The Amstel Gold Race 2024 kicks off the Ardennes classics

Goodbye to the cobblestones and welcome to another of the most exciting weeks of the season in which cyclists exchange stones for broken terrain full of hills and intricate valleys in the Dutch province of Limburg and the neighboring region of Wallonia in Belgian lands. Terrain where the pure classics riders give way to the grand tour riders, some finalizing their preparation for the Giro d'Italia and others facing their last races of the first block of the season before taking a small and well-deserved break. It's the turn of the Amstel Gold Race 2024 which will take place next Sunday, April 14.

Amstel Gold Race 2024 Who will succeed Tadej Pogacar?

A new edition of the beer classic, a top event within the spring classics but without the prestige of the great monuments. A race that marks the turning point in the spring races and gives way to a more versatile type of cyclist compared to the pure classics riders who have been dominating the roads of Belgium in recent weeks.

Ardennes Week that starts, as tradition dictates, with this Amstel Gold Race 2024 followed by the Fleche Wallonne next Wednesday with its always exciting finish on the Mur de Huy, and concluding with the 4th monument of the season, the Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Favorites to win the Amstel Gold Race 2024

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With the absence of the current winner of the race, Tadej Pogacar, the range of contenders for victory in the Amstel Gold Race 2024 opens up, promising an exciting race. And, of course, with a certain Mathieu van der Poel on the start list, after the performances he has given us in Flanders and Roubaix, it is mandatory to include the Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck as the main contender to win a race that, in 2019, was his grand debut in professional road cycling.

Matteo Jorgenson returns to competition after skipping Paris-Roubaix, almost certainly to avoid risks by a Visma-Lease a Bike team that is practically depleted for the coming months. The Dutch team has not yet fully confirmed the 7 riders who will compete, but the American will surely have the invaluable support of Tiesj Benoot and Dylan van Baarle.

We must keep an eye on UAE Team Emirates, which, with the absence of Tadej Pogacar who is carefully managing his efforts this spring to face the Giro-Tour double with guarantees, and who will only compete in Liege-Bastogne-Liege this Ardennes Week, has entrusted its leadership to a Juan Ayuso, in high spirits after his recent victory in the Itzulia. UAE Team Emirates is not holding back, accompanying the Alicante rider with solid names like Joao Almeida, Marc Hirschi, or Brandon McNulty.

Also, pay attention to what EF Education-EasyPost with Ben Healy can offer, who in the absence of Pogacar will try to improve his second place from last year.

A solid team is also presented by INEOS Grenadiers, with Tom Pidcock ready to continue progressing in his form, and if he is as competitive as he was in Paris-Roubaix, he will surely perform well in this Amstel Gold Race 2024, with a route more suited to his characteristics.

Others to consider will be the cyclists from Lidl-Trek, who have Mattias Skejmose who showed great competitiveness in the Itzulia and only the power of UAE prevented him from winning the final victory in the Basque race.

A race that, excluding Mathieu van der Poel, does not have a clear favorite for victory, and in which we will surely see a great battle, first to try to outdo the Dutchman and second to try to surprise where victory is least expected.

Route of the Amstel Gold Race 2024

Few variations in the route of this Amstel Gold Race 2024 which, since it abandoned its traditional finish with the climb to the Cauberg some years ago, has become a much more unpredictable and attractive race for fans.

The Amstel Gold Race starts in the city of Maastricht and finishes in Valkenburg, just over 10 kilometers apart, and yet the race follows an intricate route of 253.6 km making multiple loops to cover all the climbs in the Limburg region, passing through some roads up to 4 times.

33 ascents among which we find, of course, the mythical Cauberg, which is climbed twice, the last time when there are only 14 kilometers left to the finish, becoming one of the key points for victory in this race. The other point to consider is the no less mythical Keutenberg which is climbed before the Cauberg, with 23 kilometers to go. Between the two, flat terrain exposed to the wind where surely the battle will unfold if, as it happened last year with Pogacar's exhibition, no one decides to break the race in the most unexpected place.

There is plenty of terrain to do it, why not shake things up on the first pass through the Cauberg, 82 kilometers from the finish. Judging by what we have seen throughout this season, no one would be surprised.

How to watch the Amstel Gold Race 2024

Eurosport will broadcast the race starting at 14:35 on Eurosport 1 and on its digital platform.