The Amstel Gold Race kicks off the week dedicated to the Ardennes. Fantacycling is offering two very special leagues, which you can find in the dedicated section of our app. The Ardennes League, which includes Amstel, Flèche, and Liège, and the Liège League next Sunday. There are fantastic prizes up for grabs for the best, and the usual badge for the top 100!

The Amstel Gold Race is one of the most fascinating classics on the international calendar, as well as the only major classic held in the Netherlands. Part of the Ardennes trilogy, along with Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège , this race is distinguished by a winding course, full of ups and downs and devoid of long flat sections, testing endurance, explosiveness, and tactical ability.

The Amstel Gold Race, nearly 260 km long, winds through the Limburg region, starting in Maastricht and finishing near Valkenburg. The route is famous for its numerous "walls," a total of 33 short but steep climbs that follow one another relentlessly.

Among the key points of the route are the Cauberg , a climb that is a symbol of the race and often decisive in the final stages (the last pass is less than 3 km from the finish line), the Keutenberg , one of the toughest sections, with gradients exceeding 20%, and the Bemelerberg , often included in the final kilometres, ideal for decisive attacks.

In recent years, the organization has modified the finish to make it more open and spectacular: the finish is no longer placed immediately after the Cauberg, favoring attacks from afar and arrivals in small groups.

This year's edition looks particularly open, with several riders capable of competing for victory.

The most anticipated name is Remco Evenepoel, who came very close to victory last year and was capable of making the difference with long-distance attacks. Mattias Skjelmose, after his sensational victory in 2025, will be looking to repeat his feat. Alongside him are several interesting riders, although some notable absences are notable: for example, Del Toro, Pidcock, and Healy, who were scheduled to race the Amstel, will be missing.

Possible outsiders include explosive and resilient riders such as Benoît Cosnefroy, already second in the past, Kevin Vauquelin, Quinten Hermans, Paul Lapeira, Romain Gregoire, Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson.

For a possible arrival of a small group, the possible names are Christophe Laporte, excellent during the Northern campaign, Dorian Godon, and Alex Aranburu.

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