Best laid plans, all that. Matteo Jorgenson’s Amstel Gold Race ended in the back of an ambulance, not the finale he’d lined up for.
The 26-year-old American looked right where he wanted to be as the race lit up. After some aggressive riding, the selection was beginning to be made. Jorgenson found himself a reduced group of favourites deep into the final 40 km.
Up the road early, a nine-man break shaped the opening phase of the 260-km day. But that changed when things got hot.
The finishing circuits
When the leaders hit the finishing circuits through Valkenburg, things tightened. That means riders got nervous as everyone fought for positions. And that’s when things went south for two-time Paris–Nice winner.
When the race finally cracked open on the Gulperberg, Jorgenson was there. He followed big move from Romain Grégoire, with Remco Evenepoel, Mattias Skjelmose and Kévin Vauquelin all marking each other.
Then it unravelled, snel, as they’d say in the Netherlands.
Not long after that acceleration, Vauquelin went down in front of the group. Jorgenson had nowhere to go. He hit the deck hard and didn’t get back up to continue. He was taken to hospital for evaluation.
Terrible luck for Jorgenson 😔 #AGR26 pic.twitter.com/qnEHiz25js
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) April 19, 2026
Sports director (and former pro) Frans Maassen reacted afterward: “We had high expectations for this race and were well prepared. Everyone could see that Matteo was in great form, so it’s very frustrating that our race ended this way. As a team, we were well positioned throughout. The riders did a great job keeping Matteo in a good position all day. The goal was to be among the first to crest the Gulperberg and the Kruisberg. He looked fresh on those climbs, but unfortunately he crashed shortly afterward. That’s extremely disappointing.”
Eventually, it would be Evenepoel and Skjelmose going for the dub. The Dane, and defending champion rode side by side into the finale. The double Olympic champ jumped with a few hundred metres to go, easily taking the sprint. After the race, he said he was happy to take the race, placing it in his top-eight wins of his career.
UPDATE: Jorgenson has broken his collarbone.
🇳🇱 #AGR26
Matteo broke his collarbone in his crash during the Amstel Gold Race. As a result, he will not start in the Flèche Wallonne or Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
We wish Matteo a good and speedy recovery!
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…