Amstel Gold Race (women's race)

{{Infobox cycling race

| name = Amstel Gold Race

| current_event =

| image =File:Amstel Gold Race logo.svg

| image_caption =

| date = Mid April

| region = Limburg, Netherlands

| english =

| localnames =

| nickname =

| discipline = Road

| competition = UCI Women's World Tour (since 2017)

| type = One-day race, Ardennes classic

| organiser = Flanders Classics

| director =

| first = {{start date|2001}}

| number = 11 (as of 2025)

| final =

| firstwinner = {{flagathlete|Debby Mansveld|NED}}

| mostwins = {{flagathlete|Marianne Vos|NED}} (2 wins)

| mostrecent = {{flagathlete|Mischa Bredewold|NED}}

}}

The Amstel Gold Race is a one-day classic road cycling race held annually in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Held in mid-April on the same day as the men's event, the race starts in Maastricht and finishes in Berg en Terblijt, Valkenburg.{{Cite web |title=Amstel Gold Race - Amstel |url=https://www.amstel.nl/amstelgoldrace |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=www.amstel.nl}} It features 21 categorized climbs, including four ascents of the Cauberg.{{Cite web |title=Route vrouwen - Amstel |url=https://www.amstel.nl/amstelgoldrace/wedstrijd/wedstrijd-vrouwen/route-vrouwen |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=www.amstel.nl}}

The race is the first of three Ardennes classics along with the Belgian La Flèche Wallonne Féminine and Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes.

History

=Pioneering years=

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.{{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/|work=CyclingNews|access-date=28 November 2015}} The race started in Maastricht 30 minutes after the men's. It was run over {{Convert|114|km|mi}}, taking in nine climbs and similarly finishing on top of the Cauberg.{{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|work=CyclingNews|access-date=28 November 2015}} 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.

=Holland Hills Classic=

During the discontinuation of the Amstel Gold race for women, another women's elite professional cycling race, the Holland Hills Classic, was held in Limburg. The first years the race was held in August,{{cite web|title=Gulpen Hills Classic |url=http://www.gulpen-wittem.nl/internet/nieuws_3259/item/gulpen-hills-classic_4845.html|publisher=Gulpen-Wittem.nl|access-date=19 April 2018}} before moving to the spring in 2011. It had a similar route as the Amstel Gold Race and, likewise, finished in Berg en Terblijt, Valkenburg.{{cite web|title=Emma Johansson wins Boels Rental Hills Classic 2014|url=http://www.cyclingfever.com/video.html?detp=view&video_idd=MTIwNTI=|publisher=Cyclingfever.com|access-date=19 April 2018}} It was organized by the Stichting Holland Ladies Tour, which also organizes the Holland Ladies Tour. The race was a 1.1 UCI event and was discontinued after the 2016 edition when it became apparent there would be a rebooted Amstel Gold Race in 2017.{{cite web|title=Boels trekt stekker uit Hills Classic|url=http://www.1limburg.nl/boels-trekt-stekker-uit-hills-classic|publisher=1Limburg.nl|access-date=19 April 2018|language=nl}} Marianne Vos won the event three times in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

= Reboot of race =

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

The Amstel Gold Race was rebooted in 2017 after a 14-year hiatus, with the race part of the UCI Women's World Tour. Olympic road race champion Anna van der Breggen won the 2017 edition with an attack at 8 km from the finish.{{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/ |access-date=14 April 2018 |website=Cyclingnews |publisher=Immediate Media Company}} Van der Breggen followed up this victory with wins in La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, making her the first woman to win the Ardennes triple.

In winning the 2018 race, Chantal Blaak became the first rider to take victory in the legendary rainbow jersey of the reigning world champion.{{cite web |title=Chantal Blaak wins women's Amstel Gold Race |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/amstel-gold-race-women-2018/results/ |access-date=15 April 2018 |website=Cyclingnews |publisher=Immediate Media Company}}

The 2021 edition was won by Marianne Vos, who had previously won the Holland Hills Classic three times.

Demi Vollering won the 2023 edition on the way to becoming the second rider after Anna van der Breggen to claim the Ardennes triple. This marked the second year in a row where a rider won both the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne after Marta Cavalli took back-to-back victories in 2022.

Marianne Vos became the first two-time Amstel Gold Race winner after claiming victory in an incident-packed 2024 edition. After 46 kilometres, the race was paused following a road traffic accident ahead on the course involving a police motorbike. Due to the lengthy neutralisation, three laps of the finishing circuit were removed, leading the race to be restarted with just {{Convert|54|km|mi}} remaining. A large group came to the finish for a bunch sprint where Lorena Wiebes threw her arms up in celebration only for Vos to pip her with a bike throw to the line.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-14 |title=Amstel Gold Race report: Vos wins shortened race after Wiebes celebrates early |url=https://escapecollective.com/amstel-gold-race-report-vos-wins-shortened-race-after-wiebes-celebrates-early/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Escape Collective |language=en}}

Route

The race is run entirely within the boundaries of Dutch Limburg, starting in the city of Maastricht and finishing in Berg en Terblijt, 1.8 kilometres from the top of the Cauberg.

As of the 2025 edition, the race is {{Convert|157|km|mi}} in length.

There are 21 categorised climbs on the route, including four ascents of the iconic Cauberg which features as part of an 18-kilometre circuit around Valkenburg along with the Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg climbs. The final lap takes a slightly different route between the final ascents of the Bemelerberg and the Cauberg, following the route the men's race has taken in recent years over the narrow Mathieu van der Poel Allee.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" \|+ Categorised climbs in the 2025 Amstel Gold Race
Number !Name !Location !Length (m) !Gradient
1 \|Maasberg \|Elsloo \|600 \|3.9%
2 \|Adsteeg \|Beek \|500 \|5.4%
3 \|Bergseweg \|Voerendaal \|2700 \|3.3%
4 \|Korenweg \|Ubachsberg \|300 \|8.6%
5 \|Nijswillerweg \|Nijswiller \|1000 \|3.4%
6 \|Kruisberg \|Wahlwiller \|800 \|7.5%
7 \|Eyserbosweg \|Eys \|1100 \|8.1%
8 \|Fromberg \|Voerendaal \|1600 \|4%
9 \|Keutenberg \|Schin op Geul \|700 \|9.4%
10, 13, 16, 19 \|Geulhemmerberg \|Berg en Terblijt \|1000 \|6.2%
11, 14, 17, 20 \|Bemelerberg \|Bemelen \|900 \|5%
12, 15, 18, 21 \|Cauberg \|Valkenburg \|1200 \|5.8%

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Categorised climbs in the 2025 Amstel Gold Race

Number

!Name

!Location

!Length (m)

!Gradient

|Maasberg

|Elsloo

|600

|3.9%

|Adsteeg