Date: Sunday, April 20, 2025
Start: Maastricht
Finish: Berg en Terblijt
Distance: 255.9km (men), 157.3km (women)
Defending champion: Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)
The Amstel Gold Race marks a turning point in the WorldTour calendar – the cobbled Classics riders are replaced with puncheurs and climbers as this race marks the start of the Ardennes Classics. Held in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, the peloton twists through the rolling countryside on narrow roads, taking in the region's short but punchy climbs.
The men’s race was created by Dutch sports promoters Ton Visser and Herman Krott, who ran a company called Inter Sport. Their dream was to create a Dutch race that was able to compete with the other iconic Classics such as the Tour of Flanders. The first race took place in 1966 with Dutch beer brewery Amstel as the title sponsor, and it has remained ever since. This year will be the 11th edition of the women’s race. Only one edition has been missed, which was in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taking place in the middle of the cobbled Classics and the Ardennes Classics, the Amstel Gold Race found it hard to establish itself in the cycling calendar when it first began, struggling to entice the biggest stars in the sport. However, having firmly made its mark as one of the Netherlands' most anticipated sporting events, the race sees the world’s best cyclists line up on the start line. The Amstel Gold Race is now considered the opening race of Ardennes Week, despite not being part of the Ardennes, and was granted UCI WorldTour status in 2011.
The first-ever Dutch winner was Arie den Hartog, who won the second edition in 1967. Success on home soil has been a running theme throughout the history of the race, with the race won 18 times by a Dutch rider. This is closely followed by the Belgian riders, who have taken victory 14 times.
Jan Raas holds the title for the most wins at Amstel Gold, having won five times in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1982. This is followed by Philippe Gilbert, who has won on four occasions with the most recent win in 2017. Only a handful of riders have won the Classic more than once, and they include Eddy Merckx, Gerrie Knetemann, Rolf Järmann, Enrico Gasparotto, and Michał Kwiatkowski.
Last year, Tom Pidcock won the Ardennes’ opening race, getting the better of Marc Hirschi and Tiesj Benoot in a sprint. The Brit is back to defend his title this year and will face stiff competition from current road world champion and 2023 winner Tadej Pogačar, as well as Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert.
First taking place in 2001, there were only three editions of the women’s race until 2003 because the peloton would roll out 30 minutes after the men, causing some issues on the route, and the women’s race was later cancelled. However, after a 14-year hiatus, the women’s Amstel Gold Race returned to the Netherlands. With no race for 14 years and one missing edition due to Covid, this year the race is celebrating its 11th edition.
Last year, Marianne Vos became the first rider to win the women’s Amstel Gold Race on two occasions. Vos will be looking to defend her title this year but she faces a number of challengers and former winners including: Kasia Niewiadoma, Marta Cavalli and Demi Vollering.
Men’s Amstel Gold Race 2024 teams:
- Alpecin - Deceuninck
- Arkéa - B&B Hotels
- Bahrain - Victorious
- Cofidis
- Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
- EF Education - EasyPost
- Groupama - FDJ
- Ineos Grenadiers
- Intermarché - Wanty
- Israel - Premier Tech
- Lidl - Trek
- Lotto
- Movistar Team
- Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Jayco Alula
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team TotalEnergies
- Team Visma-Lease a Bike
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- UAE Team Emirates - XRG
- Unibet Tietema Rockets
- Uno-X Mobility
- XDS Astana Team
Men’s Amstel Gold Race 2024 route:
This year’s Amstel Gold Race route rolls out from Maastricht and heads north towards Sittard. A race known for its twists, turns and steep climbs, the race sets the tone from the very start, and after just 12km of riding, the peloton faces its first of 34 climbs.
The route then heads back south and loops the hilly region of Limburg, going from one climb to the next in quick succession – some of them featuring double-digit gradients. The most notable climbs come in the second half of the race, with the Cauberg, Keutenberg and Eyserbosweg. Keutenberg has the most eye-watering ascent, with a 22% gradient to the top, and this is where Pogačar launched his race-winning attack in 2023. And there is no time for the riders to recover as shortly after the brutal ascent, they are down and back climbing up the Cauberg. The route crests the climb with 2.5km to go before hitting the wide finale.
Amstel Gold Ladies Edition teams:
- AG Insurance - Soudal Team
- BePink - Imatra - Bongioanni
- Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto
- Ceratizit Pro Cycling Team
- Cofidis Women Team
- Cynisca Cycling
- DAS - Hutchinson
- DD Group Pro Cycling Team
- EF Education-Oatly
- FDJ - Suez
- Fenix-Deceuninck
- Lidl - Trek
- Liv Alula Jayco
- Movistar Team
- Roland
- Team Coop - Repsol
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team SD Worx - Protime
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- UAE Team ADQ
- Uno-X Mobility
- VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team
- Winspace Orange Seal
Amstel Gold Ladies Edition route:
Taking place on the same day as the men’s, the only difference for the women’s race is the distance, which is slightly shorter at 157km. The women’s peloton still rolls out from Maastricht and finishes in Berg en Terblijt in Valkenburg, taking in the same punchy climbs that make this race so explosive.
Similar to the men, the women roll out of Maastricht and head north up to the outskirts of Sittard. They will then head back north towards Simpelveld, taking in the constant succession of the most brutal climbs in the Limburg countryside. The women’s peloton will face eight out of 21 climbs before they enter the 18km-long finishing circuit, which they will complete four times.
The finishing circuit has a total of 21 climbs, including the famous Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg and Cauberg. While they will have to ascend the Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg four times, the brutal Cauberg will be ridden a total of four times, with the last ascent coming just 2km before the run-in to the finish.
