Mischa Bredewold won Amstel Gold Race on Sunday with a perfectly timed lone attack that took her to the line solo. The 24-year-old Dutch rider rode the final of her life after having a particularly difficult week leading to the race. She had been struggling with doubts on her form and ability but everything came right as she rode superbly in the breakaway to eventually get her arms in the air. “Everything finally fell into place today. This win means an awful lot to me. It’s a dream come true. To win a classic in my own country, it’s an indescribable feeling.”
As she reflected on her win after the finish she talked about the week prior to the race and how important the SD Worx Protime riders had been in helping her: “I didn’t see this win coming. So I am surprised, yes. I was waiting for the pieces of the puzzle to fall together. After the Brabantse Pijl I was really struggling mentally. It just didn’t go the way I had hoped. I am grateful for how my teammates and the staff pulled me through. Top sport is not always easy. Sometimes you struggle or doubt yourself. That’s why this win brings out so many emotions. It is difficult to win a race. That is sometimes too easily forgotten. In this team, we are all allowed to attack and take our chances. As a team, we played the team game perfectly. I am happy that I managed to finish it off.”
“When Ellen Van Dijk (Lidl Trek) went and had a little gap, I realised I had to gamble and jump. I went full out. I hate the Cauberg, so I didn’t look at my values. I just went full on. When I got to the top, I was alone. I knew I just had to give everything now and play all or nothing. My sports director Danny Stam totally dragged me through in those last two kilometres. I think he was silent for a maximum of four seconds. He shouted me forward towards that finish line. I am so grateful to the team. To win the Amstel Gold Race as a Dutchwoman, this means the world to me.”
Result:
1. Mischa Bredewold. SD Worx Protime
2. Ellen Van Dijk. Lidl-Trek
3. Puck Pieterse  Fenix Deceuninck
4. Juliette Labous. FDJ Suez
5. Silvia Persico. UAE Team ADQ
6. Lorena Wiebes. SD Worx Protime
