Attack, attack, attack was the order of the day as Thalita de Jong scored 15th place in a frantic Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands.
The 32-year-old spent much of the 158.1 km long Women’s WorldTour race from Maastricht to Valkenburg in the front group, constantly marshalling the many attacks triggered by the undulating parcours.
With a cumulative elevation gain of 1,960 meters, the Amstel Gold Race was an intense opening salvo to Ardennes week.
“I’m just dead,” de Jong exuberantly said of her home race at the finish. “That was a hard race, but a beautiful race with really cool crowds.”
With the help of Nina Buijsman, Marit Raaijmakers, Titia Ryo, Carlotta Cipressi, and Mona Mitterwallner, de Jong was able to hold strong for much of the four-lap, 20-kilometer circuit in Valkenburg.
The pace on the formidable 0.5 km at 8.6% Cauberg climb split the peloton, with de Jong not able to make the cut. Nienke Vinke and Paula Blasi attacked 25 km out, with the young Spaniard then holding off chasers Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Demi Vollering to take an emphatic solo victory.
De Jong then sprinted in a strong group of six, one minute and one second behind the winner. Her second-place sprint there proved strong enough for 15th place.
The team is back in action on Wednesday when it heads to Belgium for La Flèche Wallonne. Follow all the buildup and behind-the-scenes goodness on our website and social media.
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Photos: GettySport and Oskar Scarsbrook
