Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogačar bagged the 11th win of the season on 16 April when he soloed over 30 kilometres to win the Amstel Gold Race, a one-day classic.

The 24-year-old UAE Emirates rider finished in just over six hours, 37 seconds ahead of Ireland's Ben Healy. Tom Pidcock settled for third place.

Pogačar had to change bikes just ahead of the climb where the difference was made.

"I did not expect that we'd go in the breakaway so early. I was on a sort of flat tyre for many kilometres.

"I was doubting I could come to the finish solo. In the end I squeezed as much as possible to come to the finish line and I made it," he said.

The three broke away 90 kilometres before the end of the 253.6-kilometre race but with thirty kilometres to go Pogačar powered ahead on the Keutenberg hill.

The winning move on the Keutenberg was on the advice of his rival Mathieu van der Poel.

"He told me I should go on the Keutenberg and it is the hardest climb and it suits me the most ... I will thank him for the advice," he said.

Pogačar is only the fourth cyclist in history to have won the Amstel Gold and Flanders in a single year.

The next world series race is the Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday. Pogačar is slated to compete.

"On Wednesday, it's the Flèche. It's a hard race for me. I never achieved a good result there, but with good shape right now and a good team, we can also do a good result in Flèche," he said.

And next weekend Pogačar faces a duel with Remco Evenepoel at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, another prestigious classic. Pogačar won it in 2021 and Evenepoel is the defending champion.