Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has made a perfect start to cycling's Ardennes Week by winning the Amstel Gold Race for the first time.

In the absence of Tadej Pogacar, the Belgian ace clinched victory after the 257.2km trek from Maastricht to Valkenburg in the Netherlands, beating last year's winner Mattias Skjelmose of Denmark in a sprint finale, with France's Benoît Cosnefroy finishing third.

The decisive moment on the ride over 33 climbs only came in the head-to-head duel late on. This time, Evenepoel didn't allow himself to be outfoxed by Skjelmose like last year.

"The win means a lot to me. I love the race with its many short steep climbs. My sprint was better than last year. I am very proud and happy," Evenepoel said.

"This is the best win of the season. The race ranks just below the Monuments."

Evenepoel looks well prepared for the next duel with Pogacar which will be in one of the season's five 'Monument' classics, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, next Sunday.

Over the past five years, the two top stars have dominated the race. Evenepoel won twice (2022, 2023) and Pogacar three times (2021, 2024, 2025).

Before Sunday, Evenepoel is also likely to start at La Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday, with Pogacar skipping that race.