Berlin (dpa) – Better late than never: With a two-day delay, professional cyclist John Degenkolb still got his place in the Dutch spring classic Amstel Gold Race on Sunday.
“I wasn’t listed in the results at first. But today I was told by the organizer that I finished 47th,” said the 33-year-old Degenkolb of the German Press Agency. “They didn’t include me in the lists at first because I was traveling with a spare wheel. Now the Amstel has officially ended,” explained the DSM professional with a laugh.
He’s only competed there once before and finished the race in 2011, his first year as a pro, in 135th place. “The Amstel is a super-difficult race, and it’s utopian for me to be at the front. That’s exactly why I haven’t been there for eleven years been at the start,” said Degenkolb.
On Easter Sunday, Degenkolb expects a lot more in his “favorite race” Paris-Roubaix, which he won in 2015. “I have my full focus on Roubaix and hope that I can go really deep there and not be dogged by bad luck. The 119th edition of the French cycling monument covers 257.2 kilometers, almost 55 of them over the dreaded cobblestone sections (“Paves” ).