«I wasn't feeling great, but it was a good sign»: Quinten Hermans finished second at the Brabantse Pijl despite knee problems and will be the leader of Pinarello-Q36.5 on Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race, because Tom Pidcock hasn't fully recovered yet after his crash at Catalonia. For Hermans, 30 years old, a solid performance following his bad crash at Strade Bianche in early March.

«It was a tough sprint, I'm very happy I managed to stay on the right wheel and still finish second. I wasn't feeling great today, so I chose to conserve energy – explains the Belgian from Antwerp, 2nd at Liège 2022 behind Evenepoel -. I probably needed this result after Strade Bianche, I wasn't able to ride for a long time and mentally it wasn't easy. Coming back after such a crash requires a lot of energy, so this result makes me feel really good».

Without Pidcock, winner of the Amstel in 2024 and second in 2021 beaten in a photo finish by Van Aert, Hermans will lead the Swiss professional team: «Of course, everyone will look at me more, but Sunday's race is over 100 kilometers long and there are also different competitors. Tom's absence is a big loss for the team, but there's not much we can do in these circumstances. In any case, today we showed we're here».