Amstel Gold Race 2024 - Analysing the contenders
Amstel Gold Race 2024 route
Nothing to lose: What can Mathieu van der Poel achieve in the Ardennes Classics?
Race situation
The peloton will cover 33 climbs along a twisting 253.6km course from Maastricht to Berg en Terblijt.
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of Amstel Gold Race.
You join us today for the start of Ardennes Week - albeit not actually in the region of the Ardennes. Amstel Gold may not be geographically located in the Ardennes Forest as La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but it shares the same kind of abundance of short, tarmacked hills that characterises those races, thus beginning the part of the spring where puncheurs rule supreme.
That said, it’s the same man who dominated the cobbled classics season who is again the hot favourite today. Mathieu van der Poel’s supremacy extends beyond just the cobbles of Northern Europe, and in the absence of injured rival Wout van Aert and defending champion Tadej Pogačar, will be looked at as the rider expected to animate and control the race.
Today, Van der Poel has the chance to become the first man in history to win the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Amstel Gold in the same season. In fact, only four men have ever won Flanders and Amstel Gold the same season (Pogačar, Gilbert, Raas and Merckx), and a mere three Amstel Gold and Paris-Roubaix (Raas, Hinault and Merckx). If Van der Poel can indeed pull this one off, it will be one of the all-time great spring campaigns.
Only about a quarter of an hour until things get going. It's to be a long, taxing day, with 253.6km and 33 climbs to complete, and one that recent history of the race suggests will be an exciting one.
The riders are in the neutralised zone as we speak, at the start in Maastricht. Not long now until the race begins and attacks start firing out of the bunch. It’ll be a long day for whoever gets into the break, but a prestigious one.
253.6KM TO GO
And they're off!
Unlike Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders from the previous two weekends, there’s no initial early phase of the race without any obstacles. The first climb, the Maasberg, comes just 12km into the race, and the next less than 20km, and after that they keep arriving with increasing intensity throughout the day.
240KM TO GO
Attacks are coming thick and fast but so far none have stuck, and the peloton remains all together.
240KM TO GO
The first climb has been completed, but still no break has been formed.
Weather-wise, it’s dry and fairly warm out.This can be a ropey race, with roads notorious for road furniture and hazards, but a lack of rain should minimise the risk of yet more bad crashes dominating the headlines.
There’s been a slight alteration to the course, with the scheduled third climb of the day, the Bergseweg, set to be skipped. That’s due to a road traffic accident that has caused a temporary neutralisation in the women’s race, which is taking place further up the road - and which, incidentally, you can follow here.
220KM TO GO
It’s been a quick start, and over 25km completed, still no sign of a break being allowed to go clear.
Four riders have now managed to establish some daylight between themselves and the peloton, with a thirty second lead. That quartet is: Tosh Van der Sande (Visma-Lease a Bike), Enzo Leijnse (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Alexander Hajek (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Zeb Kyffin (TDT - Unibet).
If a Visma-Lease a Bike rider had tried to get into the break in a classic at the start of the spring as Van der Sande is trying to do now, there would be far more panic from the peloton. It’s amazing just how much their stock has fallen since Opening Weekend, going from winning both of those classics to having highest finisher at Paris-Roubaix of just sixteenth Still, they have a strong looking line-up today, spearheaded by Tiesj Benoot and Matteo Jorgenson.
210KM TO GO
It seems this quartet might be poised to become the break of the day. They’re lead is up to over a minute.
Here are the four riders out front. No sign of the peloton anywhere near behind them - it seems they aren't going to be brought back any time soon.
200KM TO GO
The gap is indeed up to three minutes, with the pace relaxed enough for comfort breaks for those in the peloton.
The slackening of the pace has given the peloton a much easier time than over the last two climbs, the Korenweg and Nijswillerweg. That’s four of the day’s 32 (down from 33, due to the removal of Bergseweg) completed; the next one will be Rijksweg, in about 4km.
190KM TO GO
3-30 now for the leaders. Their advantage continues to grow as the peloton enjoys a rest.
The Rijksweg has come and gone without incident. There’s now a period of relative respite, with no climb for over 15km.
The break is using this rare flat section to further build their lead. It's now exceeding four minutes, with the next climb not for another 10km.
Interestingly, it's Ineos Grenadiers who are leading the peloton rather than Alpecin-Deceuninck. You’d have thought that the onus would be on Alpecin-Deceuninck, given Van der Poel’s favourite status, and just how superior they were to every other team last weekend at Paris-Roubaix. Evidently Ineos really believe in Pidcock, who skipped most of the cobbled classics in order to target this week of racing.
170KM TO GO
Ineos’ work has been enough to stabilise the gap. It’s now at around four minutes.
It’s easy to see why Pidcock fancies his chances today. He has a great record in this race, having been one of only two men able to stay with Tadej Pogačar when he launched the first of his two big attacks, and was only denied victory two years earlier by one of the closest ever photo finishes.
The other rider along with Pidcock to initially stay with Pogačar last year was Ben Healy, and he too is riding today. That ride and runner-up finish twelve months ago came as a surprise, but he has now firmly established himself as one of the best riders in the hilly classics, and lines up this year as one of the top favourites.
Here is Ben Healy in his Irish national champion's colours, his EF Education-EasyPost lined-up in the peloton just behind Ineos Grenadiers. Their prominence indicates that they too have faith in their leader.
160KM TO GO
The riders have done the Wolfsberg and Loorberg, and next up is the Schweibergerweg in a few kilometres.
De Brabantse Pijl is usually a good indication of who will go well at Amstel Gold given its proximity to the race and similarity of parcours, so Benoît Cosnefroy is a rider to be fearful of given his victory there on Wednesday. Runner-up to him Dylan Teuns also looks in great form and is well-suited to this race, while Marijn van den Berg hugely impressed, and may well have won had he chosen to hold back and wait for a small group sprint rather than attack a few kilometres from the finish.
Other contenders in great form include Mattias Skjelmose, who has already registered third and fourth overall at Itzulia Basque Country and Paris-Nice respectively, and excels in one-day classics like this; Max Van Gils, who rode brilliantly to finish second at Strade Bianche and has spent most his time since waiting for this week of racing; and Michael Matthews, in the middle of one of his best spring classics campaigns to date following a podium at Milan-Sanremo and another at the Tour of Flanders (before he was controversially relegated for dangerous sprinting).
150KM TO GO
About 4-30 currently for the leaders. Things remain settled for now.
Things might be quiet here, but big names are on the attack in the women’s race. A reminder that you can follow the action here.
Looking back at recent past winners of Amstel Gold, it’s striking how many riders recognised as all-rounders have excelled here. Not just the modern crop such as Pogačar, Van der Poel and Van Aert, but also forebears like Philippe Gilbert and Michał Kwiatkowski, who rode a mixture of cobbled and hilly classics back when doing so was unusual. It’s much more common now, and riders such as Matej Mohorič, Matteo Jorgenson and Valentin Madouas are all gunning for a good result here on the back of cobbled classics campaigns.
140KM TO GO
The peloton are cresting the Camerig, about 4-30 after the leaders did. It’s the longest climb of the race, despite only being 3.9km, underlining just how short these hills in Limburg are.
There is an Alpecin rider at the front of the peloton, but it's still predominantly Ineos Grenadiers.
130KM TO GO
Still quiet in the peloton. The break have a lead bigger than at any point today, now up to nearly five minutes.
There might not be much happening, but the race is still going at a fair lick. We’ve been racing for three hours now, and have completed almost exactly a half of the race. Many records for fastest ever editions of races have fallen this spring, and it’s not impossible that Amstel Gold’s record from 1967 will be the next - especially if Van der Poel fancies another long-range attack.
We might have done half of the race in terms of distance, but no in terms of climbs. There are still 20 of the day’s 32 left, starting with Eperheide in a few kilometres.
120KM TO GO
There is some more urgency in the peloton for the first time in a while, and the gap has consequently come down a bit - it’s now back to around four minutes.
There are only a few kilometres left in the women's race - you can follow the final action here.
110KM TO GO
The pace is still up, and the gap down, now to 3-45. Not too long now until the first of two ascents of the race's most iconic climb, the Cauberg - it's 28km away, with five more climbs preceding it.
They’ve just done the first of those five, the Plettenberg, and are now approaching the Eyserweg. This will be an especially interesting one, as it’s where Tadej Pogačar first took control of the race with the first of the explosive attacks that saw him solo to the finish for a massive victory. Will Van der Poel, or anyone else for that matter, take his lead and attack today?
100KM TO GO
Into the final 100km now. The riders already have over 150km in their legs, many of them uphill, so will be feeling tired already. And the race is only going to get harder!
The intensification of the race is also underway. The break’s lead is now down to just 2-40, with Ineos Grenadiers and Alpecin-Deceuninck still the team leading the chase.
The pace is up in the peloton, but still no attacks. The Eyserweg has been and gone, with no repeat of Pogačar’s move from last year.
90KM TO GO
90KM TO GO
The gap’s coming down fast now, to just 1-30, as we approach the business end of the race.
Many more other teams spotted at the front of the peloton, as the vying for position takes place ahead of the key climb of the Cauberg. EF Education-EasyPost, Lidl-Trek, Israel Premier Tech and Bahrain-Victorious are prominent.
A setback for Van der Poel, as Alpecin teammate Gianni Vermeersch abandons the race. The Belgian was superb at Paris-Roubaix, and played an instrumental role in dispiriting the chase after he launched his attack.
The riders are approaching the Cauberg now, with Israel-Premier Tech and Alpecin-Deceuninck leading the peloton.
Apparently, Vermeersch has abandoned due to an illness he came under the influence of last year.
Time for the Cauberg! The leaders are on the climb now, the peloton fast approaching behind.
A Lidl-Trek rider leads the peloton onto the climb.
Bob Jungels attacks, and has four riders go with him.
A few more riders have joined now as they go over the top. They've got a lead of a few seconds.
About 15 riders are in this Jungels group, but looks like they're about to get caught.
80KM TO GO
That move has been brought back, but a consequence of the acceleration has seenthe leader's advantage down to just 20 seconds.
The peloton has settled down again now the climb has been completed, with Alpecin taking control again.
But as soon as they start the next climb, Geulhemmerberg, there's an attack by MikkelHonoré.
There are big crowds on this climb, which will be tackled again later as the penultimate one of the race.
Honoré has been caught, and the peloton are all together as they crest the climb.
Bike change needed for Sjoerd Bax, one of the few riders in UAE Team Emirates' line-up who is clearly a domestique. Any one of Juan Ayuso, João Almeida, Marc Hirschi and Brandon McNulty could have leadership status at that team.
The break's day out in front is over, and they've been caught. They didn't last as long as they might have expected, but the pace in the peloton has been relentless for some time now.
70KM TO GO
Crash in the peloton, with Quentin Hermans one of four to go down, but he and everyone else is back up and riding again.
Nobody has yet taken the opportunity of the break being caught to attack and get up the road and form a new lead group. For now, the peloton remains all together.
Hermans has just made it back into the peloton, following his crash earlier.
Finally some attacks from the peloton. There are three riders - a Soudal-QuickStep, Intermarché–Wanty and Israel-Premier Tech.
That move was short-lived, and their back together again.
60KM TO GO
60km to go, which is the same distance from which Van der Poel attacked to win Paris-Roubaix. We expect a move from him eventually, but when?
For now it’s other teams attacking, with Soudal-QuickStep going again, along with an EF Education-EasyPost and Decathlon AG2R.
The 3 riders are Honoré, Vervaeke (who was the Soudal rider in the previous move) and Paul Lapeira.
Another crash in the peloton, four riders held up. But again, all are up and riding again.
This is the last prolonged period of time without a climb in the race. The next will come in about 5km time, the first of nine tackled inside the final 50km.
Honoré, Vervaeke and Lapeira have succeeded in building a lead. They have a lead of 20 seconds now, and are working well together.
This move is good news for Ben Healy and Benoît Cosnefroy, who are teammates with Honoré and Lapeira respectively.
50KM TO GO
Having disappeared from the front of the peloton for a while, Ineos Grenadiers have re-emerged. They’re one of several teams massing towards the front of the peloton on the Loorberg. They're just 10 seconds behind the leading trio now.
The three leaders out front. They're lead has gone up a bit in the last few kilometres, rising to 20 seconds.
45km to go now, which is where Van der Poel made his attack to win the Tour of Flanders. Still no sign of an attack from him, or any of the race favourites - it's been a subdued race so far compared with what we've grown used to seeing this spring.
Here he is, Van der Poel moves to the front of the peloton...
It's not a full-blown attack, he's just setting a pace on the climb the're on, the Gulperberg.
It's all settled down again, and Ineos have taken control.
The Kruisberg is the next climb, followed by the Eyserbosweg. It was on the latter that Pogačar made his attack last year - not, as we said earlier, the Eyserweg. It was a long-range move, but not that long-range!
40KM TO GO
Honoré, Vervaeke and Lapeira are still out there, their gap remaining steady at 20 seconds. You imagine that will evaporate rapidly as soon as the favourites start attacking.
Alpecin are leading the peloton as they approach the Kruisberg. Are they setting Van der Poel up for an attack?
Max Schachmann has been dropped out of the peloton. That's a surpirse, as the peloton is still big in size, and his recent form indicated that he would have been one of the favourites.
As for the front of the peloton, they've finished climbing and still no attack from Van der Poel or anyone else.
Vervaeke has been dropped by Honoré and Lapeira on the next climb, the Eyserbosweg.
Despite having Honoré up the road, EF's Richard Carapaz upped the pace at the front of the peloton on the climb. Van der Poel followed his wheel, and neither got clear.
Andreas Kron and Matteo Jorgenson have clipped off the front on the descent of the climb.
Ahead of them, Marc Hirschi, Valentin Madouas, Bauke Mollema and Roger Adrià escaped a little earlier and are riding hard.
Kron and Jorgenson were joined by Pello Bilbao, but they've all been caught by the peloton.
Honoré and Lapeira crest the fifth-last climb of the day, the Fromberg, with a lead of only about ten seconds over the chase group.
Mauri Vansevenant and Quentin Pacher have jumped across to the chasers, meaning there are six riders together now.
30KM TO GO
Bauke Mollema, Marc Hirschi, Valentin Madouas and Roger Adrià are the other four riders with them. They’re seven seconds behind the leading duo, and twelve seconds ahead of the peloton.
More riders have jumped from the peloton to the chase group - including Tom Pidcock.
The chase group has caught the leading duo, just as they start climbing the Keutenberg.
Tiesj Benoot also bridged up along with Pidcock.
Benoot’s leading the group on the climb, and causing splits. He, Pidcock, Hirschi and Vansevenant are clear.
Four of the others from the group have rejoined the leading quartet as they crest the climb.
By this point in the race last year, Pogačar was already clear. This year, the race remains very open.
Behind them, the peloton is still pretty big. That climb hasn't whittled it down much at all, despite it being one of the hardest of the race.
The leading group now has twelve riders in it. They are are Pidcock, Benoot, Vansevenant, Hirschi, Mollema, Madouas, Pacher, Bilbao, Honoré, Vauquelin, Lapeira and Adrià
Van der Poel is far from in control of this race. He doesn't have any teammates leading the chase, and the lead's gap has grown up to 40 seconds.
Israel Premier Tech are leading the chase. They're one of the few main teams to miss out on this move
54 seconds now for the leaders. The gap's getting bigger and bigger...this could be the winning move.
In between, Uno-X's is chasing alone Odd Christian Eiking, but he's closer to the peloton than he is the leaders.
Van der Poel has one teammate here contributing to the chase, which teams like Israel Premier Tech and Jayco-AlUla are also involved in.
The Cauberg's coming up in 1500 metres. This will be a crucial part of the race - he favourites who missed this move surely have to attack on it to try to bring them back and get back into contention.
20KM TO GO
50 seconds is the gap, with 20km to go.
The leaders swing around to start the Cauberg again! Their lead is 40 seconds.
Hirschi leads, Honoré is dropped, but everyone else follows.
Now here comes the peloton, and Skjelmose leads onto it.
It's a bit cagey in the lead group, with riders looking at each other.
But it's also cagey in the peloton, where the same thing is happening.
Ayuso is dropped from the peloton.
More attacks in the peloton, but Van der Poel isn't among them. He's having to lead a chase behind them.
Those attacks have been brought back after the climb, and the peloton is back together again. They're 33 seconds adrift from the leaders.
As Honoré has been dropped, EF are now leading the chase. They have Healy and Van den Bjerg in the peloton, but nobody in the lead group anymore.
15KM TO GO
Bilbao is using a descent to gain a few bike lengths in the lead group.
Pidcock bridged up to Bilbao, and the two start the next climb, Geulhemmerberg, with a small gap.
The others are joining up to them now.
Lotto-Dstny are joining EF in leading the peloton. They still have 29 seconds to make up though.
Hirschi attacks on the climb, only Benoot, Pidcock and Vansevenant are with him
That quartet has a small gap.
The Geulhemmerberg is done, meaning there's just one climb left - the Bemelerberg.
Pidcock, Hirschi, Vansevenant and Benoot still out ahed, and they've about 6 seconds on the rest of the chasers.
Healy is putting his nose to the wind in the peloton. EF's plan seems to be for Van den Bjerg rather than him.
10KM TO GO
Still about 10 seconds between the leaders and the chasers, and 30 seconds between the chasers and the peloton. It's still anyone's race!
Healy still leading the peloton, but isn't making any inroads.
14 seconds now between the leaders and the chasers. The advantage is swinging towards this four.
Pidcock, Hirschi, Vansevenant and Benoot are the four - the latter two you doubt would back themselves in a sprint. Will they try to attack on this final climb?
They're on the Bemelerberg now.
Lapeira has attacked from the group of chasers. That's very impressive considering he's been out in front for longer.
Still it's Healy leading the peloton, and still the gap remains about the same - now 35 seconds.
Lapeira is flying! He's closing down on the leaders.
Attack from Pidcock!
He's got a gap...
5KM TO GO
Benoot puts a massive effort in, and manages to close him down, with Hirschi on his wheel. Vansevenant is distanced for now.
Vansevenant is clawing his way back. Lapeira is a little further behind, he could also still join them.
Vansevenant is back.
Van den Bjerg overshot a corner in the peloton - he didn't quite crash , but was held up.
They all seem out of contention now, though. The winner will come from the break.
Lapeira is still adrift. He'd be a real danger in a sprint, seeing as he's a specialist, but might just have too much of a gap to bridge up to.
Lapeira is now closer to a chase group behind that he is the leaders. If the front quartet don't play too many games, one of them will surely win.
1,500metres to go, no attacks from anyone in the leading quartet yet. Are they all going to wait for the sprint?
Benoot attacks!
He's not succeeded.
Last kilometre!
Vansevenant leading thr group...
Vansevenant sprints early...
Pidcock wins!
The Brit stormed past Vansevenant, and just about held off Hirschi to take the win.
Benoot took third place behind them.
The chase group were bearing down on them in the finale, and they might not have made it were it not for Vansevenant starting the sprint so early.
That win will be especially gratifying for Pidcock given what happened three years ago, when he was deemed to have been defeated by Wout van Aert in a photo finish that is still now disputed by many.
It was also a very tactically smart ride from Pidcock. He sensed the danger when moves were going clear earlier, and managed to slip into one while most of the other pre-race favourites were caught napping.
As for the pre-race favourite, Mathieu van der Poel was not the same rider we’ve seen so far this spring. In the end the expected attack never came - he is presumably fatigued from his huge efforts to win the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
The win also justifies Ineos Grenadiers' decision to spend so much of the early part of the race leading the peloton. It turns out Pidcock really was as strong as they're tactics indicated.
Here's another angle of the finish. As you can see, the chase group behind were bearing down on them by the finish. Incidentally, Lapeira won the sprint for fifth, with Madouas, Mollema, Pacher, Bilbao and Matthews rounding off the top ten.
Thanks for joining us today. That's another big win for Pidcock, who's palmares is looking very healthy for one so young - he adds Amstel Gold to Strade Bianche, Brabantse Pijl, and atop Alpe d'Huez at the Tour de France. Will he add more to it this week with the upcoming Ardennes Classics? On the basis of today, he's surely one of the top favourites to do so. We'll see you again for those races!
