News

Last Sunday, Paris-Roubaix marked the end of the cobbled classics season, but with barely a moment to catch our breath, the Ardennes Triptych is upon us. The trilogy kicks off next Sunday with the Amstel Gold Race, continues with the iconic finish on the Mur de Huy at La Flèche Wallonne, and culminates the following Sunday with Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the fourth Monument of the year and the definitive endpoint of the spring classics. From that moment on, the cycling calendar shifts focus to stage races, with the Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour and the men's Giro d’Italia as the first major appointments.

In this article, we will focus on the Amstel Gold Race, leaving the analysis of La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège for another time.

 
Women's Race: Course and Favorites

The women's race includes 22 categorized short climbs, adding up to a total of 1,790 meters of elevation gain over the course of the day, with the route covering 158 kilometers in the small section of the Ardennes located in the Netherlands. The final circuit, featuring the Cauberg (0.5 km at 7.7%), the Bemelerberg (0.8 km at 4.5%), and the Geulhemmerberg (0.9 km at 5.3%), must be completed four times. Positioning is usually crucial in this race, as much of the route runs along narrow roads.

Demi Vollering (1200), Elisa Longo Borghini (1200), Anna Van Der Breggen (200), Lotte Kopecky (1200), Marianne Vos (1000), Juliette Labous (1000), Liane Lippert (1000), Lorena Wiebes (1200), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (1200), Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (1000), Elisa Balsamo (1000), Evita Muzic (800), Mischa Bredewold (800), Puck Pieterse (600), Eleonora Gasparrini (600), Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (200), Marta Cavalli (200) and Ingvild Gaskjenn (200) are some of the top favorites on an impressive start list that includes all the stars of the global cycling scene.

 
Men's Race: Course and Favorites

Unlike the women’s race, the men’s event does not feature a final circuit. The race unfolds through a true labyrinth in a very condensed area, with 34 climbs, 256 km, and 3,200 meters of elevation gain.

Tadej Pogačar (1200) starts as the clear favorite for yet another victory. Remco Evenepoel (1200), Wout Van Aert (1200), Thomas Pidcock (800), Marc Hirschi (600), Mattias Skjelmose (1000), Valentin Madouas (400), Tiesj Benoot (400), Alex Aranburu (800), Maxim Van Gils (600), Julian Alaphilippe (600), Ben Healy (600), Thibau Nys (600), Magnus Sheffield (600), Tim Wellens (400), and Roger Adrià (400) are also among the standout names.

 
Photo: © Amstel Gold Race