Cunego wins Amstel Gold Race and takes UCI ProTour lead
Italy’s Damiano Cunego of the Lampre team is the new leader of the UCI ProTour after winning the Amstel Gold Race on Holland.
Cunego beat Frank Schleck (CSC) and Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) in a thrilling sprint to the finish at the summit of the Cauberg climb after an exciting race through the twisting hills of southern Holland.
Cunego scored 40 points for his victory and moved past long-term leader André Greipel (High Road) who won the Tour Down Under in Australia. Cunego now has a total of 73 points after also scoring 33 points in the recent Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco in Spain. Greipel did not ride the Amstel Gold Race and so slipped to second place with 62 points.
Spain’s Alberto Contador is third overall in the individual standings with 58 points thanks to his victory in the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco.
Cunego was riding the Amstel Gold Race for the first time and it is also the first time the talented 26 year-old from Verona has lead the UCI ProTour.
“I always knew I could win this race and it’s hugely satisfying to do it at the first attempt,” Cunego said after pulling on the white UCI ProTour leader’s jersey.
“It was a nervous race because of all the twisting climbs but thanks to my team mates we kept the race together and I started to really believe I could win it when the break of nine riders got away on the penultimate climb.”
“After that it was about keeping a cool head and controlling my rivals. I think I won because I’m more relaxed in the way I approach races and because I’ve really started to believe in my ability. I won the Giro d’Italia in 2004 but it was only after winning the Tour of Lombardy last October that I started to have confidence in myself in the big one-day races.”
CSC LEAD TEAM STANDINGS
Team CSC had Schleck second and Karsten Kroon ninth at the finish and so jumped from fourth to first in the team standings of the UCI ProTour.
The three-time winners of the special competition now have a total of 72 points. However the competition is still very close with Caisse d’Epargne second with 70 points, and Astana third, also with 70 points. The other ProTour teams are spread across another 40 points, with Lampre surprisingly in last place despite Cunego victory in the Amstel Gold Race.
The nations standings are a little more clear cut with Spain topping the table with a total of 203 points. Belgium is second with 150 points and Italy is a close third with 146 points.
The next race in the 2008 UCI ProTour is the Tour de Romandie stage race in Switzerland between April 29 and May 4.