Italy’s Davide Rebellin of team Gerolsteiner won yesterday’s Amstel Gold Race, fourth round of this year’s World Cup, after a sprint finish with former champion Michael Boogerd (Neths, team Rabobank).

No stranger to success in this event, with top three finishes every year except 2001 since his 1999 win, Boogerd looked a strong contender to take the race a second time. With around 16km to go he and Rebellin broke away from the leading group of six with around 16km to go and with 6km to go had opened up a 30-second lead. The two stuck together until the end, with 350 metres to go Boogerd made a committed attack but Rebellin had the strength to come and snatch victory by a single second. Rebellin’s finishing time was 6 hours, 23 minutes and 44 seconds.

Third place went to Rebellin’s compatriot Paulo Bettini (Quick Step – Davitamon).

Check Cycling News for a step by step account of the race and for a fantastically cheesy photo of the winner see Rebellin’s official website.