Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race signifies the start of the Ardennes Classics trilogy with the twisting country lanes of the southern Limburg region of the Netherlands.
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.
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
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.
Race Map
