For the 25th time in the men’s Amstel Gold Race, Limburg’s capital city Maastricht will serve as the start location, from the centre at the Markt and Vrijthof in 2023. The finish of the Amstel Gold Race will remain in Valkenburg, though it has been tweaked over the years.
Beginning in 2003 the finish line was crossed after cresting the signature Cauberg climb. Then a decade later, the finish was moved 1.8km beyond the top of the hill to Valkenburg. That lasted one year, and since 2017 the final climb of the Cauberg leads to another 19km, the Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg climbs taking the peloton to the finish. The Cauberg remains in the final circuits as organisers attempt to make the race less predictable and more exciting.
Last year the route covered 33 climbs along a twisting 254km route. In 2023, the men’s course will make an extra loop towards Sittard-Geleen in the first section of the circuitous route, and the first passage of the Cauberg that was done in 2022 will be omitted. The final finish loop of the 18 kilometers with the Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg and Cauberg climbs will return, however, with more details to follow after February.
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