PG Spring Classics - Amstel Gold Race - MvdP Edition
Well I’m very excited about this. To have Mathieu van der Poel to interview. Amazing. So many questions to ask and it’s just right that this chat takes place before Amstel Gold. One of his most famous victories and maybe one of the greatest finishes in modern cycling history.
Just need to dial in. Done. So let’s get on with it.
Me - Hi Mathieu, thanks so much for doing this.
MvdP- It’s finished.
Me - I’m sorry?
MvdP- We finished. I started 60 minutes ago.
Me - Sorry? I don’t understand?
MvdP- I’ve finished the interview already.
Me - You mean you went solo with 60 minutes to go and you’ve finished first?
MvdP- Yep.
Me - Fair enough. Bye Mathieu.
MvdP- Bye.
The Course
No changes from last year. Still a parcours that is dotted with nearly three dozen climbs, full of street furniture on narrow roads that usually lead to multiple crashes and a finish that allows the strong sprinters to believe and has the climbers needing to attack early.
The Favourites
Feels a bit like MvdP vs UAE so my guess is it will be exactly that but with neither of them winning and some random getting away whilst the tactical game is played out in a very reduced group. Maybe this will be another win for Jorgenson?
Here's your start list. Not fully confirmed but nearly.
The Rules
In this game, only the race results matter. You're not committed to keeping the same riders throughout the series, you make fresh picks before every race. Our overall competition is just the sum of individual race scores. You're eligible for the overall even if you miss some races.
Pick 4 riders for the upcoming race. The order of your picks doesn't matter. All of your riders can score.
Riders score points down to 10th place. Less popular riders score more points than heavily-picked favourites. See below for scoring details.
The strict entry deadline is the official start time of the race, the neutralized roll-out or Départ Fictif. Be warned - if your post is timestamped one minute late your entry won't count! So do remember that there's no disadvantage to getting an entry in early, even the day before, because you may always change your picks up until the deadline. Feel free to rethink your picks when it emerges which riders are more or less popular with other players. If you make changes, post your revised 4 picks in a reply to your original post.
The Scoring
The last 3 races will be secret entry between the top contenders… To avoid defensive picking.
When we say top contenders we leave the number open because who knows how many will be within striking distance...
We will notify you by email if we need you to do a secret entry.
The Results
Head over to msbee's Spreadsheet to check how you fared. Any issues, please email us on we’reall@ourwitsend.com