NXT Classic: Tibor del Grosso wins a tense two-up sprint to take a first win of the year

Formerly know as the Volta Limburg, the NXT Classic has been a launch pad for many a career, with riders the likes of Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Stefan Küng (Tudor) and Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) all among the winners in the race’s 33 year history.

Taking place in the far south-eastern corner of The Netherlands, in the hilly Limburg region, the 196km race started and finished in Eijsden, just south of Maastricht. Tackling 37 classified climbs, including some of those usually seen during the Amstel Gold Race, the riders would ascend a total of 2,400m, covering four large loops before passing through the finish line for flat, final 6km lap.

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After a relatively benign start Samuele Zoccarato (MBH Bank CSB) was the first rider to make an attack stick and was soon joined by Mads Andersen (Swatt Club) and Oscar Amey (NSN Development Team). In turn, they were joined by Bram Dankloff (Parkhotel-Valkenburg), the four riders building a lead of 2:50 with 62km ridden.

Only three months past his 18th birthday, Amey was the youngest rider in the race and began struggling in the breakaway and, as the race passed the 80km mark, began slipping backwards and was soon dropped from the breakaway, their lead on the peloton by then more than three minutes.

By the time Amey was caught by the bunch, the pace was up and the young Brit slid out of the back, though in company with plenty of others as they too were dropped, the pace lifting. With Visma-Lease a Bike going first, then Unibet Rose Rockets taking their turn, the gap was closed and the leaders were caught with 60km to go, a group of 12 riders forming at the front.

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Though that group soon came back, forming a peloton of around 50 riders, that only allowed further attacks, with frantic moves going up the road only to be brought to heel as the race entered the closing 50km.

On the final ascent of the Gulperberg, with 35km left to race, the peloton split once again, before, a few kilometres later, on the Schilberg, Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) and Tibor del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech) edged away, a group of 19 riders chasing hard.

Though the pair built a lead of 40 seconds, and despite a late attack from Schmid, they stayed away, resisting a late counter-move, fighting for the win between them, though it was a close run thing.