Cannondale-Drapac will head into the Amstel Gold Race and its altered finale with hopes of springing a surprise on the peloton and taking the team's first one-day victory of the season. The American team lacks a top sprinter for the race that now finishes almost eight kilometres from the final climb, but directeur sportif Tom Southam isn't sure if it will come down to a bunch sprint.
"The race organisers are banking on the removal of the Cauberg making it a more aggressive race," Southam said. "I think it could still go either way. From the top of the Bemeleberg now you still have several kilometres to ride to the finish, and if a strong team really wants to ride for a sprint, then there is enough road to make that happen."
Southam is hoping one of his riders can surprise the sprinters. "The fact that the route has changed does open up the possibility that things are misjudged and something a little bit interesting happens. It's been a few years since the race has finished on the flat, so an element of the unknown will play into our hands."
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Toms Skujins, who earned the team's only victory of the season so far in the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, said, "The riders make the race, so it's up to us to make it exciting and maybe spring a surprise. There will be a worthy winner this year too, no doubt."
Cannondale-Drapac for the Amstel Gold Race: Alberto Bettiol, Brendan Canty, Simon Clarke, Alex Howes, Sebastian Langeveld, Toms Skujins, Tom-Jelte Slagter, and Dylan van Baarle.
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Last season, Wanty-Groupe Gobert scored an emotional victory in the Amstel Gold Race when Enrico Gasparotto darted to the win and dedicated it to Antoine Demoitie, who had only weeks earlier died after a collision in Gent-Wevelgem.
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