2012 Amstel Gold Race

[steve]

2012 Amstel Gold Race

The Amstel Gold Race is the first of three hillier one-day races during the so-called Ardennes week, Flèche Wallonne will follow on Wednesday and Liège-Bastogne-Liège will end the 2012 Spring Classics next Sunday.

The course has changed many times over the years. In 2005 the race took place almost entirely within the boundaries of the province of Limburg, but there have also been editions that covered significant parts of Belgium. Since 2003 the finish is at the top of the Cauberg hill, in the Valkenburg municipality. Before 2003 the finish used to be in Maastricht. The race is the Netherlands' largest professional race but is frequently criticised for the danger of its course. The Netherlands is a densely populated country and the race runs through many suburbs and villages. With pressure on land being so great, many Dutch houses do not have garages and cars are left parked in the street. There are also many traffic-calming obstacles such as pinches, chicanes and speed humps, and further obstacles such as roundabouts and traffic islands. Crashes are not uncommon in the race. The course is tough and selective, mainly because of the 31 hills that have to be climbed, some with angles as steep as 20% (Keutenberg). The Amstel can be confusing for first time riders, because the course features a lot of turns, plus some spots are visited more than one time during the race. The Climbs # Name KM Location Length (m) Ave. climb (%) 1 Maasberg 11 Elsloo 500 4.4% 2 Adsteeg 33 Beek 500 5.4% 3 Lange Raarberg 40 Meerssen 1300 4.5% 4 Bergseweg 56 Voerendaal 2700 3.3% 5 Sibbergrubbe 68 Valkenburg 2100 4.1% 6 Cauberg 73 Valkenburg 1200 5.8% 7 Geulhemmerweg 76 Valkenburg 1000 6.2% 8 Wolfsberg 96 Noorbeek 800 4.4% 9 Loorberg 101 Slenaken 1500 5.5% 10 Schweibergerweg 111 Gulpen 2900 3.9% 11 Camerig 118 Vijlen 4300 3.8% 12 Drielandenpunt 131 Vaals 3700 3.7% 13 Gemmenich 134 Blieberg 900 6.4% 14 Vijlenerbos 138 Vaals 1800 5.1% 15 Eperheide 147 Epen 2300 4.1% 16 Gulperberg 155 Gulpen 700 8.1% 17 Plettenbergweg 159 Eys 1000 4.2% 18 Eyserweg 160 Eys 2200 4.3% 19 Hulsberg 165 Simpelveld 1000 7.7% 20 Vrakelberg 171 Voerendaal 700 7.9% 21 Sibbergrubbe 179 Valkenburg 2100 4.1% 22 Cauberg 184 Valkenburg 1200 5.8% 23 Geulhemmerweg 188 Valkenburg 1000 6.2% 24 Bemelerberg 201 Margraten 900 5.0% 25 Wolfsberg 218 Noorbeek 800 4.4% 26 Loorberg 224 Slenaken 1500 5.5% 27 Gulperberg 232 Gulpen 700 8.1% 28 Kruisberg 238 Eys 800 7.5% 29 Eyserbosweg 240 Eys 1100 8.1% 30 Fromberg 244 Voerendaal 1600 4.0% 31 Keutenberg 248 Valkenburg 700 9.4% 32 Cauberg 260 Valkenburg 1200 5.8%
2012 Race Map
Recent Winners 2000 Erik Zabel (GER) Team Telekom 2001 Erik Dekker (NED) Rabobank 2002 Michele Bartoli (ITA) Fassa Bortolo 2003 Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) Team Telekom 2004 Davide Rebellin (ITA) Gerolsteiner 2005 Danilo Di Luca (ITA) Liquigas-Bianchi 2006 Fränk Schleck (LUX) Team CSC 2007 Stefan Schumacher (GER) Gerolsteiner 2008 Damiano Cunego (ITA) Lampre 2009 Serguei Ivanov (RUS) Team Katusha 2010 Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto 2011 Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto
Final KM's 2011

2012 Start List
BMC Racing Team 1 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) 2 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) 3 Cadel Evans (Aus) 4 Martin Kohler (Swi) 5 Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) 6 Michael Schär (Swi) 7 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) 8 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale 11 Romain Bardet (Fra) 12 Julien Berard (Fra) 13 Mickaël Chérel (Fra) 14 Martin Elmiger (Swi) 15 Ben Gastauer (Lux) 17 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) 18 Christophe Riblon (Fra) Pro Team Astana 21 Borut Bozic (Slo) 22 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) 23 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) 24 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) 25 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) 26 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) 27 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) 28 Simone Ponzi (Ita) Euskaltel-Euskadi 31 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) 32 Peio Bilbao (Spa) 33 Ricardo Garcia Ambroa (Spa) 34 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) 35 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) 36 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) 37 Jorge Azanza Soto (Spa) 38 Romain Sicard (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 41 Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) 42 Steve Chainel (Fra) 43 Arnaud Gerard (Fra) 44 Cédric Pineau (Fra) 45 Anthony Roux (Fra) 46 Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra) 48 Arthur Vichot (Fra) Garmin-Barracuda 51 Thomas Dekker (Ned) 52 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) 53 Michel Kreder (Ned) 54 Raymond Kreder (Ukn) 55 Daniel Martin (Irl) 56 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) 57 Alex Howes (USA) 58 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) GreenEdge Cycling Team 61 Michael Albasini (Swi) 62 Simon Clarke (Aus) 63 Simon Gerrans (Aus) 64 Daryl Impey (RSA) 65 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) 66 Jens Mouris (Ned) 67 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) 68 Christian Meier (Can) Katusha Team 71 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) 72 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) 73 Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) 74 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) 75 Luca Paolini (Ita) 76 Joaquím Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) 77 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) 78 Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Lampre - ISD 81 Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) 82 Damiano Cunego (Ita) 83 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) 84 Manuele Mori (Ita) 85 Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) 86 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) 87 Simone Stortoni (Ita) 88 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 91 Stefano Agostini (Ita) 92 Damiano Caruso (Ita) 93 Federico Canuti (Ita) 94 Dominique Nerz (Ger) 95 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) 96 Maciej Paterski (Pol) 97 Daniele Ratto (Ita) 98 Peter Sagan (Svk) Lotto Belisol Team 101 BULGAC Brian (Ned) 102 Francis De Greef (Bel) 103 Jens Debusschere (Bel) 104 Gianni Meersman (Bel) 105 Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) 106 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) 107 Dennis Vanendert (Bel) 108 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Movistar Team 111 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa) 112 Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por) 113 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) 114 Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) 115 Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Spa) 116 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) 117 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) 118 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Omega Pharma - QuickStep 121 Marco Bandiera (Ita) 122 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) 123 Dries Devenyns (Bel) 124 Kevin De Weert (Bel) 125 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) 126 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) 127 Niki Terpstra (Ned) 128 Martin Velits (Svk) Rabobank Cycling Team 131 Lars Boom (Ned) 132 Matti Breschel (Den) 133 Robert Gesink (Ned) 134 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) 135 Paul Martens (Ger) 136 Bauke Mollema (Ned) 137 Bram Tankink (Ned) 138 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) RadioShack-Nissan 141 Jan Bakelants (Bel) 142 Laurent Didier (Lux) 143 Ben Hermans (Bel) 144 Christopher Horner (USA) 145 Maxime Monfort (Bel) 146 Joost Posthuma (Ned) 147 Andy Schleck (Lux) 148 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Sky Procycling 151 Davide Appollonio (Ita) 152 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) 153 Mathew Hayman (Aus) 154 Sergio Henao Montoya (Col) 155 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) 156 Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) 157 Salvatore Puccio (Ita) 158 Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa) Team Saxo Bank 161 Mads Christensen (Den) 162 Karsten Kroon (Ned) 163 Christopher Juul Jensen (Den) 164 Bruno Pires (Por) 165 Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) 166 Nicki Sørensen (Den) 167 David Tanner (Aus) 168 Troels Ronning Vinther (Den) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 171 Matteo Carrara (Ita) 172 Wout Poels (Ned) 173 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) 174 Bertjan Lindeman (Ned) 175 Pim Ligthart (Ned) 176 Marco Marcato (Ita) 177 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) 178 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's 181 Steven Caethoven (Bel) 182 Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) 183 Gregory Habeaux (Bel) 184 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) 185 Stefan van Dijck (Ned) 186 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) 187 Arnoud van Groen (Ned) 188 Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia 191 Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) 192 Francesco Failli (Ita) 193 Elia Favilli (Ita) 194 Oscar Gatto (Ita) 195 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) 196 Roberto De Patre (Ita) 198 Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 201 Dirk Bellemakers (Ned) 202 Reinier Honig (Ned) 203 Davy Commeyne (Bel) 204 Bert De Waele (Bel) 205 Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) 206 Kurt Hovelynck (Bel) 207 Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Argos-Shimano 211 Roy Curvers (Ned) 212 Yukihiro Doi (Jpn) 213 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) 214 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) 215 Simon Geschke (Ger) 216 Yann Huguet (Fra) 217 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) 218 Albert Timmer (Ned) Team Europcar 221 Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) 222 Vincent Jérôme (Fra) 223 Franck Bouyer (Fra) 224 Kevin Reza (Fra) 225 Björn Thurau (Ger) 226 Angelo Tulik (Fra) 227 Christophe Kern (Fra) 228 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 231 Sander Armee (Bel) 232 Laurens De Vreese (Bel) 233 Pieter Jacobs (Bel) 234 Eliot Lietaer (Bel) 235 Pieter Serry (Bel) 236 Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) 237 Preben Van Hecke (Bel) 238 Jelle Wallays (Bel)

 

[steve]

Italy's Enrico Gasparotto wins Amstel Gold Race ENRICO Gasparotto has won a first classic for Italy since 2008, crossing the line first in a furious sprint for the finish in the Amstel Gold Race in The Netherlands The 30-year-old Astana rider beat Belgium's Jelle Vanendert and Peter Sagan of Slovakia in the final straight, chasing Spain's Oscar Freire, who broke away 6km from the finish and was only caught in the final 50 metres. Nine riders had previously broken away from the main peloton at the 39km mark of the 256.5km course from Maastricht to Valkenburg and put up to 13 minutes 20 seconds between themselves and the pack. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/italys-enrico-gasparotto-wins-amstel-gold-race/story-e6frg7mf-1226327731351 Amstel Gold Race marks return to form for Gilbert Philippe Gilbert’s (BMC) engine had failed to start so far this season but when the Ardennes week kicked off on Sunday the Belgian champion was on the mark. Last year he won all three of the one-day classics, and at the foot of the Cauberg on Sunday, Gilbert put in a concerted effort to win Amstel Gold Race but fell short. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/amstel-gold-race-marks-return-to-form-for-gilbert Astana's Enrico Gasparotto pips Vanendert and Sagan to win opening race of Ardennes Week Astana's Enrico Gasparotto, third to Philippe Gilbert in the 2010 Amstel Gold Race, beat Jelle Vanendert of Lotto-Belisol and Peter Sagan of Liquigas Cannondale in a three-way sprint to the line on top of the Cauberg to take this year's edition of the race and with it, the biggest win of his career. Gilbert, seeking his third win in a row in the race that opens Ardennes Week, had led the main bunch up that final climb in pursuit of Katusha's Oscar Freire, who had attacked in the final ten kilometres. However, the Belgian champion had nothing left to contest the charge for the line as the three riders who were to make up the podium passed him with just metres left. http://road.cc/content/news/56867-amstel-gold-race-astanas-enrico-gasparotto-pips-vanendert-and-sagan-win-opening Freire’s last-gasp attack comes up short at Amstel Gold Spaniard Óscar Freire figures all he needed was another 100 meters and he might have pulled the cat out of the Amstel Gold Race hat. Freire took it to the wire with a daring, give-all attack at 7km to go, and nearly pulled off a major surprise win. BMC Racing was forced to dig deep to bring him back and Freire was left dying on the line as Enrico Gasparotto (Astana) sped past for what was an even bigger surprise win. http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/news/so-close-freires-last-gasp-attack-at-amstel_213769 Freire says headwind blighted his chances of winning Amstel Gold Race Launching a well timed but opportunistic attack with seven kilometres to go, hitting the final climb of the Cauberg with a slight lead over a hard-chasing group of race favourites, Oscar Freire narrowly missed out on what would have been a superb victory in today’s Amstel Gold Race. The triple world road race champion gritted his teeth on the final slopes, willing his tiring body upwards and fighting the bike all the way to the line. He was however hauled back inside the final 90 metres by eventually winner Enrico Gasparotto (Astana), who came off Liquigas Cannondale rider Peter Sagan’s wheel and held off Jelle Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol) to snag the win. http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11632/Freire-says-headwind-blighted-his-chances-of-winning-Amstel-Gold-Race.aspx Cadel felled by cold in Gold race Cadel Evans still hopes to defend his Tour de Romandie title next week despite illness preventing him finishing the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday. Evans said afterwards he had been battling an infection for "eight or nine days" and at the race's second ascent at Cauberg, 75km from the finish, he decided against continuing. The 2011 Tour de France winner hopes to be fully fit when Romandie begins on Tuesday week. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-16/cadel-felled-by-cold-in-gold-race/3951856 Evans forced out of cycling classic Tour de France champion Cadel Evans has pulled out of the Amstel Gold race after battling a cold through the Ardennes Classics. Enrico Gasparotto became the first Italian since 2008 to win a classic when he crossed the line first in a furious sprint for the finish at the Dutch race. The 30-year-old Astana rider beat Belgium's Jelle Vanendert and Peter Sagan of Slovakia in the final straight, chasing Spain's Oscar Freire, who broke away 6km from the finish and was only caught in the final 50m. http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-sport/evans-forced-out-of-cycling-classic-20120416-1x3hy.html Sanchez seventh in Amstel despite chain problem Bad luck struck Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) when the finale of the Amstel Gold Race got underway. The Spaniard bounced back right in time to mix in with the uphill sprint on the Cauberg and eventually finished seventh. Right after the finish Sanchez clearly worked hard to achieve the result he got. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sanchez-seventh-in-amstel-despite-chain-problem Glass empty for ill Evans at Amstel Gold The first one-day race of the Ardennes Classic calendar ended in disappointment for Australia with Cadel Evans pulling out of the Amstel Gold race with 65km to go and Simon Gerrans having to settle for 20th place in the Netherlands. Running over 31 punchy climbs in the Limberg region, the undulating 260km race is seen as the curtain raiser to the Ardennes Week, which continues with the forthcoming Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege races. http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/04/16/glass-empty-for-ill-evans-at-amstel-gold/ Evans's dilemma with his Tour preparations Cadel Evans's preparation for the Tour de France is delicately poised, as he wrestles with an infection that forced him to stop in Sunday's Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands. The defending Tour champion is walking the tightrope of helping his teammates in the European spring classics while being healthy for the stage races to come. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/fitness-or-team-morale-evanss-dilemma-with-his-tour-preparations-20120416-1x2fv.html Gasparotto wins Amstel Gold cycling race Astana rider Enrico Gasparotto of Italy held off Jelle Vanendert and Peter Sagan in a three-way sprint on Sunday to claim a surprise victory in the Amstel Gold cycling race. Philippe Gilbert had led the main pack leading to the final climb in pursuit of Katusha's former world champion, Oscar Freire, who broke away six kilometres from finish. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/gasparotto-wins-amstel-gold-cycling-race-20120416-1x297.html Gasparotto wins Amstel Gold Race Italian Enrico Gasparotto (Astana) won the 2012 edition of the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday. Gasparotto out-sprinted Jelle Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) to take the opening Ardennes Classic in the Netherlands. Philippe Gibert (BMC Racing) failed to take a third consecutive win in the race. Despite leading the charge up the Cauberg, his effort in the finale was simply not enough to hold off his rivals and he came home in sixth. http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/532467/gasparotto-wins-amstel-gold-race.html Fabian Wegmann building momentum with eighth in Amstel Gold Race Wegmann got his Ardennes campaign off to a strong start, as did his Garmin-Barracuda team, which placed three riders in the elite group that battled for the victory at the top of the Cauberg. Ryder Hesjedal, runner-up in the race in 2010, was 15th. Thomas Dekker was 18th, and while Dan Martin had an off day in placing 75th, the team was also well-represented in the day’s main breakaway. http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11637/Fabian-Wegmann-building-momentum-with-eighth-in-Amstel-Gold-Race.aspx Crash ends Cunego's chances of posting a result at Amstel Gold Race Lampre-ISD's Damiano Cunego was making his way through the lead group heading towards the finish line at Amstel Gold Race when he hit the tarmac with just 300 metres left to race. Cunego also brought down Sky's Lars-Petter Nordhaug with the pair left to animatedly wonder what might have been at the race left them behind. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/crash-ends-cunegos-chances-of-posting-a-result-at-amstel-gold-race Gasparotto surprises favourites to claim Amstel Gold A last ditch sprint earned Italy's Enrico Gasparotto a narrow victory in the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, his biggest win in seven years.The Astana rider edged ahead of Belgium's Jelle Vanendert, who crossed the line pounding his handlebars in frustration at his near-miss, and Slovakian Peter Sagan. The leading trio had eased clear of a 60-strong front pack on the Cauberg, the last of the 256.5 kilometre race's 31 short, punchy climbs in the hills of southern Netherlands. Sagan's first acceleration for the line looked promising but Gasparotto, 30, had just enough fuel in the tank to launch a counter-charge and claim his first ever major Classic. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/15042012/2/gasparotto-surprises-favourites-claim-amstel-gold.html Pre-race News Gerrans is running hot but he's got an eye on Evans's team SIMON GERRANS, one of the major favourites for the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands tomorrow, suspects the BMC team of Australian Tour de France champion Cadel Evans is on the cusp of a breakthrough result in the one-day classics after several near-misses this year. Evans returned to winning form at last month's Criterium International, but BMC's new classic stars - Norwegian Thor Hushovd and Belgian Philippe Gilbert - have so far disappointed. Italian Alessandro Ballan, though, has impressed with third places in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/gerrans-is-running-hot-but-hes-got-an-eye-on-evanss-team-20120413-1wysd.html Gerrans eyes Amstel Gold win Simon Gerrans, with a win in Milan-San Remo and several Ardennes top tens, ranks as a favourite in the Amstel Gold Race tomorrow. He told Cycling Weekly earlier this year, "If I stick to my guns, soon enough I'll be standing on top of the podium in one of" the Ardennes Classics. The Australian kick started GreenEdge's debut season by winning the Tour Down Under overall. He is also responsible for the team's biggest one-day win, Milan-San Remo. http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/532465/gerrans-eyes-amstel-gold-win.html Sagan and Nibali feeling confident on eve of Amstel Gold Race Prominent in Milan-Sanremo, the pairing of Peter Sagan and Vinceno Nibali will try to pull off an important victory tomorrow in the Amstel Gold Race. The Liquigas Cannondale riders are both in good shape and highly motivated heading into the Dutch WorldTour race, and believe that the one-two tactics they can play could make a big difference in the finale. http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11626/Sagan-and-Nibali-feeling-confident-on-eve-of-Amstel-Gold-Race.aspx Rodriguez, Freire, Valverde to Amstel Gold Race Katusha and Movistar announce strong squads for Ardennes Classics opener Both Katusha and Movistar are sending their big guns to the Amstel Gold Race, the first major race of the Ardennes Classics. Joaquim Rodriguez, Oscar Freire, and Alejandro Valverde will all look to emulate last year's winner Philippe Gilbert. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rodriguez-freire-valverde-to-amstel-gold-race Evans ready to challenge for Amstel Gold Cadel Evans is feeling fresh and ready to challenge for the first of the Ardennes classics, which takes place this Sunday in the Netherlands. The Australian Tour de France champion leads a stellar cast looking to succeed Belgium's Philippe Gilbert as winner of the 47th Amstel Gold Race. The notoriously tough 256.5km course in the southern Dutch province of Limburg starts in Maastricht and ends near Valkenburg just after the challenging Keutenberg climb. http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8451355 Vanendert expects usual scenario on revised Amstel Gold Race course There may be an alteration to the finale of Amstel Gold Race this year, but Jelle Vanendert and Lotto Belisol do not expect any significant deviation from the traditional script in the Netherlands this Sunday. In recent years, the main contenders have by and large kept their powder dry in anticipation of the final sprint to the top of the Cauberg, where the race has finished since 2003. In a bid to encourage more attacks from further out, organisers have this year cut the distance between the penultimate climb of the Keutenberg and the finish by two kilometres. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vanendert-expects-usual-scenario-on-revised-amstel-gold-race-course Gilbert aims for three in a row, but does he have last year's form? Classics season, and our Fantasy Cycling game, heads into Ardennes week for what is typically a hard-fought and exciting trio of races. The action kicks off on Sunday with the Amstel Gold Race in which Philippe Gilbert last year became the first man in more than 30 years to successfully defend his crown. Signs so far this year are that he hasn't recaptured 2011's form, however. Here's our guide to the course and some of the main contenders. http://road.cc/content/news/56846-amstel-gold-race-preview-gilbert-aims-three-row-does-he-have-last-years-form Vanmarcke out of Amstel Gold Race Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Sep Vanmarcke will miss out on his first participation in the Amtsel Gold Race after a crash in GP de Denain left him with an injured knee. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vanmarcke-out-of-amstel-gold-race Worlds will be another Amstel Gold Race Among the interested observers at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday will be Italian national coach Paolo Bettini, and he believes that the Dutch race is an ideal form guide for this year’s UCI World Championships in Valkenburg, which will take in many of the same roads in September. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bettini-worlds-will-be-another-amstel-gold-race Amstel Gold Race tomorrow, Gilbert to try again The "circus" of classics arrives tomorrow in the Ardenne for the first trial of a 3 part race which will end next week. The classic will end with the "Fleche Wallonne" and the "Liege-Bastogne-Liege". The Amstel Gold Race, the Dutch classic, will run from Maastricht to Valkenburg, with its 256 kilometers and arrival at the tip of the Cauberg, the most famous of the three climbs scheduled, will offer another Sunday of excellent cycling after the Easter win by Belgium's Tom Boonen. http://www.agi.it/english-version/sport/elenco-notizie/201204142043-spr-ren1065-cycling_amstel_gold_race_tomorrow_gilbert_to_try_again Schleck brothers lead RadioShack, Kiserlovski heads Astana Second and third in last year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Frank and Andy Schleck will lead the RadioShack Nissan team in Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race hoping for a jump in form. Both riders have had indifferent early seasons, with the elder of the two riding well early on with fourth on a stage and seventh overall in the Vuelta a Andalucia, but then being less obvious in the races since then. He was 24th overall in both Paris-Nice and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, and could only manage 30th in his defence of his Criterium International title. http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11611/Amstel-Gold-Schleck-brothers-lead-RadioShack-Kiserlovski-heads-Astana.aspx ALEJANDRO VALVERDE TO LEAD TEAM MOVISTAR AT THE AMSTEL GOLD RACE After proving his strengths at the Vuelta a Andalucia 2012, Alejandro Valverde will now be tested at the Amstel Gold Race. The cyclist will be seen in the leadership role for Team Movistar at the Dutch race scheduled on April 15th, 2012. Team Movistar is enjoying a mixed season. It currently holds the ninth overall spot at the UCI World Tour Team’s rankings as of 2012 with 205 points to its credit. Valverde contributed the maximum number of 167 UCI points to help the team with its current position with Javier Moreno (20), Jose Joaquin Rojas (12), Sergio Pardilla (4) and Giovanni Visconti (2). http://blogs.bettor.com/Alejandro-Valverde-to-lead-Team-Movistar-at-the-Amstel-Gold-Race-a145634 TEAM KATUSHA ANNOUNCED ITS SQUAD FOR THE AMSTEL GOLD RACE Amstel Gold Race is the 11th biggest race of the season and a number of cyclists from across the globe are warming up for the mega event. The 2012 version of the race is scheduled on April 15th 2012 in Netherlands and winner of the race will be awarded with a 80 important UCI points. The second and the third position holders will claim 60 and 50 points respectively. The race started back in 1966 and the French cyclist Jean Stablinski succeeded at its first edition. Jan Raas of Netherlands holds the honour of winning it for a maximum number of 5 times, 1977-1980 and 1982. http://blogs.bettor.com/Team-Katusha-announced-its-squad-for-the-Amstel-Gold-Race-a145607 Sanchez riding Amstel Gold Race as warm-up for Worlds Samuel Sanchez is riding the Amstel Gold Race as a warm-up to the World Championships this fall, which will be held on nearly an identical course. The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider is also a challenger for the title on Sunday, as he showed his good form last week at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, where he won two stages and finishing second in two others, to take the overall title. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sanchez-riding-amstel-gold-race-as-warm-up-for-worlds

 

[steve]

 

[alienator]

It'd be nice to see Samuel Sanchez pull of a victory.

 

[slovakguy]

should be interesting to see what form gilbert is in and how evans and the others sort out the work. thinking evans won't pass up the opportunity to take the race for his cv, but have to wonder how much of gilbert's latest comments are bluff.

and still baffled by liquigas. holding p. sagan off the p-r last week and this week putting the team out there with both nibali and sagan on the start list.

 

[swampy1970]

I'd say that Valverde has the horsepower to pull the win out of the bag. Gerrans will probably be up there too and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the finale has those to going at it neck and neck again.

Sanchez as an outside.

The Schlecks as the big dissapointments of the day.

 

[steve]

Bit of a shame Oscar Freire didn't hold off the bunch. Gilbert looks like his form is getting back to where we all expect it to be in the Ardennes!

 

[steve]

Results - 2012 Amstel Gold Race Rider Name (Country) Team 1 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Pro Team Astana 6:32:35 2 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:02 4 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team 5 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 6 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team 7 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 8 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:04 9 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 10 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 11 Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 12 Frank Schleck (Lux) Radioshack-Nissan 13 Elia Favilli (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia 14 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:00:09 15 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Barracuda 16 Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 0:00:12 17 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team 18 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda 19 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 20 Simon Gerrans (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:00:19 21 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling 22 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:22 23 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo Bank 24 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 25 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:30 26 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team 0:00:36 27 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team 28 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 29 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Pro Team Astana 30 Alex Howes (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:47 31 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:00:51 32 Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:05 33 Paul Martens (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team 34 Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 35 Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre - ISD 36 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 37 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 38 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:01:17 39 Gianni Meersman (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 40 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Sky Procycling 41 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:01:30 42 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar 43 Pieter Serry (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 0:02:03 44 Simon Geschke (Ger) Argos - Shimano 45 Davy Commeyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 46 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Argos - Shimano 47 Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 48 Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team 49 Kévin Reza (Fra) Team Europcar 50 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 51 Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 52 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 53 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 54 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 55 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 56 Dirk Bellemakers (Ned) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 57 Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre - ISD 58 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 59 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 60 Michel Kreder (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda 61 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 62 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 63 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team 0:02:21 64 Romain Sicard (Fra) Euskaltel - Euskadi 65 Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 66 Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia 67 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Pro Team Astana 68 Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Pro Team Astana 69 Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 70 Ben Hermans (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan 71 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 72 Federico Canuti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 73 Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 74 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan 75 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda 76 David Tanner (Aus) Team Saxo Bank 77 Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) Movistar Team 78 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Pro Team Astana 79 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:02:40 80 Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:02:51 81 Sander Armee (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 0:03:01 82 Christopher Horner (USA) Radioshack-Nissan 0:03:19 83 Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:43 84 Arnaud Gerard (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:04:32 85 Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 86 Bruno Pires (Por) Team Saxo Bank 0:04:46 87 Michael Albasini (Swi) GreenEdge Cycling Team 88 Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team 89 Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 90 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Garmin-Barracuda 91 Andy Schleck (Lux) Radioshack-Nissan 0:05:39 92 Dennis Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 93 Francis De Greef (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 94 Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar 95 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's 96 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 97 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Argos - Shimano 98 Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale 99 Christopher Juul Jensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 100 Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 101 Troels Ronning Vinther (Den) Team Saxo Bank 102 Dominik Nerz (Ger) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:07:00 103 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Lampre - ISD 104 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 105 Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Lampre - ISD 106 Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa) Sky Procycling 107 Yann Huguet (Fra) Argos - Shimano 108 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling 109 Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team 110 Simone Ponzi (Ita) Pro Team Astana 0:07:33 111 Bjorn Thurau (Ger) Team Europcar 112 Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:08:02 113 Bertjan Lindeman (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 114 Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 115 Reinier Honig (Ned) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 116 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) Katusha Team 117 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Argos - Shimano 118 Jan Bakelants (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan 0:11:26 119 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 120 Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team 121 Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 122 Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 123 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 124 Daniele Ratto (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:11:31 125 Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 126 Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Team Europcar 127 Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia 128 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 129 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 130 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 131 Daryl Impey (RSA) GreenEdge Cycling Team 132 Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 133 Mads Christensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 134 Steven Caethoven (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's 135 Simon Clarke (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 136 Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's 137 Peio Bilbao (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 138 Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 139 Borut Bozic (Slo) Pro Team Astana 140 Yukihiro Doi (Jpn) Argos - Shimano 141 Simone Stortoni (Ita) Lampre - ISD 142 Steve Chainel (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 143 Raymond Kreder (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda 144 Brian Bulgac (Ned) Lotto Belisol Team 145 Marco Bandiera (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep DNF Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team DNF Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team DNF Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing Team DNF Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale DNF Ricardo Garcia Ambroa (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi DNF Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi DNF Jorge Azanza Soto (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi DNF Jens Keukeleire (Bel) GreenEdge Cycling Team DNF Jens Mouris (Ned) GreenEdge Cycling Team DNF Christian Meier (Can) GreenEdge Cycling Team DNF Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) Katusha Team DNF Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Katusha Team DNF Yuriy Krivtsov (Fra) Lampre - ISD DNF Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - ISD DNF Stefano Agostini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale DNF Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team DNF Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team DNF Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quickstep DNF Matti Breschel (Den) Rabobank Cycling Team DNF Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team DNF Laurent Didier (Lux) Radioshack-Nissan DNF Joost Posthuma (Ned) Radioshack-Nissan DNF Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling DNF Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Sky Procycling DNF Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling DNF Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team DNF Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's DNF Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's DNF Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's DNF Arnoud Van Groen (Ned) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's DNF Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's DNF Francesco Failli (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia DNF Oscar Gatto (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia DNF Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia DNF Roberto De Patre (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia DNF Kurt Hovelynck (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony DNF Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony DNF Roy Curvers (Ned) Argos - Shimano DNF Albert Timmer (Ned) Argos - Shimano DNF Franck Bouyer (Fra) Team Europcar DNF Christophe Kern (Fra) Team Europcar DNF Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator DNF Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator