Mischa Bredewold proved the strength in depth of SD Worx-Protime on Sunday, winning the Amstel Gold Race with a stinging late move.
The former European champion attacked inside 2.5km to go, over the Cauberg, the last of 22 climbs in the race, where she kicked away from Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek). The pair were part of a five-rider group that tore clear in the final 20km, and held off the chasing bunch to the line.
Van Dijk and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) filled out an all-Dutch podium at their home race, the first of the three Ardennes Classics.
"This is Amstel!" Bredewold said afterwards in disbelief. "It's such a big race in Holland. It's a fucking dream.
"I was maybe too scared to attack. I thought I'd gamble and do all or nothing," the Dutchwoman added. "Danny [Stam, sports director] behind me in the car was saying 'Now it's all or nothing. Full gas!'
"On the Cauberg – I hate it, the Cauberg – but I thought, 'Just keep going! Don't look back at the power [numbers], just go. And over the top, I was alone."
Bredewold's teammate, last year's runner-up, Lorena Wiebes, won the bunch sprint behind to claim sixth.
How it happened
The women’s Amstel Gold Race, re-introduced to the calendar in 2017, took place under sunny skies in the Netherlands’ South Limburg region. The first of three Ardennes Classics, the route counted just shy of 2,000m elevation stretched across 157.4km.
There would be no repeat victory for Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), the winner of that first modern edition eight years ago. The Dutchwoman, in her comeback season from retirement, crashed and withdrew with 56km to go, trusting leadership to her teammates, Wiebes, Bredewold and Lotte Kopecky.
Four laps of a finishing circuit outside Maastricht set up the race’s finale. A front group of 20 riders led onto the punchy course, among them Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek), Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly), Pieterse, Bredewold and Wiebes.
Not content to coast in a large group, attacks for the victory opened up in the final 25km. The first came from FDJ-Suez’s Juliette Labous, who tried to whittle down the pack on the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg – an uneven 1.2km kicker with a maximum gradient of 12%.
A trio then broke away on the next climb – the shorter Geulhemmerberg – towed by race debutant Pieterse. With her, Labous and Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) accelerated away, before they were joined by Bredewold and Van Dijk to form a quintet.
The leading five grew a more than one-minute advantage towards the final climb, the Cauberg. Before they got there, though, Van Dijk sprung away from her companions on the flat, chased by Bredewold, and splitting the group.
"Ellen was the perfect companion," Bredewold said post-race. "I said to her, 'Come on, we need to do it together!'... I'm happy she committed fully, and I also did."
The Dutch pair took a 10-second lead onto the Cauberg, where Bredewold kicked clear. Hunching over her bars, the former European champion stomped down on the pedals, holding off Labous and Pieterse in pursuit behind.
Bredewold's winning margin of seven seconds was by no means comfortable, but proved enough to allow her to celebrate her first big Classics victory, the 13th win of her career.
"I'm so happy with this victory," she said. "I was waiting for things to fall into the right place. I had a rough week mentally, and the team really pulled me through.
"This is how we race as a team; we can always attack, we can always seize opportunities. This was perfect."
Results
Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition 2025 (157.4km)
1. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, in 4:03:03
2. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek, +7s
3. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
4. Juliette Labous (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ, both at same time
5. Silvia Persico (Ita) UAE Team ADQ, +9s
6. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +1:26
7. Alison Jackson (Can) EF Education-Oatly
8. Anna Henderson (GBr) Lidl-Trek
9. Quinty Ton (Ned) Liv AlUla Jayco
10. Mara Roldan (Can) Picnic PostNL, all at same time
