ZW Photography

Amstel Gold ‘26.

So begins the Spring Classics’ hangover…

Genuinely pleased I’ve managed to get a post out of this race this year. 2025 at Amstel was my top 3 worst performances ever on the tools for one reason or another, so it felt good to banish those demons.

I will continue to say though, that Amstel should’ve finished back in 2019. The single best final hour of any race in history. The Dutch national champion, the national hero, MVDP, with the greatest victory to ever grace this deeply dull race, that would’ve been a statement. Instead we’re still out here slogging around for 260km because we have to!

There was one good thing to come from today though, .cosnefroy drained his podium beer, he’s the true winner in my heart 🥰

ROUBAIX ‘26.

I don’t have words for what I felt today. I’m always the most excited for Roubaix Day. I’m hyped and I’m nervous and I’m buzzing all the way to the first sector, knowing how much intense stress and carnage is awaiting both the riders and us for the following 4 hours. To have all of that culminate in Wout winning like that was genuinely unbelievable.

What else can I possibly say about the man that hasn’t already been said? After the years of setbacks, countless crashes, luck so bad you wondered if someone had cursed him. Years of people doubting his abilities and some really hard losses, you’d almost expect to hear all about what you’d overcome to get to that point when the microphone is thrust in front of you for the post race interview. A chance to pour out all of the frustrations and pat yourself on the back. Not Wout. The first words out of his mouth in dedication to his late friend Michael, who passed away at this race in 2018. As if there were any dry eyes left in the house after he crossed the line, that dedication, put so eloquently and with so much composure, to the whole world watching and to Michael’s family and friends, that’s the words and the actions of a true sporting hero.

I’m so glad I got to capture this race. I’ll truly never ever forget this day. This’ll be what I’m sitting around telling my grandkids about when I’m old, the day Wout finally won Roubaix, the day he pointed at the sky and honoured his friend, the day he finally got what he needed and what we all wanted. There’s no better sport on earth and there’s no better race. Roubaix, always.