Because the mud settles following the end result of the cobbled Classics at Paris-Roubaix, the peloton and biking world will flip their consideration to the Ardennes Classics that start with Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, April 14, resume at Flèche Wallonne on April 17 and conclude with Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 21.
Amstel Gold Race is the youngest of the three races within the males’s Ardennes Classics sequence, now celebrating its 58th version whereas the ladies’s race will have fun its tenth.
This 12 months, all eyes will probably be on World Champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) to see if he can add a second Amstel victory to his thrilling triumph in 2019, whereas Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) traces as much as defend her title after successful the Ardennes Classics triple final 12 months.
Cyclingnews highlights the important thing favourites for the 2024 version of Amstel Gold Race.
Get limitless entry to all of our protection of the Spring Classics- together with reporting, breaking information and evaluation from Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and extra. Discover out extra.
Six years on from one in every of his most well-known wins, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) returns to the Amstel Gold Race for the third time. With six Monuments and a highway world title now to his title, Van der Poel has come a great distance from the person who got here out of nowhere to win probably the most thrilling editions of the Dutch one-day race because it began in 1966.
Since then, Van der Poel has develop into the outright greatest Classics rider on the earth and because the odds-on pre-race favorite in 2024, he will probably be anticipated so as to add a second Amstel Gold Race to his illustrious palmarès. The absence of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), unable to begin after breaking his collarbone and scapula within the horrific Itzulia Basque Nation crash, solely heightens that expectation round what he can acheive.
Recent off reclaiming his Tour of Flanders crown and taking his second successive Paris-Roubaix, Van der Poel appears stronger than ever, successful each fabled Monuments with big solo assaults 44km and 60km from the road, respectively.
Ought to Van der Poel preserve his kind from the cobbled Classics, the 33 climbs that line the 255km Amstel Gold Race route will probably be effectively inside his attain even in opposition to the most effective puncheurs, particularly with final 12 months’s winner and fellow celebrity Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates) not taking the beginning.
The winner of the triple crown of Ardennes Classics in 2023, Demi Vollering will as soon as once more goal all three occasions, beginning at Amstel Gold Race. She’s had a slower begin to the season in comparison with final 12 months, although, when she had already secured two victories and two runner-ups earlier than the Ardennes Classics.
So whereas Vollering is undoubtedly in pursuit of a second consecutive victory at Amstel Gold Race, she may be considerably of a wildcard for SD Worx-Protime.
She’s had robust performances at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (sixth) and Strade Bianche (third), Tour of Flanders (eighth) and Brabantse Pijl (2nd), and he or she took a while in between to attend an altitude coaching camp, all a part of her longer-term plan to peak mid-season, particularly for the Tour de France Femmes.
There aren’t any doubts about her power and skill to win the Amstel Gold Race, particularly after replaying her late-race assault to web the victory in Berg en Terblijt final 12 months. Nevertheless, there’s hypothesis across the cohesion at SD Worx-Protime in the course of the Spring Classics after it was reported throughout Dwars door Vlaanderen and forward of the Tour of Flanders that she is predicted to depart from the crew on the finish of 2024.
Solely time will inform whether or not SD Worx-Protime will proceed to work collectively as a unit to realize one other Ardennes Classics triple crown with Vollering.
Tom Pidcock was one of many prime performers within the Ardennes Classics final 12 months, only a few per cent off Pogačar’s degree. He’s taken a unique method to the Ardennes this 12 months, opting out of a lot of the cobbled Classics apart from final week’s Paris-Roubaix to make sure he is on the prime degree for the hilly one-day races and past that, his summer time targets.
Pidcock pale to 3rd behind Ben Healy (EF Schooling-EasyPost) in final 12 months’s Amstel Gold Race, however he was the final rider to get dropped on the Keutenberg when the dominant Slovenian made his eventual race-winning transfer. Pidcock got here even nearer up to now in 2021 on his debut in Amstel Gold, the place solely a controversial picture end separated him from victory behind Wout van Aert (then Jumbo-Visma).
Becoming a member of him on the beginning line will probably be a former two-time Amstel Gold Race winner, Michał Kwiatkowski, and a powerful Ineos Grenadiers crew.
In 2023, he admitted that he “struggled with the gap” in the direction of the tip of the 255km race. However with 260km within the legs from the quickest Paris-Roubaix ever, maybe he’ll be higher positioned to search out that prime step of the rostrum. He’ll need to drop or reside with and outsprint fellow multi-discipline star Van der Poel if he’s to take action, nevertheless.
Kasia Niewiadoma, the reigning gravel World Champion, is all the time a contender for the Ardennes Classics with a particular deal with Amstel Gold Race, an occasion that undoubtedly holds fond reminiscences for the Polish all-rounder.
In an unforgettable victory within the 2019 version of Amstel Gold Race, Niewiadoma made a late-race assault over the Cauberg to go solo with two kilometres to go, and simply held off Annemiek van Vleuten of Mitchelton-Scott on the end line to take one of many greatest wins of her profession in Berg en Terblijt.
She comes into these Ardennes Classics with new-found confidence after ending second at Tour of Flanders from a three-rider breakaway that noticed Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) take the win.
The outcome appeared to have washed away her disappointment after ending fourth at Strade Bianche and units each her and Canyon-SRAM up properly forward of Amstel Gold Race.
Ben Healy (EF Schooling-EasyPost)
A breakthrough star of the 2023 season, Ben Healy leads the road for EF Schooling-EasyPost on the Ardennes once more one 12 months after he burst onto the WorldTour scene with second place on the Amstel Gold Race and fourth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
He dropped a fading Pidcock within the closing 15km of the Dutch race final 12 months and highlighted his robust time-trialling talents as he made a powerful impression on Pogačar’s within the chase, which, mixed with an amazing punch, made him an ideal candidate for the hills in South Limburg.
Kind-wise, he’s been wanting good albeit with no win but this season. Most not too long ago, he mixed completely with Marijn van den Berg on the Pays de le Loire stage race to drag again breaks and lead out the Dutchman to 2 stage victories and the general prize.
After Van den Berg’s brutal show at Wednesday’s Brabantse Pijl, the place he was caught by his fellow escapees within the closing kilometre, he turns into an amazing possibility for Healy within the group behind ought to the Irishman assault solo on the hills.
It has been a unimaginable early-season of racing for the Italian Champion Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), who has stood on the podiums at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, then sixth at Dwars door Vlaanderen earlier than then taking back-to-back wins at Tour of Flanders and Brabantse Pijl.
They are saying that when ‘you are good, you are good’ and so many questioned her determination to not race Paris-Roubaix Femmes final weekend, particularly after her unbeatable experience on the Tour of Flanders.
Nevertheless, Longo Borghini was to not be persuaded and caught to the unique plan to forego racing on the Hell of the North and preserve a major deal with the Ardennes Classics. What higher option to present that she made the proper determination for herself than by successful the mid-week Brabantse Pijl, within the run-up to the Amstel Gold Race?
Her greatest place at Amstel Gold Race was fifth in 2017 after which eighth in 2021, so it hasn’t been her better of the three occasions. Nevertheless, if her successful kind is any indication, she will probably be a contender for all three of the Ardennes Classics.
Matteo Jorgenson returns to the one-day racing calendar at Amstel Gold Race after lacking Paris-Roubaix resulting from missing health, the place he’ll lead a powerful Visma-Lease a Bike facet alongside Tiesj Benoot.
Benoot was on the rostrum at this race two years in the past, and he and Jorgenson mixed effectively at Dwars door Vlaanderen, the place their one-two assaults led to the American taking victory.
Jorgenson was additionally the closest rider to following Van der Poel when he soloed away to victory on the Koppenberg on the Tour of Flanders. The 24-year-old was only a few bike lengths off the Dutchman on the brutal berg however finally emptied himself as he tried to answer the world champion, admitting that “the lights went out” within the closing few kilometres whereas he fell out of the highest 30.
Visma should play the numbers sport once more, understanding that if it comes all the way down to a good combat with Van der Poel up one closing climb, he’ll burst away and take one other victory. With out Van der Poel’s benefit on the cobbles, that needs to be extra potential, however they may nonetheless must get their techniques good.
Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) has stood on the winner’s step of the rostrum in practically each main race on the worldwide calendar and has confirmed that she remains to be on the prime of her sport with latest triumphs at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwars door Vlaanderen, which was her 250th highway victory.
An astonishing profession that she outlined as a group of “reminiscences of various highs and lows,” she not too long ago confronted what she thought of a disappointing Paris-Roubaix, a race she hoped to win however ended up in fourth place out of a breakaway dash gained by Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) within the famed Roubaix velodrome.
However there’s all the time one other bike race, and Vos will undoubtedly be ready so as to add one other win to her glowing palmarés at Amstel Gold Race. Within the occasion’s 10-year historical past, Vos gained the 2021 version from a small group dash into Berg en Terblijt.
It’s her power and intensive tactical expertise that make her a contender, however it’s her quick dash that makes her a favorite for the victory. Look ahead to Vos so as to add a 251st profession highway win to her checklist of achievements on the Dutch leg of the Ardennes Classics.
Benoît Cosnefroy was really awarded victory on the Amstel Gold Race in 2022, just for it to be taken away and awarded to Kwiatkowski after a assessment of the picture end revealed the Pole had pipped him by a tyre’s width.
He’s been tipped for big success on the Ardennes as one of many prime puncheurs on the peloton on his day however hasn’t fairly fulfilled that promise as of but. Nevertheless, 2024 appears prefer it might be his 12 months as he enters the hilly Classics in prime kind.
Cosnefroy triumphed at Wednesday’s Brabantse Pijl after bridging throughout to the group of leaders, holding his nerve because the assaults went and successful the small group dash forward of Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) into Overijse. He’s additionally gained Paris-Camembert and the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes this season after going winless for all of 2023.
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale have additionally been flying in 2024 with their new sponsor and new tools showing to be the distinction, so confidence will probably be sky-high for the Frenchman.
AG Insurance coverage-Soudal Group have a contender in Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio for the Ardennes Classics. She has been comparatively quiet this spring marketing campaign with seventeenth at Strade Bianche and extra not too long ago twenty first at Brabantse Pijl.
Nevertheless, she indicated on social media that she opted for a prolonged break and high-altitude coaching camp as an alternative of competing on the cobbled Classics, which suggests she may be on stable kind and brisker than her rivals as she contests the Ardennes Classics.
Whereas the biking world is raring to see how she’s going to carry out, so is Moolman-Pasio, who acknowledged that, “Imagine it or not, after a few years within the saddle, that is the primary time I’ve devoted myself to a correct altitude block in preparation for the Ardennes Classics. I am desirous to see how this new method impacts my efficiency on the highway.”
We’ll quickly discover out as Moolman-Pasio traces up at Amstel Gold Race, an occasion that she has completed 4 occasions inside the highest 10, together with the earlier three editions.
Albeit within the shadow of Pogačar’s and Evenepoel’s dominance, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) was one other star of the Ardennes in 2023, which makes him an amazing prospect heading into the trio of races of their absence. The younger Dane completed within the prime 10 of all there and took second at La Flèche Wallonne behind the Slovenian, and his good kind continued proper by the summer time and into 2024, his third season with Lidl-Trek.
Now 23 years previous, Skjelmose has extra expertise on the highest degree and has proven he is aware of tips on how to win the largest races having claimed victories on the Tour de Suisse and Danish nationwide championships final 12 months and an exciting stage of this 12 months’s Paris-Good.
Nice punch and a strong crew will assist the Dane make a powerful impression on the Ardennes with the likes of Bauke Mollema, Toms Skujins, Andrea Bagioli and Quinn Simmons additionally set to hitch him at the beginning in Maastricht. Lidl-Trek confirmed nice techniques to problem Van der Poel within the cobbled Classics and they’re going to want comparable nous to contest him within the hills, however Skjelmose will definitely be up for the problem.
SD Worx-Protime are prone to deal with Vollering for this block of racing, since she’s going to line up because the defending champion in all three of the Ardennes Classics. Nevertheless, World Champion Lotte Kopecky is recent off a powerful cobbled Classics marketing campaign that noticed her win Paris-Roubaix final weekend.
Though she may be feeling these gnarly cobbles in her legs, Kopecky will wish to act as a wildcard at Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and alongside Vollering, she’s going to wish to determine as a contender.
It’s unclear if Vollering’s reported departure from SD Worx-Protime will have an effect on the crew’s cohesion, however nonetheless, Kopecky is in nice kind and greater than able to being within the thick of the motion over the Cauberg and into the ultimate at Amstel Gold Race.
If final 12 months is something to go by, Kopecky completed second to her teammate Vollering because the crew performed their playing cards to perfection on the run-in to Berg en Terblijt. It was her first try on the Amstel Gold Race or any of the Ardennes Classics. So it will not be stunning to see Kopecky play a successful hand at this 12 months’s Amstel Gold Race.
Get limitless entry to all of our protection of the Spring Classics- together with reporting, breaking information and evaluation from the Amstel Gold, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and extra. Discover out extra.
