final, in view of the last pass on the Cauberg, giving the impression of being able to repeat the triumph of 2013 but the Czech, captain of the Tinkoff yesterday, immediately found himself running out of energy and was joined by the group from which Tim Wellens started with more conviction. The Belgian managed to gain about fifteen seconds but on the short but brutal slopes of the famous wall overlooking Valkenburg even Wellens had to give up while the air of the Cauberg charged Gasparotto with new energy for the final shot: the Venetian went on the attack surprising everyone except Mikael Valgren, a young promise of Danish cycling. Behind them the Orica GreenEdge was desperately looking for a hook to bring Matthews, the fastest of the company, back below. But it was too late.
In the two-man sprint Valgren started in the lead but Gasparotto did not betray the predictions of the eve by effortlessly recovering the Dane until he crossed the finish line with his arms raised to the sky to remember Antoine Demoitié. A victory pursued from the start by Gasparotto to dedicate it to the unfortunate teammate of the Wanty-Groupe Golber who died hit by a motorcycle at Ghent-Wevelgem. The Italian success was completed on the podium by Sonny Colbrelli's third place. Fourth Coquard, fifth Matthews, then Alaphilippe, Ulissi, Visconti, Vliegen and Wellens. With yesterday's success, the seventh Italian victory at the Amstel Gold Race, Gasparotto is the first Italian to have won the Dutch classic twice. A splendid double that gives substance and embellishes a career that began in a big way with the victory of the Italian champion title in 2005 but which since then had no more glory days until its resurrection thanks to the magical lure of the Amstel.
