The Amstel Gold Race completes the seasonal transition from the cobbled classics to those of the Ardennes, but this year's race will not feature the famed Cauberg ascent before the finish, and so the race finale could look be a bit like Milan-San Remo in Dutch.
The riders must still tackle 35 of the painfully sharp hills in the region, but the final climb of the Bemelerberg comes with more than 5km to go. This opens the door for a different dynamic than we have seen in recent editions. Cyclingnews picks ten riders to watch for this new finish.
Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky)
After a lacklustre 2016 that involved over-training and repeated illnesses, the former World Champion is back to his best, with a thrilling win in Milan-San Remo testament to his new-found form. Having skipped the cobbled Classics, expectations will be high for the Pole, who has quickly become Team Sky’s best hope for the Ardennes after Wout Poels ruled himself out through injury.
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Kwiatkowski won the 2015 Amstel Gold Race while in the rainbow jersey and this year’s redesigned Dutch Classic plus Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège all offer him chances of adding to his growing collection of Classics titles. His triumphs in Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche demonstrated the variety of ways in which he can win. Not a pure sprinter, Kwiatkowski will need a selective race in order to challenge. Luckily for him, he’s not the only high-profile rider who will take the same approach.
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)
We’ve not seen a rider take all three Ardennes races in a calendar year since Philippe Gilbert’s 2011 romp, and it’s Valverde who is the most likely to repeat the feat this year. The 36-year-old, who shows no sign whatsoever of slowing down, has won an Ardennes Classics every year since 2014, even winning both Flèche and Liège in 2005 and 2015, respectively. Amstel remains his Holy Grail, however, with two second places his best results.
Course change or not, Valverde is a major threat and has both a well-drilled team and the form required to make the top step. Taking all three races in a week might be a stretch but having seen him toy with the field at the Vuelta a Pais Vasco anything is possible.
Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb)
Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors)
Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing)
Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie)
Arthur Vichot (FDJ)
Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Merida)
Enrico Gasparotto (Bahrain Merdia)
Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal)
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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