Amstel Gold Race

Alejandro Valverde will try and complete a brilliant comeback to racing in 2018 after his injury in last year’s TDF, seeking for victory in the only race of the ‘hills trilogy’ that’s still missing in his palmarès. The marvel from Murcia has got three podium finishes, yet no wins so far, in the Amstel Gold Race, whose main modification for 2018 will come at the end: the Cauberg had already been left off the final loop around the finish in 2017 (contrary to the women’s race), but this year, the finale will be even more difficult, twisty and narrow, trying –as explained by the organisers– to make the chase by the bunch harder and improve chances of a winning attack.

The Amstel Gold still remains ferociously hard, with 35 small climbs and 262km from Maastricht to the fields near Valkenburg, one of Europe’s biggest pro cycling capitals. The finish zone will be tackled really soon by the peloton -the first ascent to the Cauberg is faced after 52.5km-, riders then going for a longer loop before getting back to Valkenburg with 85km to go, and starting the toughest ascents of the day. The Loorberg (-54km), the Eyserbosweg (-37km) and the Keutenberg (-28km), the latter containing slopes near 20%, will all leave its mark.

The last time up the Cauberg will come with 18km to go. After that, the Geulhemmerberg (-13km) and the Bemelerberg (-7 km) will be covered before starting that new, lumpy zone towards the finish in Berg en Terblijt – a long, flat straight used regularly since the 2012 Worlds finished there.