Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:Amstel Gold Race

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{Short description|Dutch one-day road cycling race}}
{{For|the women's race|Amstel Gold Race (women's race)}}
{{Infobox cycling race
| name          = Amstel Gold Race
| current_event = 
| image         = [[File:Amstel Gold Race logo.svg|250px]]
| date          = Mid to late April
| region        = [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], Netherlands
| english       = Amstel Gold Race
| localnames    = 
| nickname      =  ''De Amstel (The Amstel {{in lang|en}})'', ''Nederlands Mooiste'' {{in lang|nl}}<br />'' Netherlands Most Beautiful ''{{in lang|en}}, ''AGR'', De Gold Race (The Gold Race {{in lang|en}})
| discipline    = [[Road bicycle racing|Road]]
| competition   = [[UCI World Tour]]
| type          = One-day [[Classic cycle races#Ardennes classics|Classic]]
| organiser     = Amstel Gold Race Foundation, [[Flanders Classics]] (from 2025)
| director      = [[Leo van Vliet]]
| first         = {{start date|1966}}
| number        = 57 (as of 2023)
| final         =
| firstwinner   = {{flagathlete|[[Jean Stablinski]]|FRA}}
| mostwins      = {{flagathlete|[[Jan Raas]]|NED}} ''(5 wins)''
| mostrecent    = {{flagathlete|[[Tadej Pogacar]]|SLO}}
}}
The '''Amstel Gold Race''' is a one-day [[classic cycle races|classic]] [[road bicycle race|road cycling race]] held annualy since [[1966 Amstel Gold Race|1966]] in the province of [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the [[Classic cycle races#Spring classics|spring classics]], with the climbers and stage racers replacing the [[cobbled classics]] riders as the favourites.<ref name="AGR" />

Since 1989 the event has been included in season-long competitions at the highest level of [[Union Cycliste Internationale|UCI]], as part of the [[UCI Road World Cup]] (1989–2004), the [[UCI ProTour]] (2005–2010), [[UCI World Ranking]] (2009–2010) and since 2011 of the [[UCI World Tour]]. It is the only one-day World Tour race staged in the Netherlands and is considered the most important Dutch road cycling event.<ref name="AGR" /> Dutchman [[Jan Raas]] holds the winning record with five victories.

Dutch beer brewer [[Amstel Brewery|Amstel]] has served as the race's title sponsor since its creation in 1966. The name does not directly refer to the river [[Amstel]], which runs through and near the city of [[Amsterdam]]. It took place without interruption until the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

Since 2017, a ''Women's Amstel Gold Race'' is held, after a 14-year hiatus. The event is organised on the same day and on largely the same roads as the men's race and is part of the [[UCI Women's World Tour]].<ref name="CN">{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-announce-2017-womens-worldtour-calendar/|title=UCI announce 2017 Women's WorldTour calendar|website=[[Cyclingnews.com]]|date=15 October 2016|access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref><ref name="VN">{{cite news|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/10/news/road/uci-unveils-2017-womens-worldtour_423020|title=UCI unveils 2017 Women's WorldTour|work=[[VeloNews]]|date=15 October 2016|access-date=17 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019035621/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/10/news/road/uci-unveils-2017-womens-worldtour_423020|archive-date=19 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==

===The first race===
The Amstel Gold Race was created by Dutch sports promoters Ton Vissers and Herman Krott, who ran a company called Inter Sport.{{refn|group=N|Vissers was a house decorator and field hockey player from [[Rotterdam]] whose break-in cycling came in 1963 when a friend asked him to manage a minor team in the [[Ronde van Nederland|Tour of the Netherlands]]. Those who were there say he was as hopeless as his riders. Officials banished him after he did a U-turn and drove back towards the oncoming race after hearing that one of his riders had punctured. Three years later, in 1966, he became manager of the Willem II professional team that at one time included the winner of the classic, [[Rik Van Looy]].}}{{refn|group=N|Krott's background in cycling was barely deeper. He ran a car parts dealership called HeKro and, because he admired the Dutch rider [[Peter Post]], worked as his personal assistant. He had also worked as a salesman for [[Amstel Brewery|Amstel]]. Together, Krott and Vissers organized small races across the Netherlands. Krott also used his contacts at Amstel to start an Amstel professional team and then the sponsorship to run an international professional race bigger than the round-the-houses events Inter Sport had been promoting until then.}} Their dream was to create a Dutch classic cycle race able to compete with the [[Classic cycle races#The .27Monuments.27|monument races]] of Flanders and Italy.<ref name="Race History" >{{cite web|title=Amstel Gold Race. Race History|url=http://www.Amstel.nl/evenementen/amstelgoldrace/wedstrijd/historie|website=[[Amstel Brewery]]|access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> The first edition was announced to take place on 30 April 1966, the Netherlands' [[Koningsdag|National Holiday]]. The plan was to start in [[Amsterdam]], before branching out to the east of the country and finishing in [[Maastricht]], in the southeast of the country, totalling 280&nbsp;km.{{refn|group=N|Prizemoney would be 10,000 [[guilders]]&nbsp;— about €5,000 – of which a fifth would go to the winner.}}

However, many problems emerged.<ref name="Race History" /> Krott and Vissers had neglected the many rivers along the route and miscalculated the zigzags needed to cross them, making the intended distance far longer than 280&nbsp;km. New plans were made to start in [[Utrecht]], then [[Rotterdam]]; and to stage an alternative finish in the small village of [[Meerssen]] in Limburg. Moreover, less than three weeks before the start, organizers realized they had not obtained permission to cross the [[moerdijk bridges|Moerdijk Bridge]], the only exit route out of Rotterdam. The route had to be redrawn again and the start was moved further south, to [[Breda]]. On top of all that, the Dutch militant [[hippy]] [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]] movement [[Provo (movement)|Provo]] had declared a state of anarchy in the Netherlands in 1966.{{refn|group=N|At the other end of the social scale, many Dutch people were also protesting against the marriage of the queen's daughter, Beatrix, to a German, [[Claus von Amsberg]].}} Authorities feared that a race organized on the royal family's celebration day would cause possible uprisings.

[[File:Jean Stablinski 1963.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Jean Stablinski]] won the [[1966 Amstel Gold Race|first Amstel Gold Race]] in 1966.]]
Four days before the anticipated date, Vissers and Krott called off their race and were staging a press conference, when the Dutch roads ministry in [[The Hague]] called to say that the race could be organized after all&nbsp;— provided it would never again be scheduled on [[Koningsdag|Queen's Day]].<ref name="Race History" />

On Saturday 30 April 1966, the first Amstel Gold Race was raced from Breda to Meerssen, without serious incidents.<ref name="Race History" /> Three riders from the Ford-France team sprinted for victory. Dutchman [[Jan Hugens]] suffered a mechanical failure in the final meters and was beaten by Frenchman [[Jean Stablinski]] who won the [[1966 Amstel Gold Race|inaugural edition]].<ref name="Race History"/> At 302&nbsp;km, it was the longest edition ever. There were 120 starters, of which only 30 finished. Despite its original intent, the Amstel Gold Race has never started in Amsterdam; nor in Rotterdam or Utrecht, three of The Netherlands' largest cities.{{refn|group=N|Inter Sport ceased trading in 1970 and Herman Krott directed the race by himself until 1995, when it was taken over by former professional cyclist [[Leo van Vliet]].}}

[[File:Amstel Gold wielerrace Weeknummer 69-17 - Open Beelden - 56075.ogv|left|thumbtime=3|thumb|240px|[[Newsreel]] of the [[1969 Amstel Gold Race|Amstel Gold Race 1969]] with [[Eddy Merckx]] (in [[Dutch language|Dutch]])]]

===Search for identity===

In [[1967 Amstel Gold Race|1967]] the start location moved to [[Helmond]], in front of sponsor [[Amstel Brewery|Amstel]]'s headquarters, and the distance was scaled back to 213&nbsp;km. [[Arie den Hartog]] won the second edition, becoming the first Dutch winner. In [[1968 Amstel Gold Race|1968]] the race took place on 21 September because of a calendar conflict; the only time the Amstel Gold Race was ever run in the autumn. Dutchman [[Harrie Steevens]] won the race over a distance of 254&nbsp;km.

In [[1969 Amstel Gold Race|1969]] the race returned to April. [[Guido Reybrouck]] won the fourth edition, the first in a series of Belgian wins. The race was affected by severe snow and [[hailstorm]]s, forcing many riders to abandon due to [[hypothermia]].<ref name="Race History" />

A young race, the Amstel Gold Race struggled to find its place on the international calendar between the much older [[cobbled classics]] and the [[Ardennes classics]] and had problems attracting the best riders. For a couple of years, cycling great [[Eddy Merckx]] did not participate because organizers could not pay his starting fee. In [[1973 Amstel Gold Race|1973]] race director Herman Krott agreed to pay a considerable sum to Merckx's team, provided that he would win the race. Merckx started and won the Amstel Gold Race more than three minutes ahead of the second-place finisher.<ref name="Race History" /> Two years later, he was the first rider to win a second time.

In the late 1970s Dutchman [[Jan Raas]] won the Amstel Gold Race a record five times, of which four were consecutive. Raas was able to rely on his strong sprint finish, but also took two solo victories. Dutch media started coining the phrase ''Amstel Gold Raas''. In [[1983 Amstel Gold Race|1983]] Australian [[Phil Anderson (cyclist)|Phil Anderson]] became the first non-European winner.<ref>http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/retro/retro_voorjaarsklassiekers/retro_agr/1.1270886 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025111/http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/retro/retro_voorjaarsklassiekers/retro_agr/1.1270886 |date=2017-11-07 }} Video of 1983 Amstel Gold Race (In Dutch)</ref>

[[File:Michael Boogerd.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Michael Boogerd]] was a regular podium finisher.]]

===Move to Maastricht===
In 1991 the finish of the Amstel Gold Race moved to [[Maastricht]], [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]'s capital city, and in 1998 the start also moved there. The character of the race was more and more defined by the hilly area in the south of the province. Only two Dutch riders, [[Michael Boogerd]] and [[Erik Dekker]], have won the race in the last two decades before [[Mathieu van der Poel]]'s win in [[2019 Amstel Gold Race|2019]]. Both Boogerd and Dekker beat American [[Lance Armstrong]] in a two-man sprint in Maastricht, in [[1999 Amstel Gold Race|1999]] and [[2001 Amstel Gold Race|2001]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=34th Amstel Gold Race, World Cup round 5 Netherlands, April 24, 1999|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/apr99/amstel99results.html|website=autobus.cyclingnews.com|publisher=CyclingNews|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref><ref>
http://www.cyclingfever.com/video.html?detp=view&video_idd=NDA5Ng== Video of 1999 Amstel Gold Race (In Dutch)</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Maloney|first1=Tim|title=36th Amstel Gold Race (CDM) Netherlands, April 28, 2001|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2001/apr01/amstel/results.shtml|work=Cycling News|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> The 2001 race only had 37 finishers of a 190-strong pack, the lowest number in modern times.<ref>{{cite web|last1=van Dijk|first1=Tim|title=Amstel Gold Race 2001 – Erik Dekker, de Laatste Nederlandse winnaar, 12 April 2011|url=http://www.cyclingstory.nl/2011/04/12/erik-dekker-wint-amstel-gold-race-2001/|website=Cyclingstory|date=12 April 2011|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> Boogerd shares the record of seven podium finishes with Jan Raas, having achieved one victory, four-second places, two third places and several other top-ten finishes.

===Cauberg finish===
From [[2003 Amstel Gold Race|2003]] to 2016, the finish was shortly after the top of the [[Cauberg]] climb in [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]]. Kazakh rider [[Alexander Vinokourov]] won the first uphill-finish edition with an attack before the Cauberg.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilcockson|first1=John|title=Amstel Gold: Vinokourov takes his first classic win|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2003/04/news/road/amstel-gold-vinokourov-takes-his-first-classic-win_3777|website=velonews.competitor.com|publisher=Velonews|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> In [[2013 Amstel Gold Race|2013]] the finish was moved 1.8&nbsp;km away from the top of the Cauberg, near the centre of [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]], resulting in a mainly flat, straight finish.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Aubrey|first1=Jan|title=Preview: Can Sagan triumph at Amstel Gold Race? New finish line in 2013 to result in more definitive selection|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/amstel-gold-race-2013/preview/|website=cyclingnews.com|date=10 April 2013|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> In 2017 the race organisers moved the finish so that the final climb of the Cauberg came 19&nbsp;km from the finish, hoping for a "more open" race.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cauberg finish removed from Amstel Gold Race|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cauberg-finish-removed-from-amstel-gold-race/|website=Cycling News|date=15 February 2017|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> The most successful rider in recent years has been [[classic cycle races|classics]] specialist [[Philippe Gilbert]]. The Belgian won the race four times since [[2010 Amstel Gold Race|2010]], basing his victories on late bursts of speed and power on the Cauberg.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Gregor|title=Philippe Gilbert: 'Amstel wins means a lot'|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/philippe-gilbert-amstel-wins-means-lot-120658|website=Cycling Weekly|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> Therefore, earned the nickname of ‘Mister Cauberg’ and ‘Amstel Gilbert Race’ came up. In [[2015 Amstel Gold Race|2015]] Polish rider [[Michał Kwiatkowski]] became the first reigning world champion to win the race since [[Bernard Hinault]] in [[1981 Amstel Gold Race|1981]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Clarke|first1=Stuart|title=Michał Kwiatkowski wins Amstel Gold Race|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/michal-kwiatkowski-wins-amstel-gold-race-167263|website=cyclingweekly.co.uk|publisher=Cycling Weekly|access-date=28 November 2015|archive-date=21 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421044538/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/michal-kwiatkowski-wins-amstel-gold-race-167263|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kwiatkowski wins Amstel Gold Race. World champion beats Valverde and Matthews on the Cauberg|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/amstel-gold-race/results/|website=cyclingnews.com|publisher=CyclingNews|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref><ref>http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/retro/retro_voorjaarsklassiekers/retro_agr/1.1602472 Video of 1981 Amstel Gold Race (in Dutch)</ref> Kwiatkowski won again seven years later, when he outsprinted [[Benoît Cosnefroy]] in the finish of the [[2022 Amstel Gold Race|2022 edition]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kwiatkowski awarded Amstel Gold Race victory in photo-finish sprint against Cosnefroy|url= https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/amstel-gold-race-2022/elite-men/results/ |website=CyclingNews|access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Wesemann Eyserbosweg 2006.jpg|right|thumb|[[Steffen Wesemann]] on his way up [[Eyserbosweg]] in [[2006 Amstel Gold Race|2006]].]]

==Route==
Although the Netherlands are known for their flat, wind-affected roads, the Amstel Gold Race takes place in the hilly southern region of [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]. The route twists through the rolling Limburg countryside, often turning abruptly to climb as many hills ''(bergen)'' as possible.<ref name="AGR" >{{cite web|title=Amstel Gold Race|url=http://www.uci.ch/road/news/article/amstel-gold-race-168476/|website=uci.ch|publisher=UCI|access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref> The most notable climb is the [[Cauberg]], which is covered up to three times, and has sometimes been in the last few kilometres of the race.<ref>{{cite web|title=De Amstel Gold race en de Cauberg. Enige klassieke fietsberg van Nederland|url=http://www.npogeschiedenis.nl/nieuws/2010/april/De-Amstel-Gold-race-en-de-Cauberg.html|website=npogeschiedenis.nl|publisher=Nederlands Publieke Omroep|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> [[Keutenberg|The Keutenberg]] and [[Eyserbosweg|the Eyserbosweg]] are two other renowned climbs of the race.

===Course changes===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:101%;" align="right" width="35%"
| '''Start and finish locations'''
|-
!Years
!Start
!Finish
|-
| '''1966''' || [[Breda]] || [[Meerssen]]
|-
| '''1967''' || [[Helmond]] || Meerssen
|-
| '''1968'''  || Helmond || [[Elsloo, Limburg|Elsloo]]
|-
| '''1969–1970'''  || Helmond || Meerssen
|-
| '''1971–1990''' || [[Heerlen]] || Meerssen
|-
| '''1991–1997''' || Heerlen || [[Maastricht]]
|-
| '''1998–2002''' || Maastricht || Maastricht
|-
| '''2003–2012''' || Maastricht || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]]
|-
|'''2013-'''
|Maastricht
||[[Vilt]]/ [[Berg en Terblijt]] 
|}
Although the race is younger than many other [[classic cycle races|cycling classics]], the course changed considerably over the years.  The race's inaugural edition started in [[Breda]] in [[North Brabant]], but quickly moved closer to the hilly region. From [[1971 Amstel Gold Race|1971]] to [[1997 Amstel Gold Race|1997]] the start was in [[Heerlen]]. The race started since [[1998 Amstel Gold Race|1998]] on the central market square in Maastricht's [[Binnenstad (Maastricht)|Inner City]] and since [[2019 Amstel Gold Race|2019]] on the bigger [[Vrijthof]] square.

Since [[2005 Amstel Gold Race|2005]] the race is run entirely within the boundaries of Dutch Limburg, except right after the [[Vaalserberg]] climb, there is a short passage through [[Plombières|Gemmenich]] in Belgium. Past editions had covered significant parts of [[Liège (province)|Liège]] in Belgium, addressing the ''[[Mount Saint Peter|Côte de Hallembaye]]'', meant to include a larger selection of climbs.

From [[1991 Amstel Gold Race|1991]] until [[2002 Amstel Gold Race|2002]] the race ended in Maastricht as well. The finish was on the Maasboulevard, keeping the flat run-in to the finish. In [[2000 Amstel Gold Race|2000]] sprint specialist [[Erik Zabel]] won the race, leading out the sprint of a 20-strong group.

From [[2003 Amstel Gold Race|2003]] to [[2012 Amstel Gold Race|2012]] the finish was at the top of the [[Cauberg]] climb, in the [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] municipality, close to Maastricht. The finale was redesigned in [[2013 Amstel Gold Race|2013]] and the finish was moved west, near the hamlets of [[Vilt]] and [[Berg en Terblijt]], 1.8 kilometres from the top of the Cauberg. The altered finish mirrors the location that was used for the [[2012 UCI Road World Championships]] in Valkenburg.<ref>[http://www.nusport.nl/wielrennen/3005339/finish-amstel-gold-race-niet-cauberg.html Finish Amstel Gold Race niet op Cauberg]</ref> Since 2017 The last (4th) climb of the Cauberg was removed so that the Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg (7.4&nbsp;km from the finish) are the last climbs now. It was done so that things would opened up more the character of the race. 
{{clear}}

==Race characteristics==

===Ardennes Week===
{{Main|Ardennes classics}}
Although the race location in Limburg is not part of the [[Ardennes]], neither geographically nor geologically, it is often considered the opening race of the ''Ardennes Week''.<ref name="CyclingNews">{{cite web|last1=O'Shea|first1=Sadhbh|title=Preview: Amstel Gold Race attracts the stars for 50th edition|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/amstel-gold-race/preview/|website=cyclingnews.com|publisher=CyclingNews|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> In [[2004 Amstel Gold Race|2004]] the Amstel Gold Race has swapped places with [[Liège–Bastogne–Liège]] on the international calendar.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Jeff|title=39th Amstel Gold Race - CDM. Netherlands, April 18, 2004|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/worldcup04/amstel04/?id=results|website=Cycling News|access-date=4 December 2015}}</ref> Ever since, the race is organised on the Sunday after the [[cobbled classics|cobbled classic]] [[Paris–Roubaix]] and before the Ardennes classic [[Flèche Wallonne]] the next Wednesday.

[[File:View from the Schneeberg in Germany to Oud-Lemiers in the Netherlands.jpg|thumb|left|View on Oud-Lemiers, near [[Vaals]], in the southeast of Limburg.]]
Until [[2002 Amstel Gold Race|2002]], the Amstel Gold Race had a flat run-in to the finish and was often won by riders excelling in the cobbled classics, notably the Tour of Flanders. In recent decades, organizers chose to shift the focus of the race to the hills and the character of the race changed. The peloton is usually made up of the same riders starting in the Ardennes races; classics riders with sufficient [[Climbing specialist|climbing abilities]] and even [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tour]] specialists.

The ''Dutch hills'', in the very south of Limburg, are the Netherlands' only hilly region. The [[chalk]]–[[loess]] [[relief]] was formed by the foothills of the neighbouring [[Ardennes]] and [[Eifel]] low mountain ranges. The hills define the character of the race: they are generally shorter and not as high as in the Ardennes, but come in much higher frequency than in [[Liège–Bastogne–Liège]]. The highest point of the region and the race is [[Vaalserberg]] at 322.7 m above [[sea level]]; the top of the [[Cauberg]] is at 133.7 m altitude.

===Hills===
[[File:Philippe Gilbert, 2012 Road World Championships, Cauberg.jpg|thumb|right|”Mister [[Cauberg]]” [[Philippe Gilbert]] riding up the hill in the finale of the [[2012 UCI Road World Championships]].]]
The present course features more than 30 short climbs which come in faster succession as the race progresses, meaning riders have little time to recover in between the hills. 25 climbs are covered in the last 165 kilometres of the race, with eight coming in the final 45 kilometres. The steepest are the [[Cauberg]], [[Keutenberg]] and [[Eyserbosweg]]. Some ascents are as steep as 22% (Keutenberg), others are more gently sloped. In contrast to the cobbled ''bergs'' in the [[Tour of Flanders]], all the hills in Limburg are asphalted nowadays.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/31958848 |title=Spring Classics: How to win cycling's hardest one-day races |access-date=27 March 2015 |publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref>

Attempting to explain the difficulty of the course Peter Easton recounts a mathematician's calculations:
<blockquote>
...applying logic to overcome a sense of incomprehension is the key to understanding this race. And there is truth in numbers. Six of the climbs come in the first 92 kilometers&nbsp;— one every 15.2 kilometres. The remaining 25 come over the final 165 kilometres. That's one every 6.6 kilometres. Breaking it down further, the final hour of racing has eight climbs in 42 kilometres. Now we're down to one every 5.25 km. At 40 km/h, that's one every 7 ½ minutes. Not overly funny, and definitely all business.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Easton|first1=Peter|title=Amstel '09 Preview: Double Dutch Does the Trick|url=http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/features/amstel-09-previewdouble-dutch-does-the-trick/|website=pezcyclingnews.com|date=17 April 2009|publisher=PEZ|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref>
</blockquote>

The hills in the [[2015 Amstel Gold Race]]:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amstel.nl/evenementen/amstelgoldrace/wedstrijd/route|title = Age Check – Amstel}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"  style="float:left; text-align:center; font-size:95%; width:48%;"
|-
!Number
!Name
!Kilometer
!Location
!Length (in m)
!Average climb (%)
|-
| 1 || style="text-align:left;"| Slingerberg || 9 || [[Geulle]] || 1200 || 5,4
|-
| 2 || style="text-align:left;"| Adsteeg || 14 || [[Beek]] || 500 || 5,4
|-
| 3 || style="text-align:left;"| Lange Raarberg || 22 || [[Meerssen]] || 1300 || 4,5
|-
| 4 || style="text-align:left;"| Bergseweg || 38 || [[Voerendaal]] || 2700 || 3,3
|-
| 5 || style="text-align:left;"| Sibbergrubbe || 50 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 2100 || 4,1
|-
| 6 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Cauberg]] || 54 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 1200 || 5,8
|-
| 7 || style="text-align:left;"| Geulhemmerweg || 59 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 1000 || 6,2
|-
| 8 || style="text-align:left;"| Wolfsberg || 78 || [[Noorbeek]] || 800 || 4,4
|-
| 9 || style="text-align:left;"| Loorberg || 81 || [[Slenaken]] || 1500 || 5,5
|-
| 10 || style="text-align:left;"| Schweibergerweg || 93 || [[Gulpen]] || 2900 || 3,9
|-
| 11 || style="text-align:left;"| Camerig || 99 || [[Vijlen]] || 4300 || 3,8
|-
| 12 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Vaalserberg|Drielandenpunt]] || 110 || [[Vaals]] || 3700 || 3,7
|-
| 13 || style="text-align:left;"| Gemmenich || 114 || Blieberg || 900 || 6,4
|-
| 14 || style="text-align:left;"| Vijlenerbos || 118 || [[Vaals]] || 1800 || 5,1
|-
| 15 || style="text-align:left;"| Eperheide || 127 || [[Epen]] || 2300 || 4,1
|-
| 16 || style="text-align:left;"| Gulperberg || 135 || [[Gulpen]] || 700 || 8,1
|-
| 17 || style="text-align:left;"| Plettenbergweg || 142 || [[Eys]] || 1000 || 4,2
|}
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; text-align:center; font-size:95%; width:48%;"
|-
!Number
!Name
!Kilometer
!Location
!Length (in m)
!Average climb (%)
|-
| 18 || style="text-align:left;"| Eyserweg || 144 || [[Eys]] || 2200 || 4,3
|-
| 19 || style="text-align:left;"| Huls || 148 || [[Simpelveld]] || 1000 || 7,7
|-
| 20 || style="text-align:left;"| Vrakelberg || 154 || [[Voerendaal]] || 700 || 7,9
|-
| 21 || style="text-align:left;"| Sibbergrubbe || 161 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 2100 || 4,1
|-
| 22 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Cauberg]] || 166 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 1200 || 5,8
|-
| 23 || style="text-align:left;"| Geulhemmerweg || 170 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 1000 || 6,2
|-
| 24 || style="text-align:left;"| Bemelerberg|| 183 || [[Bemelen]] ||  900 || 5,0
|-
| 25 || style="text-align:left;"| Loorberg || 198 || [[Slenaken]] || 1500 || 5,5
|-
| 26 || style="text-align:left;"| Gulperberg || 208 || [[Gulpen]] || 700 || 8,1
|-
| 27 || style="text-align:left;"| Kruisberg || 217 || [[Wahlwiller]] ||  800 || 7,5
|-
| 28 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Eyserbosweg]] || 219 || [[Eys]] ||  1100 || 8,1
|-
| 29 || style="text-align:left;"| Fromberg || 222 || [[Voerendaal|Fromberg]] ||  1600 || 4,0
|-
| 30 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Keutenberg]] || 227 || [[Schin op Geul|Keutenberg]]||  700 || 9,4
|-
| 31 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Cauberg]] || 237 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 1200 || 5,8
|-
| 32 || style="text-align:left;"| Geulhemmerweg || 242 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 1000 || 6,2
|-
| 33 || style="text-align:left;"| Bemelerberg|| 250 || [[Bemelen]] ||  900 || 5,0
|-
| 34 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Cauberg]] || 255 || [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] || 1200 || 5,8
|}
{{Clear}}

===Nervous course===
The race is the Netherlands' largest professional race but is frequently criticized for the danger of its course.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Axelgaard|first1=Emil|title=Costa fights back from crash to take fourth in Amstel|url=http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/costa_fights_back_from_crash_to_take_fourth_in_amstel/|website=cyclingquotes.com|publisher=CyclingQuotes|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> The route runs on narrow roads, through often densely-populated suburbs and villages. Due to its high population density and the high cost of land, many Dutch houses do not have garages and cars are left parked in the street. Much of the course is urban, with many [[traffic calming|traffic-calming devices]] such as [[speed bumps]], pinches, [[bollards]], ramps, [[chicanes]], [[refuge island]]s and [[roundabouts]], prompting Scotland's [[Robert Millar]] to call it the ''Tour of the Roundabouts''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hood|first1=Edmond|title=PEZ Preview: Amstel Gold Race|url=http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/race_news/pez-preview-amstel-gold-race-2015/|website=pezcyclingnews.com|date=15 April 2015|publisher=PEZ|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> Crashes are common in the race.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gruber|first1=Jared|title=Fabian Cancellara closes spring campaign with a disappointing crash|url=http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8153/Fabian-Cancellara-closes-spring-campaign-with-a-disappointing-crash.aspx|website=velonation.com|publisher=VeloNation|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Joaquim Rodriguez, Andy Schleck among crash victims at Amstel Gold. Published Apr. 20, 2014|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/04/news/joaquim-rodriguez-andy-schleck-among-crash-victims-amstel-gold_324828|website=velonews.competitor.com|publisher=Velonews|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ralbjerg|first1=Jesper|title=Voeckler crashes out of Amstel Gold Race. 14.04.2013|url=http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/voeckler_crashes_out_of_amstel_gold_race/?acceptCookie=1#I5fMVALGdY04iLDH.97|website=cyclingquotes.com|publisher=CyclingQuotes|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref>

==Winners, men==
[[File:Eddy Merckx Amstel Gold Race 1975.jpg|thumb|right|[[Eddy Merckx]], in the [[rainbow jersey]], on the podium after winning the [[1975 Amstel Gold Race]].]]
[[File:Jan Raas huldiging.jpg|thumb|right|Record winner [[Jan Raas]] ''(pictured after winning the world title in 1979 in [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]])'' won the Amstel Gold Race five times.]]
[[File:Saint-Ghislain - Grand Prix Pino Cerami, 22 juillet 2015, départ (B152).JPG|thumb|right|Four-fold winner, ‘Monsieur Cauberg’ [[Philippe Gilbert]]]]
{{Cycling past winner start}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1966 Amstel Gold Race|1966]]|name={{sortname|Jean|Stablinski}}|nat=FRA|team=Ford–Hutchinson}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1967 Amstel Gold Race|1967]]|name={{sortname|Arie den|Hartog}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|Bic|1967}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1968 Amstel Gold Race|1968]]|name={{sortname|Harry|Steevens}}|nat=NED|team=Willem II–Gazelle}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1969 Amstel Gold Race|1969]]|name={{sortname|Guido|Reybrouck}}|nat=BEL|team={{UCI team code|Faemino|1970}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1970 Amstel Gold Race|1970]]|name={{sortname|Georges|Pintens}}|nat=BEL|team=Dr. Mann–Grundig}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1971 Amstel Gold Race|1971]]|name=[[Frans Verbeeck (cyclist)|Frans Verbeeck]]|nat=BEL|team=Watney–Avia}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1972 Amstel Gold Race|1972]]|name={{sortname|Walter|Planckaert}}|nat=BEL|team=Watney–Avia}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1973 Amstel Gold Race|1973]]|name={{sortname|Eddy|Merckx}}|nat=BEL|team=[[Molteni (cycling team)|Molteni]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1974 Amstel Gold Race|1974]]|name={{sortname|Gerrie|Knetemann}}|nat=NED|team=[[Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1975 Amstel Gold Race|1975]]|name={{sortname|Eddy|Merckx}}|nat=BEL|team=[[Molteni (cycling team)|Molteni]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1976 Amstel Gold Race|1976]]|name={{sortname|Freddy|Maertens}}|nat=BEL|team=[[Flandria–Velda]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1977 Amstel Gold Race|1977]]|name={{sortname|Jan|Raas}}|nat=NED|team=[[Frisol–Gazelle–Thirion]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1978 Amstel Gold Race|1978]]|name={{sortname|Jan|Raas}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|TIR|1978}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1979 Amstel Gold Race|1979]]|name={{sortname|Jan|Raas}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|TIR|1979}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1980 Amstel Gold Race|1980]]|name={{sortname|Jan|Raas}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|TIR|1980}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1981 Amstel Gold Race|1981]]|name={{sortname|Bernard|Hinault}}|nat=FRA|team=[[Renault–Elf–Gitane]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1982 Amstel Gold Race|1982]]|name={{sortname|Jan|Raas}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|TIR|1982}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1983 Amstel Gold Race|1983]]|name={{sortname|Phil|Anderson|Phil Anderson (cyclist)}}|nat=AUS|team=[[Peugeot–Shell–Michelin]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1984 Amstel Gold Race|1984]]|name={{sortname|Jacques|Hanegraaf}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|RAB|1984}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1985 Amstel Gold Race|1985]]|name={{sortname|Gerrie|Knetemann}}|nat=NED|team=[[Skil–Sem–Kas–Miko]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1986 Amstel Gold Race|1986]]|name={{sortname|Steven|Rooks}}|nat=NED|team=[[PDM–Gin MG–Ultima–Concorde]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1987 Amstel Gold Race|1987]]|name={{sortname|Joop|Zoetemelk}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|RAB|1987}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1988 Amstel Gold Race|1988]]|name={{sortname|Jelle|Nijdam}}|nat=NED|team=[[Superconfex–Yoko–Opel–Colnago]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1989 Amstel Gold Race|1989]]|name={{sortname|Eric Van|Lancker}}|nat=BEL|team=[[Panasonic–Isostar–Colnago–Agu]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1990 Amstel Gold Race|1990]]|name={{sortname|Adri van der|Poel}}|nat=NED|team=Weinmann–SMM Uster–Merckx}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1991 Amstel Gold Race|1991]]|name={{sortname|Frans|Maassen}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|RAB|1991}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1992 Amstel Gold Race|1992]]|name={{sortname|Olaf|Ludwig}}|nat=GER|team=[[Panasonic–Sportlife]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1993 Amstel Gold Race|1993]]|name={{sortname|Rolf|Järmann||Jarmann, Rolf}}|nat=SUI|team=[[Ariostea (cycling team)|Ariostea]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1994 Amstel Gold Race|1994]]|name={{sortname|Johan|Museeuw}}|nat=BEL|team=[[GB–MG Maglificio–Bianchi]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1995 Amstel Gold Race|1995]]|name={{sortname|Mauro|Gianetti}}|nat=SUI|team=[[Polti–Vaporetto]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1996 Amstel Gold Race|1996]]|name={{sortname|Stefano|Zanini}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|GEW|1996}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1997 Amstel Gold Race|1997]]|name={{sortname|Bjarne|Riis}}|nat=DEN|team={{UCI team code|THR|1997}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1998 Amstel Gold Race|1998]]|name={{sortname|Rolf|Järmann||Jarmann, Rolf}}|nat=SUI|team={{UCI team code|ALM|1998}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[1999 Amstel Gold Race|1999]]|name={{sortname|Michael|Boogerd}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|RAB|1999}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2000 Amstel Gold Race|2000]]|name={{sortname|Erik|Zabel}}|nat=GER|team={{UCI team code|THR|2000}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2001 Amstel Gold Race|2001]]|name={{sortname|Erik|Dekker}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|RAB|2001}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2002 Amstel Gold Race|2002]]|name={{sortname|Michele|Bartoli}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|FAS|2002}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2003 Amstel Gold Race|2003]]|name={{sortname|Alexander|Vinokourov}}|nat=KAZ|team={{UCI team code|THR|2003}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2004 Amstel Gold Race|2004]]|name={{sortname|Davide|Rebellin}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|GST}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2005 Amstel Gold Race|2005]]|name={{sortname|Danilo|Di Luca}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|LIQ|2005}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2006 Amstel Gold Race|2006]]|name={{sortname|Fränk|Schleck||Schleck, Frank}}|nat=LUX|team={{UCI team code|SAX|2006}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2007 Amstel Gold Race|2007]]|name={{sortname|Stefan|Schumacher}}|nat=GER|team={{UCI team code|GST}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2008 Amstel Gold Race|2008]]|name={{sortname|Damiano|Cunego}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|LAM|2008}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2009 Amstel Gold Race|2009]]|name={{sortname|Serguei|Ivanov}}|nat=RUS|team={{UCI team code|KAT|2009}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2010 Amstel Gold Race|2010]]|name={{sortname|Philippe|Gilbert}}|nat=BEL|team={{UCI team code|SIL|2010}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2011 Amstel Gold Race|2011]]|name={{sortname|Philippe|Gilbert}}|nat=BEL|team={{UCI team code|LOT|2011}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2012 Amstel Gold Race|2012]]|name={{sortname|Enrico|Gasparotto}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|AST|2012}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2013 Amstel Gold Race|2013]]|name={{sortname|Roman|Kreuziger}}|nat=CZE|team={{UCI team code|SAX|2013}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2014 Amstel Gold Race|2014]]|name={{sortname|Philippe|Gilbert}}|nat=BEL|team={{UCI team code|BMC|2014}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2015 Amstel Gold Race|2015]]|name={{sortname|Michał|Kwiatkowski}}|nat=POL|team={{UCI team code|EQS|2015}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2016 Amstel Gold Race|2016]]|name={{sortname|Enrico|Gasparotto}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|WGG|2016}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2017 Amstel Gold Race|2017]]|name={{sortname|Philippe|Gilbert}}|nat=BEL|team={{UCI team code|QST|2017}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2018 Amstel Gold Race|2018]]|name={{sortname|Michael|Valgren}}|nat=DEN|team={{UCI team code|AST|2018}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2019 Amstel Gold Race|2019]]|name={{sortname|Mathieu|van der Poel}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|COC|2019}}}}
{{Cycling pw no race|year=2020|reason=[[COVID-19 pandemic]]}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2021 Amstel Gold Race|2021]]|name={{sortname|Wout|van Aert}}|nat=BEL|team={{UCI team code|TJV|2021}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2022 Amstel Gold Race|2022]]|name={{sortname|Michał|Kwiatkowski}}|nat=POL|team={{UCI team code|IGD|2022}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=[[2023 Amstel Gold Race|2023]]|name={{sortname|Tadej|Pogačar}}|nat=SLO|team={{UCI team code|UAE|2023}}}}
{{Cycling past winner end}}

===Multiple winners===
''Riders in italics are still active.''

{| class="wikitable"
! Wins || Rider || Editions
|-
| align=center | '''5''' || {{flagathlete|[[Jan Raas]]|NED}} || [[1977 Amstel Gold Race|1977]], [[1978 Amstel Gold Race|1978]], [[1979 Amstel Gold Race|1979]], [[1980 Amstel Gold Race|1980]], [[1982 Amstel Gold Race|1982]]
|-
| align=center | '''4''' ||{{flagathlete|[[Philippe Gilbert]]|BEL}} || [[2010 Amstel Gold Race|2010]], [[2011 Amstel Gold Race|2011]], [[2014 Amstel Gold Race|2014]], [[2017 Amstel Gold Race|2017]]
|-
| align=center rowspan= 5 | '''2''' || {{flagathlete|[[Eddy Merckx]]|BEL}} || [[1973 Amstel Gold Race|1973]], [[1975 Amstel Gold Race|1975]]
|-
| {{flagathlete|[[Gerrie Knetemann]]|NED}} || [[1974 Amstel Gold Race|1974]], [[1985 Amstel Gold Race|1985]]
|-
| {{flagathlete|[[Rolf Järmann]]|SUI}} || [[1993 Amstel Gold Race|1993]], [[1998 Amstel Gold Race|1998]]
|-
| {{flagathlete|[[Enrico Gasparotto]]|ITA}} || [[2012 Amstel Gold Race|2012]], [[2016 Amstel Gold Race|2016]]
|-
|''{{flagathlete|[[Michał Kwiatkowski]]|POL}}'' || [[2015 Amstel Gold Race|2015]], [[2022 Amstel Gold Race|2022]]
|-
|}

===Wins per country===
{| class="wikitable"
! Wins || Country
|-
| align=center | 18|| {{NED}}
|-
| align=center | 14|| {{BEL}}
|-
| align=center | 7|| {{ITA}}
|-
| align=center | 3|| {{GER}}<br> {{SUI}}
|-
| align=center | 2|| {{DEN}}<br>  {{FRA}}<br>{{POL}}
|-
| align=center | 1|| {{AUS}}<br>{{CZE}}<br>{{KAZ}}<br>{{LUX}}<br>{{RUS}}<br>{{SLO}}
|}

==Women's race==
{{main|Amstel Gold Race (women's race)}}

[[File:Anna van der Breggen - Rio 2016 - Women's road race (29178482255) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|[[Anna van der Breggen]] won the women's [[2017 Amstel Gold Race (Women)|reboot edition]] in 2017.]]

From 2001 to 2003, three editions of the Amstel Gold Race for elite women were held. In 2003, it was part of the [[UCI Women's Road World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Jeff|title=38th Amstel Gold Race – World Cup status for women's Amstel|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2003/worldcup03/amstel03/|website=autobus.cyclingnews.com|publisher=CyclingNews|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> The race started in Maastricht 30 minutes after the men's. It was run over 114&nbsp;km, taking in nine climbs and similarly finishing on top of the Cauberg.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Jeff|title=38th Amstel Gold Race – CDM. Nicole Cooke holds off charging peloton|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2003/worldcup03/amstel03/?id=resultsw|website=CyclingNews|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> The race was discontinued after the third edition, because organization on the same day and on largely the same roads as the men's race was considered too difficult on the irregular circuits.{{refn|group=N|The 2003 women's race almost clashed with the men's}}

After a 14-year hiatus, the women's race returned in 2017, organized on the same day as the men's race at approximately half the distance.<ref name="VN"/> Likewise, the race starts in [[Maastricht]] and finishes in [[Vilt]]/ [[Berg en Terblijt]], [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]]. It features 17 categorized climbs, including four ascents of the [[Cauberg]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/10/news/amstel-gold-adds-womens-event-cauberg-finale_422179|title=Amstel Gold adds women's event with Cauberg finale|access-date=3 October 2016|archive-date=4 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004171251/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/10/news/amstel-gold-adds-womens-event-cauberg-finale_422179|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=O'Shea|first1=Sadhbh|title=Amstel Gold Race Women – Preview|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/amstel-gold-race-women-2017/preview/|website=[[Cyclingnews]]|date=13 April 2017|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> Olympic road race champion [[Anna van der Breggen]] won the race with an attack at 8&nbsp;km from the finish.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Braverman|first1=Jessi|title=Van der Breggen wins women's Amstel Gold Race|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/amstel-gold-race-women-2017/results/|website=Cyclingnews|date=16 April 2017|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>

==Cyclosportive==
Since 2001 there is a [[Cyclosportive]] Amstel Gold Race, organized annually on the day before the professional event. Cycling fanatics and recreational bike riders can ride trajectories of 60, 100, 125, 150, 200 or 240&nbsp;km. Every distance finishes on the location of the professional race, immediately after the climb of the Cauberg.<ref>{{cite web|title=Information Amstel Gold Race Tour version|url=http://www.amstel.nl/evenementen/amstelgoldrace/toer/informatie|website=amstel.com|publisher=Amstel|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> The number of participants is restricted to 12,000, in order to secure riders' safety. In 2009 the official website crashed, because of a run on the tickets. In 2010 all 12,000 tickets were sold in just 38 minutes.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=N}}

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}
* {{note|Trouw}} Graat, John (April 16, 2005). ''De Gold Race is allang geen 'poenkoers' meer''. Trouw (newspaper), p.&nbsp;21.

==External links==
{{commons category|Amstel Gold Race}}
* {{official website|http://www.amstel.nl/}}
* [http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/retro/retro_voorjaarsklassiekers/retro_agr Recaps of all Amstel Gold Races since 1974 (Flemish television)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523133056/http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/retro/retro_voorjaarsklassiekers/retro_agr |date=2018-05-23 }}
* {{Cycling archives race|9}}

{{Amstel Gold Race}}
{{UCI World Tour}}
{{UCI ProTour}}
{{Classic cycle races}}

[[Category:Amstel Gold Race| ]]
[[Category:Classic cycle races]]
[[Category:Super Prestige Pernod races]]
[[Category:UCI ProTour races]]
[[Category:UCI Road World Cup races]]
[[Category:UCI World Tour races]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1966]]
[[Category:1966 establishments in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Cycle races in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Cycling in Limburg (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:Cycling in Valkenburg aan de Geul]]
[[Category:Sports competitions in Maastricht]]
[[Category:South Limburg (Netherlands)]]
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