EYES FIRST ON AMSTEL GOLD RACE

The Ardennes trilogy is upon us – three races linked not solely by their location among the Ardennes hills, but by a distinct shift in terrain. The gritty cobbles of the Flandrien Classics are replaced by a relentless succession of bergs.

First up in this week-long sequence is Amstel Gold Race, existing in its current form since 2017. Former winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, alongside Alice Towers, Justyna Czapla, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Soraya Paladin, and Neve Bradbury, will form a powerful lineup for CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto. 

Amstel has long been fertile ground for the team. Soraya has placed fifth three times while Kasia holds four top-five finishes, most memorably a solo victory in 2019 after detonating the field on the race-shaping Cauberg with a perfectly timed attack.

After most recently finishing fourth at Ronde van Vlaanderen, she’s motivated for the next phase of the classics season.

“I’m feeling quite good before our dance. It’s always the best period, or period of the classics, for me personally. I hope that all the lessons that we learned throughout the first part of the season will be put into use and we can smash the races and get some wins.”

With her extensive experience in the race, Kasia has a clear sense of what it takes to cross the line first.

“The race has evolved a lot over the last five years. It was much shorter than what it is now and we didn’t have to climb the Cauberg as many times as we do this year, which I think is beneficial for us. Usually, it’s very hard from the start because you get on those small roads – left, right, up and down, something is constantly happening. The fight for position is on from kilometre zero and then you enter the circuit, which is very demanding and also quite technical. I think the freshness of mind and still having explosive legs in the final are very important for a person to win the race. But of course, we’ve seen different scenarios play out. – you can win from attacking on the Cauberg, and also more recently from reduced groups. For us, hopefully we can create a scenario where after the Cauberg, someone can go solo to the finish line.”

Though often grouped into the Ardennes week, Amstel Gold is a bit of a cycling misnomer – the race is run entirely within Dutch Limburg and is a proud fixture of the Netherlands, skirting close to the Belgian and German borders. It continues the marked transition into hillier, non-cobbled terrain, easing the peloton into a new phase of racing before the gradients and elevation gains intensify at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. While strong climbers are in attendance, versatile puncheur-style riders can often hold on and take the spoils here.

Like previous years, the peloton will roll out from the Markt in Maastricht and finish 157.9 kilometres later in Berg en Terblijt, under 2km past the crest of the Cauberg.

The route begins with an 80km run-in peppered with nine climbs, kicking off in earnest with the wall-like Kruisberg (0.6km at 9%) before tackling the Eyserbosweg (1100m at 8.1%) and Keutenberg (700m at 9.4%) — equally leg-stinging and sapping. From there, riders take on four laps of an 18km finishing circuit around Valkenburg, including the more gradual pairing of the Geulhemmerberg (0.9km at 5.7%) and Bemelerberg (0.8km at 5%), before the crescendo: the Cauberg (0.5km at 9.4%), climbed three times before the final.

Each Cauberg ascent is short but brutal, especially when taken at the astronomical speeds set by past contenders like Kasia – the current Strava QOM sits at just 1:09 minutes, averaging 27.5kph. The tension only builds with a hectic downhill lead-in, as riders hurtle into a tight, 100-degree corner in central Valkenburg before being slingshotted straight into the base of the climb.

The early climbs rarely prove decisive on their own, but it’s their cumulative toll, combined with the relentless pressure on the pedals around the finishing laps, that gradually erode down the energy reserves. By the time the final ascent of the Cauberg looms, there’s nowhere left to hide. Only those who’ve measured their efforts wisely over the full 158km will be left in the fight for victory.

While our WorldTeam tackles the Dutch bergs, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation will be racing the Grand Prix Féminin de Chambéry in France – setting up a double Sunday of racing across borders.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Amstel Gold Race | 1.WWT | Sunday April 20 | 157.9km | 1954m elevation | Start 9:55 CET – fastest finish 13:44.

Live coverage from 12:50 CET on Sporza, Eurosport/ Discovery Plus, TNT Sports, FloBikes (Canada) and SBS Sports (Australia).

Stay updated on X with #AGR25 and #AGRWomen, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s social channels for team updates.