Five Dutch riders will start for Skil-Shimano in the Amstel Gold Race. The five riders will be Maarten Den Bakker, Floris Goesinnen, Piet Rooijakkers, Maarten Tjallingii and Aart Vierhouten. The team will be completed by the German riders Christoph Meschenmoser and Paul Martens and the Japanese rider Yukihiro Doi who already performed well this season in Tour of Siam, Tour de Langkawi and Circuit de la Sarthe.
The most experienced rider in the team is Maarten Den Bakker. He finished second in the Amstel Gold Race in 1998 and fourth in 1999. Floris Goesinnen, last weekend the top-placing Dutch rider, 31st, in Paris-Roubaix, and Christoph Meschenmoser will make their debuts in the major Dutch classic.
