Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) claims to be taking quite a detached approach to Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, saying he is so unconcerned about how anyone else might ride on the day that he has not even checked the start list.
He said while he did a reconnaissance ride of the course on Thursday, "not much was needed" as he knew the roads of Dutch Limburg very well.
"But it was a good refresher and that can never be a bad thing," he added. "Who I consider my main rivals? As you know, I'm not very concerned with that. Neither have I looked at the participants list yet. It may sound cliché, but I mainly go by my own strength and that of our team.
"We have proven in recent weeks that as a team we can take control of the race when necessary. Also on Sunday I will be well surrounded, with guys who have all proven that they are in good shape. Besides, we are in a positive flow... No, I think we can travel to Maastricht with confidence."
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"The past few weeks everything went exceptionally well, with wins in E3 Harelbeke, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. It's great to win these monuments, especially in the rainbow jersey. It's now a matter of keeping up that high form for another ten days."
"And that will be necessary, because both in the Amstel and next Sunday in Liège-Bastogne-Liège we will have a field of competitors with other, perhaps fresher riders. And riders who climb better than I do."
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Van der Poel's late comeback, and incredible finish, in the 2019 edition of Amstel Gold Race was one of the history books
After his recent results, Van der Poel can got into Sunday's race in confident mood. He won the event back in 2019, in spectacular fashion, when he was still in the process of breaking through to the top tier of road racing.
And now the 29-year-old, whose abilities show no signs of reaching a plateau, will go to the start line on Sunday as the hot favourite. However, other top riders who should have a say, include: Juan Ayuso, Marc Hirschi and Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), Romain Grégoire and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Michael Matthews (Team Jayco AlUla), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike).
World champion van der Poel said he was very much looking forward to returning to Amstel Gold as is win in 2019 "is one I will never forget".
"The spectacular outcome still appeals to the imagination, besides it was also my first really big win on the road. Those are moments you cherish," he said.
"That I finished fourth there in 2022 proves that the course in Dutch Limburg suits me particularly well. It's a bit like a mini Tour of Flanders, with lots of turns and steep hills, but without cobblestones."
