The Amstel Gold Race, in my opinion, has an undeservedly poor reputation when it comes to April’s Spring Classics.  Riding the race course as part of the Amstel Gold Toerversie Cyclosportif the day before the race reveals the true identity of the most beautiful countryside Holland has to offer.

When I mention The Netherlands to interested cyclists, the typical response is “it’s so flat and windy”. True, I say, though not in Limburg, the southern most province that is more a cousin to the hilly Belgian Ardennes than the canals and flatlands of Friesland. The 43 year old Amstel Gold Race does not have the history and mystique of Flanders, Roubaix or Liege. And the beauty of the race lies in the fact that no one has ever tried to claim otherwise. It’s a wholly Dutch affair, and similar to the Limburg region itself, since its inception in 1966, it’s worked very hard at creating its own identity.

The race is run over 252 kilometers, and consists of 3 different loops through the area surrounding the region’s capital, Maastricht. Bordered by Germany and Belgium, this area of Holland collects its influences from its neighbors, expressed in the multitude of internationally influenced restaurants that pack the city’s historic center, and the fans that jam the race course. Tiny villages with brick churches, florist shops (think tulips!) and cafes selling Leeuw and Amstel beer appear on every hill top, with rich farmland bridging the landscape between.  Traversing this farmland, the route connects 25 hills- or bergs- 5 of them climbed multiple times. The final 32 kilometers brings with it 5 of the tougher climbs, and the winning move is typically made over the Kruisberg, Eyserbosweg, Fromberg, or Keutenberg- on the way to the final ascent of the Cauberg. With plenty of narrow and twisting roads, and a route map that looks like “a bowl of spaghetti” to quote one Director Sportif, the race favors those riders who are adept at bike handling, quick acceleration, and plenty of stamina and power. 

I find the most exciting part of the Amstel Gold Toerversie Ride is that it is NOT a race, and riding in a peloton whose size and dynamic is always changing over the course of the ride. It’s fun to choose a pace that’s based on how I feel during the ride, allowing me to place more emphasis on enjoying the ride, the scenery and the terrain, rather than thinking about a time clock or trying to get in position for the next climb. The event is very well organized and operated, and offers 6 distances-60, 100, 125, 150, 200 and 250 kilometers- and the ride is so popular, it was full within two weeks! That’s faster than the Etape du Tour. The various routes appeal to a wider range of riders and fitness levels, compared to the death march trademark of many of the Etape stages (not to mention the months of preparation, numerous unskilled riders, dangerous descents and logistical nightmares). The organizers skillfully facilitate the registration of 12,000 riders, and the six courses and rolling start times ensure no course is ever too crowded to enjoy.  From our centrally located hotel in Maastricht, we capitalize on the luxury of riding directly onto (and off ) the course to avoid the push to find parking in the start village of Valkenburg. Coming in the third week of April, the ride is an excellent opportunity to cap off a solid block of training with climbs ranging in distance from the 200 meter cobbled climb up the Maasberg, to the 2.4 km of the Schweiberg.

So if you think Holland is flat or the Amstel Gold Race is boring, imagine the fun of riding in a continuously evolving peloton, enough climbing to test your fitness but not break your will, and enjoying the local flavor of Holland’s most popular professional race and perhaps you’ll see it as I do! For details on our Spring Classics II-The Ardennes trip that includes the Amstel Gold Race visit http://www.veloclassic.com/Belgium2/index.html

www.amstelgoldrace.nl