Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n An open race with Remco Evenepoel as the lone representative of the Unbeatables, can he take on the field and win? The Amstel marks an interlude between Sunday Monuments but makes for a fun race because it is so tricky and technical, as Tadej Poga\u010dar discovered to his peril last year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Course<\/strong>: a 257km labyrinth contained in a 20km x 30km section of the Netherlands that resembles an appendix dangling between Belgium and Germany. Held to promote a flat and tasteless beer, the course is seemingly the opposite with all sorts of surprises and a long finish.<\/p>\n There\u2019s 3,300m of vertical gain and none of the climbs alone are hard but 33 of them add up and in the final third positioning counts for so much as the course is full of tight turns and knowing where to move up counts for plenty. Go into a climb beyond 20th place and it\u2019s easy to miss a split or be forced into a costly acceleration to make it across. Go in third wheel and a rider can afford to drift back a few places if it suits and this way save a lot of energy.<\/p>\n The Finish<\/strong>: up the Cauberg and then 1.5km over the finish line to make a for a tactical moment where it\u2019s a long way to hold out if a climber wants to jump on the Cauberg, where dropped sprinters can be towed back into contention and more.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n The Contenders<\/strong>: Remco Evenepoel (RedBull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is the star name in the absence of fellow unbeatables Tadej Poga\u010dar, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. Given the way one of these names wins the spring classics to the exclusion of the rest of the field then this ought to be his turn. But jostling for position and subtle tactics are not his strong points although he can handle both, indeed last year\u2019s race is a good example where he bided his time before setting off in pursuit of Poga\u010dar. He can sprint well too these days but last year\u2019s race is a bad example where he lost to Poga\u010dar and Skjelmose.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Mattias Skjelmose<\/strong> (Lidl-Trek) leads a team that\u2019s struggling this season, currently sandwiched between Uno-X and Cofidis on the UCI rankings. If much of this has been to injury for Pedersen and Ayuso, the team were not the collective force on the cobbled classics and they now bring a new cast to the Ardennes classics. Skjelmose is a good rider but the Amstel twice in a row is a big ask. Albert Withen Philipsen and Quinn Simmons are outside picks, the Dane was strong in the breakaway during the Ronde van Limburg earlier in the week.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Visma-LAB have been one of world\u2019s best teams and this is their home race but they\u2019ve regularly struggled here, only winning once in their post-Rabobank days thanks to Wout van Aert\u2019s photogenic appearance in 2021. Matteo Jorgenson<\/strong> is out to remedy this and should thrive on these roads but we can find quotes from him saying he can\u2019t sprint so it\u2019s probably solo or bust. Ben Tullet and Axel Zingle bring more options, the latter packs a good sprint but would prefer the finish on the Cauberg itself.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s a pity the Brabantse Pijl has been moved to a Friday slot as plenty of riders skipped it but Beno\u00eet Cosnefroy<\/strong> (UAE) made the breakaway that got caught at the flamme rouge and still sprinted third place in the finish. Dropped by Decathlon, due to go to Picnic-PostNL only for the deal to fall through late, he was hired by UAE as a bargain so is not a strategic pick but is still their best rider here as one of several riders who make the \u201cArdennes\u201d a big goal when it\u2019s only four races in under 10 days from the Pijl to Li\u00e8ge.<\/p>\n Romain Gr\u00e9goire<\/strong> (Groupama-FDJ) is almost a copy-paste of the paragraph above, in the break in the Pijl but salvaging fourth place and another rider who aims for the tiny window of the Ardennes.<\/p>\n Staying with French riders brings us to Ineos with three Gallic options: Dorian Godon<\/strong> to hold on for a sprint, Axel Laurance<\/strong> to provoke a move or two and win from a reduced sprint and K\u00e9vin Vauquelin<\/strong> to make a race-winning attack.<\/p>\n Tibor Del Grosso<\/strong> (Alpecin-PremierTech) might be the best hope for a home win but a World Tour win against this dense a field is a lot to ask for.<\/p>\n Bahrain have a cohesive team but Pello Bilbao<\/strong>\u2018s win rate is low, ditto Matej Mohori\u010d<\/strong>. Edoardo Zambanini<\/strong> is promising.<\/p>\n Finally some more names with Ilan Van Wilder<\/strong> (Soudal-QS) able to race for himself. Alex Baudin<\/strong> (EF) in form and Mauro Schmid<\/strong> (Jayco) is having a great season. Alex Aranburu<\/strong> (Cofidis) looks rejuvenated, Cl\u00e9ment Champoussin<\/strong> (XDS-Astana) is riding high in results but how to win while Paul Lapeira<\/strong> (Decathlon-CMA CGM) can be a sniper on a good day and is capable of winning World Tour races.<\/p>\n Weather<\/strong>: a cool 14\u00b0C with some sunshine and a light 10km\/h breeze from the NW, and an outside chance of rain.<\/p>\n TV<\/strong>: the race starts at 11.10 and the finish is due around at 17.10 CEST<\/strong>. Host broadcaster NOS goes on air at 1.10pm with the women\u2019s race due in at 2.00pm but there should be a livestream on their website earlier.<\/p>\n Women\u2019s Amstel Gold Race preview<\/strong>: local hopes of a home winner look more likely. This blog\u2019s picks are Puck Pieterse (Fenix-PremierTech), Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and Micha Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime), the latter being last year\u2019s winner and in form. But ProCyclingUK.com has a more detailed preview<\/a> and different picks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/fiverings.jpg\")
<\/td>\nRemco Evenepoel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/fourrings.jpg\")
<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/threerings.jpg\")
<\/td>\nSimmons, Skjelmose, Jorgenson, Vauquelin, Van Wilder<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/tworings.jpg\")
<\/td>\nSchmid, Gr\u00e9goire, Cosnefroy, Lapeira, Del Grosso<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inrng.com\/medias\/images\/onering.jpg\")
<\/td>\nLaurance, Godon, Aranburu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n