These Amstels are making me thirsty! 2024 Women's Amstel Gold Race, April 14

[Samu Cuenca]

Last year's Amstel Gold Race was the first event in what became a week dominated by Demi Vollering. She managed to repeat what her, at least until this season, mentor Anna van der Breggen had achieved back in 2017: winning all 3 of the Ardennes Classics. To this date however, she hasn't exactly showed immense strength in 2024 and will face a major challenge both from within her own team, but also from the likes of Trek, which has been on a roll in the first months of the year. Let's hope we'll get an exciting edition.

Remember that unlike FW and LBL, this race will still finish before the men's one, with live pictures starting from around 13:00 CET.


Start list: https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=9050&y=2024&k=8

Route details

Previous winners

2001 Debby Mansveld
2002 Leontien van Moorsel
2003 Nicole Cooke
2017 Anna van der Breggen
2018 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak
2019 Katarzyna Niewiadoma
2021 Marianne Vos
2022 Marta Cavalli
2023 Demi Vollering

As the Holland Hills Classic on a similar route

2004 Mirjam Melchers
2005 Anita Valen De Vries
2006 Theresa Senff
2007 Marianne Vos
2008 Larissa Kleinmann
2009 Marianne Vos
2010 Grace Verbeke
2011 Marianne Vos
2012 Annemiek van Vleuten
2013 Ashleigh Moolman
2014 Emma Johansson
2015 Lizzie Deignan
2016 Lizzie Deignan

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The course is absolutely horrific. That circuit is just so bad for racing. And then for apparently no reason at all they've even lengthened the gap between the Bemelerberg and the Cauberg the last time, making it even harder to do anything relevant before the Cauberg. Absolute WTF.

Probably a big fight for positioning before the Cauberg as the SD Worx riders attempt to pull power moves on one another. If Wiebes survives it should be the final nail in the coffin for this useless version of the course. It's supposed to be a hilly classic. Kopecky ought to be able to survive though.

Niewiadoma will attack on the Cauberg. She will probably be the strongest on it, but either fail to drop somebody who can sprint faster than her (admittedly most contenders fall under this definition) or will be reeled in or throw it away in the final kilometre. Persico is an interesting wildcard option, but unfortunately it's too late in recovery from injury realistically for Uttrup while it's too late for certain for Lippert who is still training and not yet ready to return, she would have added another factor to consider at the finish since she's a strong puncheuse and has a good sprint finish.

Plus there's always that Vos girl, I hear she's half-decent.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Race has started and we'll know the winner in about 4 hours.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Anne Knijnenberg going for a long day of BotD action.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

The race has been neutralized.

 

[Rob5091]

PCS,
"The race has been neutralised after an incident involving a police officer." Drug bust?!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

PCS,
"The race has been neutralised after an incident involving a police officer." Drug bust?!

This could be something like happened in the Women's Tour a couple of years ago, there was an accident involving a police motorbike ahead of the race meaning they couldn't clear the route before the péloton's arrival.

 

[DNP-Old]

First report is this neutralisation could take an hour.

 

[RedheadDane]

So... what happens if the men's race catches up with the place where the women are stuck?
Should they be allowed to work together "across divisions", so to speak? Visma deciding it would be smarter for them to just... put all their eggs in the Vos-basket for example.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

So... what happens if the men's race catches up with the place where the women are stuck?
Should they be allowed to work together "across divisions", so to speak? Visma deciding it would be smarter for them to just... put all their eggs in the Vos-basket for example.

The men already had to ride around the place the women were stuck in.

 

[RedheadDane]

The men already had to ride around the place the women were stuck in.

Aww... it would have been such a funny concept.

Though, probably should have been planned ahead.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

This could be something like happened in the Women's Tour a couple of years ago, there was an accident involving a police motorbike ahead of the race meaning they couldn't clear the route before the péloton's arrival.

Sounds like this turns out to be exactly what it is, reports now that one of the police motorbikes supervising the race - presumably one of those that leads off well before the péloton to clear the route or ensure the route is cleared - was involved in an accident with a car on the Bergseweg.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

From PCS

Last update from the race:
The peloton will be neutralised unti they reach Valkenburg (at the start of the local circuit), there, they will finish the race with a couple laps.

Only 2 laps? So less than 36km of racing? Is this because they are so far behind schedule that they are worried about the men's race encroaching?

 

[Dk one]

From PCS


Only 2 laps? So less than 36km of racing? Is this because they are so far behind schedule that they are worried about the men's race encroaching?

I hope the police officer is okay. That said, this *** sucks. Is it only the women’s race that will be this affected while the men get to almost their full intended route?

 

[RedheadDane]

Only 2 laps? So less than 36km of racing? Is this because they are so far behind schedule that they are worried about the men's race encroaching?

They don't have resources to simply make images from both races?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

From PCS


Only 2 laps? So less than 36km of racing? Is this because they are so far behind schedule that they are worried about the men's race encroaching?

I think this is a case of a non-native speaker using a couple and a few interchangeably, because every report I've seen says it will be four laps (as planned).

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I think this is a case of a non-native speaker using a couple and a few interchangeably, because every report I've seen says it will be four laps (as planned).

I think they will have to shorten it so it doesn‘t collide with the men‘s race doing the Cauberg at 80k to go.

 

[RedheadDane]

I think they will have to shorten it so it doesn‘t collide with the men‘s race doing the Cauberg at 80k to go.

Combo race!

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Ok, they‘re saying three or four laps which 100% means they need to do some more reorganizing.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Combo race!

There wouldn't be much combo about it, unless the women decide to block the road.

 

[DNP-Old]

They don't have resources to simply make images from both races?

This race is produced by NOS. I'll let you in on their way of thinking:

Question 1: Is the thing we wish to broadcast speed skating or a variant thereof?
> Yes: Pump all the resources we have into production, commentating, analysis on site and Kleintje Pils.
> No: Move on to question 2.

Question 2: Is it football?
> Yes: Acceptable, we will show matches of the national team.
> No: Move on to question 3.

Question 3: Are Dutch athletes generally considered to be 'good' in said sport?
> Yes: Spend very little money into it so it looks like we are invested, when we just don't give a damn.
> No: Move on to question 4.

Question 4: There is no question 4. You can piss off and your sport will get nothing.

To summarize: no, there are no resources for anything.

 

[DNP-Old]

Question 4: "WHERE IS BAUKE MOLLEMA"*

*Asked every mountain stage repeatedly, even if Froome was on screen dismembering Contador with a lightsaber

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtyhpfBHz4E

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I think they will have to shorten it so it doesn‘t collide with the men‘s race doing the Cauberg at 80k to go.

The men can pretty easily skip that passage of the Cauberg (and Bemelerberg) if needed, the summit of Sibbergrubbe is very close to where you could rejoin the planned route.

 

[RedheadDane]

There wouldn't be much combo about it, unless the women decide to block the road.

What if Visma decided to collectively help Vos?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Ok it seems they‘ve cut it to three laps and they‘ve taken some shortcuts to get there if PCS is to be trusted so it should work out.