The season has turned a corner, with the cobbled Classics firmly in the review mirror and the Ardennes Classics kicking off at Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition on Sunday, April 16, in the Netherlands.
The race is back to its traditional spot on the calendar after switching weekends with Paris-Roubaix last year, and all feels right in the world of professional cycling as Amstel Gold Race begins the weeklong affair that runs straight into Flèche Wallonne on April 19 and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 23, both in Belgium.
SD Worx may have dominated the Spring Classics thus far with 10 victories, but a few riders have put a dent in their run of success, and the peloton head into Amstel Gold Race with a new opportunity.
The cobbled events are like none other, full of drama, luck and riveting race scenarios, but the Ardennes Classics have an ethos of their own that should not be missed.
Join Cyclingnews‘ live coverage of the Ardennes Classics, including the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition, and check back after the event for the full race reports, results, photo galleries, storylines and race analysis.
To begin with, Cyclingnews highlights some of the biggest talking points ahead of Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition, and you can preview the major contenders and the route details all ahead of the 155.8km race from Maastricht to Valkenburg.
Don’t underestimate Cavalli
Marta Cavalli’s remarkable back-to-back victories at Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne have thus far marked the highlight of her career. Other powerful performances cannot be forgotten, too, with a fifth at Paris-Roubaix Femmes and second overall at the Giro d’Italia Donne, is there anything Cavalli can’t do in pro racing?
Cavalli opted not to race Paris-Roubaix this year. FDJ-SUEZ teammate Grace Brown remarked upon her versatility ahead of the Hell of the North but also suggested that sometimes riders need to choose targets rather than spreading their efforts across too many races.
“Marta is focused on the Ardennes this year, after her success last year, and she decided with the team that it was better not to race Roubaix this year to focus on those other races. There are riders who can be good on every type of course, but they can’t do every single race, so at some point, you need to decide and make tough decisions between multiple races that you could potentially do well in.”
Cavalli took time away from racing due to lingering…
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