Amstel and Roubaix exchange dates
Traditionally, a week after the Ronde Van Vlaanderen it is the turn of Paris-Roubaix, which is the culmination of the cobbled classics season. On this occasion, however, the first round of the presidential elections in France is held on April 10, so Paris-Roubaix is delayed a week and exchanges dates with Amstel Gold Race. Due to this change, many cobblestones specialists who have Paris-Roubaix as one of their main goals of the year will also be in Amstel Gold Race, contributing to the formation of a spectacular startlist.
Men’s race route
The men's race totals 254 km and includes 33 short climbs, up to a total of 3,400 meters of climbing. Also, much of the course is on narrow roads, so the fight for position is crucial. The last elevation is the Bemelerberg (0.7 km at 5.4%), located 7 km from the finish line.
Women’s race route
The women's race is not so hard, since the route is 127 km long with 1,549 meters of positive slope. The last part of the race includes 3 laps on a circuit that runs through the final part of the men's race route, including the Cauberg (0.6 km at 8.5%), the Geulemerberg (0.9 km at 5.9% ), and the Bemelerberg (0.7 km at 5.4%).
Men’s race favorites
As we said, this year's Amstel brings together Ardennes classics and cobblestones specialists. Mathieu Van Der Poel (1000), Michael Matthews (800), Stefan Küng (800), Matej Mohoric (800), Marc Hirschi (600), Christophe Laporte (600), Alex Aranburu (600), Matteo Trentin (600), Kasper Asgreen (600), Alexey Lutsenko (600), Soren Kragh Andersen (600), Warren Barguil (400), Greg Van Avermaet (600), Michal Kwiatkowski (600), Benoit Cosnefroy (400), Tim Wellens (600), Andrea Bagioli (400), Dylan Van Baarle (400), Quinn Simmons (400), Victor Campenaerts (400), Anthony Turgis (400), Tiesj Benoot (600), Valentin Madouas (200), Thomas Pidcock (200) or Jan Tratnik (400) are some of the main names.
Women’s race favorites
Annemiek Van Vleuten (1200), Demi Vollering (1000), Elisa Balsamo (800), Coryn Rivera (600), Elisa Longo Borghini (1000), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (1000), Mavi Garcia (800), Arlenis Sierra (600), Emma Norsgaard (1000) and Chantal Blaak (600) are the main favorites.