The hits keep coming for us bike racing fans. We’ve already seen some fantastic races in the Classics season. Last weekend’s Paris-Roubaix was something special. Franziska Koch (FDJ United – SUEZ) and Visma – Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert took some very special wins. Friday, we saw the “warm-up” race at Brabantse Pijl. It’s almost a transition race from the nasty cobbled races, to the upcoming hillier events in the Ardennes.
On Sunday, the WorldTour heads to the Netherlands for the 60th edition of the Amstel Gold Race. Wednesday is Flèche Wallonne, and the following is Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
For Amstel, the climbs in the Limburg region tend to keep things unpredictable. Remco Evenepoel rolls in with some serious form and stands out as the rider to watch. With no Tadej Pogačar or Mathieu van der Poel on the start list, the door feels a little more open.
Pinarello Q36.5’s Tom Pidcock is skipping Amstel, instead using the Tour of the Alps to get some race miles in before Liège. (Lidl-Trek’s Derek Gee-West will also be there after a bit of a break since the Volta a Catalunya.)
Defending champion Mattias Skjelmose showed last year he can handle whatever this race throws at him. Remember how he outsprinted Pogačar and Evenepoel?
The route remains largely unchanged since last year’s version. Basically, a relentless series of climbs before the Cauberg reappears late, just 2.5 kmfrom the finish, setting up a sharp and selective run-in. It’s tough.
All the big names for the women’s race
The women’s field is deep, with plenty of firepower on the start line. Euro champ and Flanders winner Demi Vollering is there. Lorena Wiebes and Katarzyna Niewiadoma are also contenders, while riders like Elise Chabbey and Karlijn Swinkels add further options.
It’s a stacked line-up for the 12th edition, with no shortage of contenders. Vollering will be keen to keep that momentum going on home roads. Mischa Bredewold, last year’s winner, is also back to defend.
Canadian riders to watch
There’s a solid Canadian group making the trip to Holland. On the men’s side, Hugo Houle (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is set to start, along with Michael Leonard (EF Education-EasyPost), who’s been building nicely in his first season with the squad. Pier-André Côté (NSN Cycling) also brings a good block of racing into the weekend.
The women’s race features an even larger Canadian contingent….
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