THEMOVE - Amstel Gold 2025 Preview | OŪTCOMES

Episode Date: April 19, 2025

Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin break down the course, contenders, and likely outcomes for Sunday's Amstel Gold race, which will see Tadej Pogačar take on Remco Evenepoel, who is on red-hot form after a long racing layoff, and Wout van Aert, who is hoping to salvage the spring Classics campaign for both himself and his Visma team. Listen in to see how the duo thinks the race will play out, if they think anyone can challenge Pogačar, and who presents the best betting value. Troscriptions: There’s a completely new way to optimize your health. Give it a try at https://www.troscriptions.com/THEMOVE or enter THEMOVE at checkout for 10% off your first order. Manukora: Now, it’s easier than ever to try Manukora Honey. Head to https://MANUKORA.com/THEMOVE to save up to 31% plus $25 worth of free gifts with the Starter Kit, which comes with an MGO 850+ Manuka Honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook! That’s https://MANUKORA.com/THEMOVE to save 31% plus $25 worth of free gifts. https://manukora.com/pages/partnerships-themove?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=themove&utm_campaign=mnk_weaok_2024&utm_content=60-mid

The wind's Flanders is second in group, would have normally gone toe to toe with van der Poel on a terrain which is not his terrain. So with this condition, it's, it's fair to say that for a race like Amstel gold race, which is his terrain or more his terrain, I would say Liège is still more his terrain, but I think it's logical. I, I, you know, I'm always picking Pogacar. This time I'm going to pick Remco. Remco, even though he's obviously in great shape, we'll have to see what that compares to with Pogacar, of course.

Hi, I'm Spencer Martin, along with Johan Berniel, and this is Outcomes. Outcomes is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be considered financial advice. Please gamble responsibly. And if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, seek help from a professional resource. Host and guests may have financial interests in the bets discussed. Pass performance does not guarantee future results. Everybody, welcome back to Outcomes. I'm Spencer Martin. I'm here with Johann Berniel. We are predicting the 2025 Amstel Gold Race. But before we do that, before I list the odds and Johan tells us how it's going to play out and who's going to win. We want to take a second to talk about yesterday's race,

the bronze appeal. It's kind of a warmup race to Amstel gold, quite a bit shorter, like a hundred kilometers shorter almost. But Remco Avenepol, some interesting things happen. Remco Avenepol, first race back from his layoff from injury, nuked the field with, if I'm remembering correctly, 50ish kilometers to go. Nobody could stay on his wheel except Wout Van Aert. Wout Van Aert looks strong, starts to get weaker as time goes on. Remco looks like he's getting stronger. And then, you know, and I'm still shocked that this happened. I thought for sure Wout Van Aert was going to win that sprint, but no. Remco Avenepol sprints from the front and takes the win. Looks pretty impressive. I mean,

what were your takeaways from this performance? Yeah. Well, first of all, little correction Spencer, it's Brabantsepeil. So it's not Brabantsepeil. Brabantsepeil. So Brabant is a province in Belgium, but you're excused. You're not supposed to know this. What? It's French. There's a French version of the province and a French French and French.

Yeah, it's it's a it's a mixed province. So you know, they speak both languages there. But Brabant, you should say Brabant sepale because it's in the Flemish part of the of the province. And actually, the home region of Remco Avinepool, they they passed, they passed very close to where he lives or where he was born. Yeah, I was surprised to see, usually it's a race, it usually was 200 kilometers. It's 160 kilometers now. Don't know the reason for that, but still hard enough. It was like, I guess, a little less than 100 kilometers, big loop and then local laps of,

I would say 10 to 15 kilometers with several climbs, two cobbled climbs and then one other climb. Usually it's a hard race. But yeah, I mean, Remco, man, he's six months without racing. Remco man, he's six months without racing his first race back. He responds to, I mean, it was Van Aert and Tish Benoot who basically opened the attacks. He was there, responded to it, then Van Aert counterattacked and finally, even a pull and Van Aert went away. And then I saw also, I mean, an impressive move of, ofmore. Yes, super impressive. Being able to bridge that gap to those two guys who were going full, that was huge class. Ultimately, he couldn't keep up with them and Remco did an acceleration trying to drop

Van Aert. But still impressive the way he bridged up to those two guys. And from then on, basically it was those two against the peloton. We S we could see that they were going to stay away if they kept relaying each other and they were. Um, and, uh, yeah, I mean, normally you would think, okay, Van Aert, uh, is going to win this, you know, means the climbs are not hard enough, long enough for Remco to drop.

Well, Van Aert, and initially, I would say, initially when the move went, Van Aert looked the strongest of the two. When Van Aert made the move, Remco was having, he made it finally, but he got dropped a little bit. And throughout the last 60 kilometers, it was the opposite. Remco got better and Von Aert lost strength. And I personally think it has a lot to do with the drafting.

I was gonna say the exact same thing. Yeah, if you look at the different in size of Walt and Remco, it's unbelievable. It was like David and Goliath, you know? Remco is so aero arrow so small, so compact, and then, well, they speak, you know, big frontal area. And so I think that obviously was a disadvantage for for vote and an advantage for Ramco because when he's behind, well, it's it's like riding behind a windscreen basically. But still, I would still have thought that

Walt would have won in the sprint, but he was completely empty. He was very honest and open about it afterwards. Also, he said the last lap Remco was the strongest and I could feel that I got, I was, you know, losing strength. And he said the only way I had a chance was that I stayed on the wheel and hope that it was a short sprint, but not even, I don't, I don't even think it would have been a short sprint. If, even if an art starts to sprint, he had nothing left. I mean, I don't know, I don't know, um, what the reason is we've seen now a few times that both,

uh, in sprints when it's almost guaranteed that he should win. He doesn't, right? We saw the same thing at, uh, the worst of London and war him when, when, um, what's his name? Uh, Neil St. Paul's one really similar actually. So, when, um, what's his name? Uh, Nielsen Paulus. Yeah. It was really similar actually. So, uh, so it was the same. Well, you know, when art started, but here, Wold was not even able to, to, to come out of the wheel. And you could say, well, you know, Paul is, is fast or at least in small, you know, Remco is not known as a sprinter, although he has one sprint from small groups,

but, uh, this is Wold, you know, a guy who normally wins bunch, has been, has won sprints from small groups, but this is Walt Van Aert, you know, a guy who normally wins bunch, has won bunch sprints in the Tour de France. So yeah, listen, all the more credit to Remco to race the way he raced. And also, and I've said this already several times in several podcasts, Spencer, these guys, especially when you're two, you know how strong the other guy is. So Ramco knew that the, when art was losing energy, uh, you could also clearly see whenever he took a pull, it was just, he passed because he had to pass, but he didn't drive the break.

It was Ramco who kept the speed. Um, and the fact that, you know, the last climbs, uh, already on the cobbled climb, it's called what's it called? I don't remember the Moskvistrata or something. The two times, the first two times, Walt was the strongest. I mean, that's his favorite terrain, like short cobbled steep climbs. And Remco is not really at ease on those. And Remco was struggling the first time. The second time he was a bit better, but still, Walt was stronger. The last time it was Remco who was the strongest and Van Aert had to do everything he could

to stay on the wheel. From there on, I think Remco knew that he had a chance. You know, normally he would try to drop him, but it was difficult. Of course, if you're two guys and it's still walled one art, you know, it's not just any rider. Uh, but man, what a comeback, what a comeback, um, like straight away, first race, he wouldn't winning the Brabant's a pale in his backyard. Basically. What are they, what are they for him?

Yeah. I he's like world's best at coming off training camps and just looking unbelievably strong. Luckily, Johan, you have me here. I have a PhD and going into finishes, um, with people that have less power than me and losing that sprint. And I can tell you why this is happening. It's cause you're not as fit as you normally are. I mean, that's, I think when are like the reason we're seeing this is cause he's just a little bit off where he would normally be. And like, especially where we saw him end of last year before that crash, I'd assume it's all related to that crash. It disrupted his preparation for

2025. He's actually, I kind of feel bad for him because he's losing these sprints in fantastic fashion. And that's what we're focusing on, but no one's focusing on like, whoa, Remco just ripped off the front, dropped everybody. Wellout Van Aert could stay with them, which is not easy to follow that move. Everyone, Tom Pickock missed it. You know, like Alex Anambor, O'Neill, some palace, all those guys missed it. Yeah. Well, when I went with them, he's just a few percentage points off where he needs to be. And when that happens, you cannot win those sprints. Like no matter how theoretically strong you are, you just are, you're so on the limit. You can't do it. Also Remco is so clever to do that. I mean, cause you can see him, he almost pulls these people

out and then a fixiates them. Cause he's thinking, well, if I can get this guy isolated for 50 kilometers, can you imagine the draft Remco's getting on? He must be doing almost nothing behind him. Can you imagine the draft Remco's getting on? He must be down. Yeah. I mean, for him, I mean, Remco basically gets a draft off anybody, right? But, but after behind, it's, it's, it's massive. And on the opposite, Walt was basically eating a lot of wind. But you know, I mean, Walt already lost this race, another time in the sprint, you know, to Thomas, Tom Pitcock, same thing. You know, he, uh, he also lost it in the sprint with a one on one or think, I think there were three, three guys together.

Don't know if Fala Philippe was there or somebody else. Could have been. Yeah. Trenton was there also. Yeah. Maybe, maybe there were four guys, but anyway, Pitcock beat, uh, well, now Pitcock, of course, we know he's fast. You know, he already cock beat, um, well, now pit cock, of course we know he's fast. You know, he already almost beat, uh, or some say he did beat fan art in Amstel. Um, yeah, I went back, I went back and reviewed these tapes yesterday, Johan. It's, it's actually a little less clear than I remember it being. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But still, I mean, listen, uh, it's great to see Remco back. Um,

you know, you say, yeah, he's a master at coming back for 100% from training camps. Let's not forget he comes back from a big injury. So, you know, training camp is one thing, but he had to, he had to, and also he looks really fit. You know, if you look at his body, he looks ripped, which is rare to see in Remco. You know, I've only, you only see him ripped when he's really on high form. And so it means that he's on high form. It's funny. Yeah. It's funny. Like obsessing over the minutia of people's bodies like this,

but Remco especially, I feel like you can predict a lot based on how, how defined he is. I don't, I don't want to like make it sound like I'm criticizing his body, but when he's not at like the best best, he does have a more rounded form. Then like, let's say like, I feel like Vanderpol you could, you could put that guy on a bike in January, December, you know, when he has, and he's going to look exactly the same, but Remco, he's like the, the ocean with the tides. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. But he's ready now. He's ready.

They might've shortened this race now that I look at it, because from 2024 to 2022, they were not getting, you would say like the big, I think people were skipping it in anticipation of Amstel. And then that's why they shortened it to try to get the stars. It worked because that was an awesome race. Did you notice when Remco attacked with Van Aerts on his wheel, why they shortened it to try to get the stars. It worked because that was an awesome race. Did you notice when Remco attacked with Van Aerts on his wheel, smart, followed him, Pitcock was in front of him. And then just like, he's caught off guard. Like by the time Remco's coming by him, he's like, Oh crap. And can't get on the wheel. Just like little things like that

with Pitcock. And we'll talk about this in a minute, but just it's like, come on, man. I think yesterday he just didn't have the legs Spencer. You know, and he was honest about it. Also, he said, you know, I'm, I have trouble sometimes coming back from training camp and you know, that my first races are a bit more difficult than I have work to do. So, he didn't, he didn't, he didn't look for any excuses. Question for you. Do you remember ruler live?

He sat up there and said, I didn't want to do the tour. Ineos made me do the tour. I want to be a one day racer. And then he's not, he's not at Flanders, not at Ruben. Well, uh, I think there's an explanation for that. You know, he focuses on the Ardennes. So, so, um, I'm still, which he won, um, flesh. Don't if he won, I didn't win that. No, I don't think so. I don't think so. And then Liège and then let's not forget, you know, his team got an invite for the Giro. So he has to do the Giro and he has to do the Vuelta. Yeah. He has to do both. So I think that's probably the explanation why he didn't do the Flemish classics.

Isn't Wout doing both though and doing the Giro? Yeah, Wout is doing the Giro but I think, I think, I think, no, he doesn't do, I think he's going to quit, stop now after Amstel and then not do Flesch and Liège for sure. And I think he's going to quit the stop now after I'm still and then not do flesh and liege for sure. And I think that the Giro in waltz calendar is probably still a pending commitment from last year. I think he, I think he signed. Yeah. I think it's a financial reason. I didn't thought about that. That's a very good point, Johan. So let's take a quick break for our sponsor and then we will predict Amstel Gold who's going to win on Sunday.

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We're not going to read very many of them because we think this is going to come from a select group. And then you're going to tell us how it's going to play out. It's a long race. I have it pulled up here. 255 K it's a monument distance, not technically monument. I believe it's the only world tour race in the Netherlands. One day race, which is crazy. And it's known for not, I looked at all the climbs. It's barely any climbs over a kilometer long, but it's almost 3,500 vertical meters. That's like 11 to 12,000 feet. And then I think the defining feature of this race is the turn it's twisty tourney. So if

you're at the front, it's a lot easier than if you're at the back. It's like really test your, your positioning skills, your ability to kind of stay at the like glide as much as possible. Because if you're not like, it's almost like that Glasgow world of worlds, if you remember that where the people at the front, it was a lot easier for them. Peter Sagan, I couldn't still can't believe I saw this. He was like a hundredth position with a hundred K to go like hanging on for dear life, like a cat five in their first fast crit. It's kind of like that where you have to be really positioned really well. So in the favorite, this is crazy. Again, yet again today, Pagache are minus 182. I don't ever remember seeing negative odds for one

day before this guy came along. Second, Remco Evenpul plus 600, crazy. Wout Van Aert plus 1600, Ben Healy plus 2000, Michael Matthews plus 2000, Thibaut Nese plus 2000, Tom Pickock defending champion plus 2000. And then it's Maxine Van Hills, 2,500 Axel Laurence plus 2,800, Mateusz Skelmo is a plus 4,000. And then the last one I think it could be really play any factor is Alex Aramburo at plus 5,000. Also Nielsen Palace since he's won a race this spring plus five plus 5,000 as well. I don't think,

I think this is going to be a select group, but Jan, who do you think is going to win? Yeah. I mean, I think these are also logical, you know, Pogacar negative and then everybody else. I mean, the, the dominance he has shown until now, and especially if you look at, you know, he wins Flanders is second in group, would have normally gone toe to toe with Vanderpool on a terrain, which is not his terrain. So with this condition, um, it's, it's fair to say that, uh, for a race like Amstel gold race, which is his terrain or more his terrain, I would say Liège is still more his terrain, but I think it's logical. I, I, you know, I'm always picking Pogacar of this time. I'm going to pick Remco. Remco even a pool, um, he's obviously on great, on great shape,

in great shape. Um, we'll have to see what that compares to with, with Pogacar, of course, you know, I mean, this was yesterday's race was, uh, was a race with, uh, not the same fields, not the same quality. But still, you know, well, Bernard is not just any rider. So obviously, huge confidence, huge, really good physical condition and not being the favorite could be an advantage for Remco and eventually could maybe take advantage of a surprise attack

on the last climb. You know, the course has changed compared to the last few years with the fact that the Kauberg is now the last climb. And that's the hardest climb, right? Oh, it's not the hardest one, but since it's after 250k, for sure it's the hardest one. But there's many, many, many climbs, Spencer. this is this, this race is, you know, if you, for those who have, you know, if you've never seen it or if you, if you've never done it, um, it's, it's crazy how, how, it's a labyrinth. It's a labyrinth. You never know where you are. It's, you know, even if you know the course, you still get lost, you know, because it's, it's,

it's crazy. you know, even if you know the course, you still get lost, you know, because it's, it's, it's crazy. And it's not the Limburg region is not big. And I posted a picture of like the, the map of the race on my newsletter yesterday and it goes like, you're right. Like you would not be, you would get lost if you tried to do this. You cannot memorize it. You cannot memorize it. You have to, as a, I remember as, as a cyclist and, and, and when I was the director, it was basically,

we picked out the three, four key climbs that, you know, say, okay, here, we are here. This is the one, this is the one. And the all the other ones is just another climb. You know, you never know. You take a turn up, it's up, you know, and it's, it's, and you're always left and right. And it's, it's a hectic race. I hope it's dry. I just checked the weather report. It looks okay, but that could be a possibility of rain in the final, although, you know, it's, it's a small possibility, um, because that changes a lot. But, uh,

but yeah, I think Remco has, uh, you know, he's the second favorite in the, for the bookmakers, but he's my, my candidate to win that plus six, plus 600. And financially he's definitely the pick, like full disclosure. I'll probably bet on him right after the show is over. Plus 600 for RIMCO, Evanopol and that type of form. Hard to turn down. My concerns about RIMCO. Never done this race before, which I didn't realize. I haven't realized. Does not typically do well in races like this with lots of turning. He's more of a straight line guy. Like think of the Glasgow worlds,

just like couldn't even put himself in position. Maybe he's improved on that. Let's just assume he has, uh, the, the cowberg, you're right. It's at the finish, which is different. It's it crests to, I'm trying to remember this 2.5 K from the finish. It's kind of like plateau. So it drags a bit and then it gets flat. Yeah. Yeah. And then kind of like a little down to the finish with that in mind, thinking about that. It means that these guys, Pagache and Evanable, who's the two best climbers in the world? Or these guys are two of the best, Pagache is probably the best. Evanable is probably

third or fourth. Yeah. Also both great time trialists. So if you think, well, it's a climb with steep pitches at the end of a hard race, and then you have the solo to the line, realistically, who's going to do that? It's, it's those two. Like it's hard to imagine. The way I can see also, I mean, the way I can also see Remco win is, uh, is actually being able to follow up with Gatcha and actually beating him in the sprint. You know, it's, it's not, that's not excluded. You know, it's great. Yeah. I'm most, I, I'm gonna have to take a minute.

It's crazy. We're talking about this because this is a guy like up to two years ago, we're like, well, he can't win unless he's solo. And now he's talking, we're talking about guy who could beat one of the fastest GC riders I've ever seen. Like think of that explosion at the end of what is that stage 20 at the tour last year where Pagache looked like he was a grownup racing against kids when he sprinted on top of that mountain. But you're right. But I mean, based on what we saw, like that is in the cards. And so at plus 600, it does make sense. It worries me. He's never done this race. I'm going to do that at Pagache and also Remco has this great move where he

attacks, pulls people out, isolates them, puts them in trouble, but that's kind of his only move. Well, and that's also something he can't do with Pagachar. Exactly. That's why he's never really beaten Pagachar. That game won't work with Pagachar because, you know, yeah, I agree. And the big question I have is, so you're picking Pagachar then? I'm picking Pagachar. And even at that terrible value, but we saw it like Lombardia last year where Pogacar attacks and it's obvious.

It's like, this is the moment. And then Remco does not try to, you know, like Matteo Jorgensen always follows and then blows up. I think eventually it's like, he's testing like, can I do this? Can I do this? And eventually it might work. Remco doesn't really ever try to follow. And that's where I get concerned. Like you're not pulling Pogacar back. You have to follow that move. I'm curious to see how this plays out. That would be my big concern. Spencer, you know, we're now here speculating, you know, about the Cobar and this and that the way we've seen the race system,

the way we've seen how those guys race, it's not going to come down to the Coburg. It's a lot earlier. Oh yeah. That's a very good point. I mean, these guys, this could, and that's why we don't love where it's hard race for wildcards. And we don't love people further down the odds board because if Bukcha or Rimcoe tries to make this hard or Ben Healy tries to make it hard from a long way out, you could have a small elite group at the finish and you're right. It might not even come down to that at the end. Before we pick,

before we go to our wild cards, let's take a quick ad break and then we'll get your take on who could possibly beat either of these two writers. If it's even in the cards. Everybody, Let's take a quick ad break and then we'll get your take on who could possibly be either of these two writers if it's even in the cards. Everybody, this episode is brought to you by Manukora Honey. Are you looking for something simple and delicious to add to your wellness routine? Well, Manukora Honey, their Manuka Honey straight from New Zealand is the perfect thing to add. I love Manukora Honey because it's richness, creaminess,

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And if you're interested in the free gift, you can go to the show notes below. And if you move, Manu Kora.com slash the move or check the show notes below. Okay, Johan. So Pogacar or Remco doesn't win somehow. They get lost. They're, they're both abducted. Who could win from this group? Huh?

Uh, well, you, I mean, the third favorite is Walt von Arte. You know, we need to keep respecting Walt von Arte for who he is, what he has done. You know, after yesterday, I have my doubts he can win tomorrow. I'd rather pick Thomas Pitcock as my second favorite, although, you know, yesterday he wasn't able to follow. Um, but you know, he's, he's high class, you know, top pedigree won this race already before. Um, he would, it would have to be with a surprise attack, something, something at the end or something needs to happen, but, uh, he's a smart racer. So what plus, plus 2000,

um, Bitcock is my second card. It is crazy. A guy with that sprint in the defending champion, is it plus 2000 and that's, you start to run out of options really quick after the first two takes a little bit of magical thinking, but I think that's as good of wild card as any, the two ones I'm, I'm picking between like, so first one, I'm not picking this one. Ben Healy, you think, you would think, wow, he's really strong. He could win. He's plus 2000. But then you asked a very good question in the pre-show. How does he win? Well, Ben Healy likes to get in breakaways and then drop the breakaway companions and

then solo to the wind. That's not going to happen at Amstel. Like the wind will not come from the breakaway. You know, could he attack on the final climb and stay away from the breakaway? And then he's going to be like, oh, I'm going to go to the breakaway companions and then solo to the wind. That's not going to happen at Amstel. Like the wind will not come from the breakaway. You know, could he attack on the final climb and stay away for the win? No. Cause what's he's not going to drop Pagache. He's not going to drop it on a pole. I'm going to go with Michael Matthews plus 2000 kind of lurking this spring and Matthews is a guy we just keep forgetting about. And then think he almost won Milan San Remo last year. He's just like almost, he almost won. He won the sprint in the chase group at Milan San Remo this year. He won the sprint in the chase group at Amstel gold last year.

He's kind of like all the first guy that always misses out, but he can climb really well and he can sprint really well. So just on that, I'm going to pick him up. Plus 2000. If, you know, if something gets weird, he could be a guy that benefits from that. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I mean, he's all in and often he's there when nobody expects him. Yes. Especially for some reason, Milan Sanremo is a race and it fits him perfectly. We don't see him in the races before

and boom, all of a sudden he's there. Top, top three or top four. Um, yeah, this is a race for him. Um, again, you know, we haven't seen much that could, you know, warrant to choose him, but it's Michael Matthew. So I think it's a good choice. Like tour de France, 2022 stage 14, um, finished on, you know, it's like the steep climb to the airfield wins that stage. And you would never have expected him to win that. Like, he just has this ability to win these races. And you're like, where the heck did that come from? So I'm not saying I'm, I'm going to put a lot of money on it,

but if you want to sprinkle a little bit of money on a potential wild card, that's a good one. Yeah, I agree. And I'm trying to think of any other notes for Amstel. It's kind of an interesting race because it, you know, like the course is set for Roubaix. The course is set for Flanders is really, this is a funny race because it is, it like is a sandbar. It just changes a little bit every year. Like if you remember in 2021, they had the circuit that made the race different.

This year is going to be a lot different than even the past few years because they're changing the order of the climbs. It's quite curious to see how it plays out. I haven't seen a detailed profile, but is the Gutenberg, the second last time, the one before the Kauberg? I think it might be the memo. The memo bird of Bimlin back. Okay. Yeah. Okay.

So it's a bit different because before it was the Kotenberg and then the Kauberg good to but he's really hard. That's super third to last climb. Now. Okay. That's where Pogacar goes. That if he hasn't gone before, that's where he goes. That's the hardest one by far. Interesting. Do you think these guys will try to take it from extremely far out?

I mean, they do it in Flanders. They do it in Roubaix. I mean, on this course, it's even better because, you know, it's one climb after the other. Yeah. You know, there's nobody who can get the troops back together in between the climbs, especially if these guys go so early. So yeah, why not? I mean, think yesterday, Remco spent 30% of the race off the front with Benhart because

it was only 150 ish kilometers long. Under 60. Yeah. So yeah, they're confident. He's feeling confident that he can go from a long way out. I agree. It'd be hard to, I mean, even also you have to, you have to look at the field, you know, I mean, if this is okay, you have to say this is Pogacar and Remco who stick out and quality wise, then you have Van Aert and all the others, all the others need some kind of

circumstances to be in the front. So, uh, I could perfectly see Pogacar and Remco go from far. And so then they eliminate every single circumstance they can't control. And then it's just man against man. And there's no Matthew Vanderpult. So exactly. Yeah. I mean, really that's been the only rider that can beat Pogacar this spring.

So without him and then you substitute Remco in for, let's just say the Vanderpool slot, it does seem tough to think anyone could stay with them. Yeah. And I, yeah, that is a good point. You just get rid of the variables you can't control and who's pulling them back. That's, that actually gets hard to imagine that. And let's not forget, you know, when it's 250 kilometers, it's hard. So there's not that many riders who are able to do something beyond two

kill 200 kilometers. Then you get really into the top quality riders. That's not that many. Yes. Yeah. Which is why these races, these longer races are fun. As you get the cream rises to the top. Do you have anything else on Amsogold, Johan? Nope. That's it. I hope for them, it doesn't rain because it's a horrible course, if it rains, but it's going to be an interesting and interesting race. Nice. It's a, it's a nice race.

If it does rain, I mean, I don't want to see it, but let's like, well what was that Liège 2023 and it's like, Oh, Pagache crashed out before we even had television coverage. Like that's where the wild cards could come into play. It's also, you know, Spencer, it's also something we never, we, we, you know, it's an important factor. It's a dangerous race. Also, there's always crashes. It's left, right. It's, it's, you know, the Netherlands have this weird thing. I mean, if you look, have a look tomorrow and pay attention from helicopter shots, you will not believe how many parked cars are on the course. Yeah, I have noticed. It's crazy. Why is this? I don't know if it's,

it's something with the law that they can't prohibit cars to park on certain like neighborhoods because they go through a lot of neighborhoods. And it's crazy. There's so many cars on the side of the road. Yeah. I never really connected that to the Netherlands, but it's like same thing with the bank bank tour. It's not called the bank bank tour anymore, but just like there's, it's like the tour of parked cars and you're going through a neighborhood and there's cars everywhere. I've never fully understood that, but let's hope it doesn't rain. Let's hope no one hits a car. Yeah. And you guys will be on tomorrow after the race for the move.

Well, thanks, Johan. And we will talk soon. OK. Thanks, Spencer. Bye.