Skip to main content

Amstel Gold Race 2017

Refresh

Good morning, happy Easter Sunday, and a very warm welcome to the Cyclingnews live race centre, where today we’ll be bringing you full live coverage of the 2017 edition of the Amstel Gold Race.

Start time: 10:20 CET

Preview podcast

Cauberg demoted

To win the Amstel Gold Race you need to have the climbing legs to absorb the 35 climbs that line the route, the punch to attack or follow attacks on the most important of those climbs, and the kick to finish it all off. We've picked out 10 riders who can do just that today. 

A shot of the podium in Maastricht's square from our friends at Sporza. It's an overcast and slightly chilly out there. 

And they're off!

It's not just the men's race on the menu today; after a 14-year hiatus, the women's Amstel Gold Race is back on the calendar, meaning that, with the introduction of a women's Liege-Bastogne-Liege, there's a full Ardennes programme equal to that of the men.

The flag has dropped and the race is officially underway. Now to see who wants to make it into the break. 

Three riders have clipped off the front. For now they have a slim advantage. 

Three more bridge to the leaders to make six out front, including Lars Boom and Stijn Vandenbergh. But there are others who don't want to miss out, and another group has clipped off in pursuit. 

The women's race has just rolled out.

The six chasers joined up with the leaders to make a group of 12 out front, and that looks like our break of the day, with a decent advantage over the peloton being opened up already. We'll get the full list of names to you shortly. 

Here's the make-up of the 12-rider breakaway

Big blow for Swift and UAE. They also have Diego Ulissi and Rui Costa in their ranks today. 

The leaders currently have a buffer of around 3:30 on the peloton.

Michael Matthews is the bookies’ favourite. The Australian is a class act but will be feeling the need to start building a one-day palmares that his talent merits. With the punch to follow pretty much any move and one of the strongest sprints in today’s peloton, he has all the ingredients, and has been close here in the past, with 5th last year and 3rd the year before. He’s in fine form after winning a stage at Pais Vasco and, moreover, at new team Sunweb he’s free from the shackles of that often counter-productive relationship with Simon Gerrans.

The lead has swelled out to 7:30 as Lotto Soudal and Sunweb take the reins in the bunch. 

In the women's race, we have two riders out front: Marta Tagliaferro (Cylance) and Sara Mustonen (Veloconcept). They have a lead of around 45 seconds with three of the 17 climbs already ticked off. 

We're a shade over an hour into the race with 45km and four climbs already on the clock. The first appearance of the Cauberg is coming soon, after 55 kilometres, and shortly afterwards the riders will cross the finish line for the first time before setting out on the first of a couple of different loops. 

Here's a first shot of the breakaway crossing the finish line for the first time. 8 minutes the gap. 

Alejandro Valverde is literally odds-on to win Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday. Crazy. He has never won Amstel, but everything he has touched so far this season has turned to, well, Gold. He’d sure like to complete the Ardennes bingo card today, even if he's not best pleased about the new course. More on that here:

It's all kicking off in the women's race with 50-odd kilometres on the clock. Tagliaferro and Mustonen were caught after the Bergseweg, but since then the peloton has split, with two big groups and a few smaller ones out on the road. 

182km remaining from 264km

Bahrain-Merida haven’t won much this season but they boast an exciting line-up here, including defending champion Enrico Gasparotto and bang-in-form Sonny Colbrelli. Indeed, Gaspa may find himself acting merely as a foil for his compatriot, who won a stage at Paris-Nice last month before impressing at the cobbled classics and then confirming his step up this year with a quality win from a reduced group at Brabantse Pijl. On paper, he’s one of the fastest in the field, and he proved at Brabantse and on the cobbles that he can climb and he can race. Hopes are high for the Italian.

165km remaining from 264km

Speaking of Lotto Soudal, one comforting constant in this ever-changing world is that Tim Wellens will embark on unlikely attacking foray in the Ardennes. Recent years may have favoured the cautious over the adventurous, but one day it will happen, Tim, and the joke will be on everyone else.

Grellier needs a wheel change after a puncture but shouldn't have too much of a problem joining back up with the breakaway. 

As the men's race remains calm for now, it's anything but for the women. That 35-strong front peloton has split to smithereens over the Cauberg, and a group including Van der Breggen, Blaak, Deignan, Longo-Borghini, Rivera, Ferrand-Prevot, and Niewiadoma (a bloody strong group, then), is off the front. But it looks like more riders are joining and the situation is changing all the time.

Another note on the women's race as Amy Pieters, Audrey Cordon open a gap. Roxane Knetemann has joined them, so we have a leading trio with a gap of around 30 seconds. 25km to go. 

Nice shot of the race from one of our photographers, Tim de Waele. 

138km remaining from 264km

In the women's race we have a new leading trio after the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg. It's Deignan, Longo-Borghini and Niewiadoma up front, with a lead of 25 seconds over a diminished front group heading into the final 15km.

130km remaining from 264km

In the women's race Annemiek Van Vleuten has attacked from the chase group and has made it up to the leaders, dragging Van der Breggen and Rivera with her. So there are six up front with 7.5 to go. And now Van der Breggen attacks and goes solo. Who's going to take responsibility to shut it down?

Philippe Gilbert and Michael Valgren among the riders who hit the deck, but the Tour of Flanders champ and last year's Amstel runner-up are back in the peloton now. 

It's looking good for Van der Breggen in the women's race with a sizeable lead and just 3km to go. The chase has hardly been a strong one - Deignan wasn't going to work, and Rivera simply left it to the others. Just over 2km to go as they go over the Cauberg for the final time. 

Rivera and Van Vleuten dropped. This is now a race for second between Deignan, Longo-Borghini, and Niewiadoma. 

Anna Van der Breggen wins the women's Amstel Gold Race

Back in the men's race and the gap to the 12 leaders is starting to come down now. 5:30 is the current buffer with around 115km left to race. 

We've just covered the 18th climb of the day, the Gulpenberg, meaning we're just over half-way through the climbs on today's menu. 

Crash for Benoot, who has a teammate to help him back to the peloton.

100km remaining from 264km

90km remaining from 264km

Can Philippe Gilbert make the same impact in the Ardennes as he did on the cobbles? What a spring the former world champion has had, winning the Tour of Flanders after moving to QuickStep to focus on the cobbled classics for the first time in years, and now he reaches the races that have bought him most success over the years in his best form since he won the Worlds back in 2012. The Belgian has won Amstel three times (2010, 2011, 2014) and has to be considered among the top bracket of favourites.

Cauberg time for our leaders. Stalnov leads the way.

Lars Boom leads the break over the finish line for the second time. The peloton is on the Cauberg, lined with fans as always. 

A couple of attacks towards the top of the Cauberg. A rider from Roompot kicks it off and a Bora rider jumps across before a number of teams throw riders up to mark the move. 

83km remaining from 264km

Sam Oomen takes a heavy tumble. The young rider could be an important rider for Matthews today, and that crash shouldn't hold him back as he makes his way up through the cars now. 

77km remaining from 264km

74km remaining from 264km

72km remaining from 264km

69km remaining from 264km

BMC are piling it on here. A hard, exacting race would suit Van Avermaet and he's clearly told his troops to soften everyone else up.

65km remaining from 264km

Rui Costa is off the back. Not sure what happened to him but he's in the cars making use of a couple of sticky bottles to get back to the bunch. 

62km remaining from 264km

There are still over 5km before the next climb - the second ascent of the Loorberg. After that there's a 10km gap before the second time up the Gulpenberg before the Kruisberg. And that's where this race could really kick off, with the Eyserbosweg, Fromberg, and Keutenberg following in quick succession, before it's time for the final time up the Cauberg and penultimate time across the finish line for the race's denouement. 

57km remaining from 264km

56km remaining from 264km

Albanese is the next rider to go as the break hits the Loorberg, the 27th climb of the day. 

Grellier leads the race while the attacks continue in the break behind. But the peloton are now just 20 seconds behind. 

51km remaining from 264km

48km remaining from 264km

46km remaining from 264km

44km remaining from 264km

20 seconds over the top of the climb for Grellier as the peloton enjoys a moment of relative calm. 

41km remaining from 264km

The pace ramps up once more in the peloton. Positioning on approach to the Kruisberg, with a tight left-hander, is going to be important. 

40km remaining from 264km

Sergio Henao leads through that left-hander and he leads the bunch onto the Kruisberg. 

It's 800m at 8.5%

Benoot attacks. Gilbert follows.

Henao also marks the move as Bert van Lindeman and Michael Albasini come up now. 

Gilbert went early time and again over the cobbled classics, and that front group of six have opened up a very handy lead here. 

Nathan Haas is the other rider in this front group of six.

Where is Greg Van Avermaet? The Belgian has hardly put a foot wrong all spring, but he missed the boat when QuickStep went on the Muur at Flanders, and Gilbert went on to win the race. More work to do for the BMC men, then.

Ion Izaguirre and JJ Rojas bridge up to the six leaders to make eight. 

37km remaining from 264km

A panicked look on the face of Van Avermaet in the chasing pack. Worrying times for Belgian. 

Izaguirre comes to the front of the leading group. Great work from Bahrain to get him in there, with Colbrelli in the group behind. 

This is a really dangerous move. The gap isn't huge but the group behind has thinned out massively, though the main pack of riders is getting back on to aid the chase. 

33km remaining from 264km

Time for the Fromberg now. 16 seconds the gap.

So, out front we have:

It was a mechanical that disrupted Benoot's progress. A shame, since the young Belgian was the man who lit this race up for the first time. 

Wellens attacks. All is right with the world. 

Kreuziger and Gasparotto, two former winners, have crashed heavily. That's game over for them. 

29km remaining from 264km

The chasing pack is closing in now. Less than 10 seconds is the gap.

Kwiatkowski is alongside Van Avermaet and the Pole accelerates away. He's looking very strong and could make it up to the front of the race. 

Kwiatkowski makes it over. Van Avermaet couldn't get on board. Meanwhile Lindeman has been dropped from that lead group. 

Van Avermaet forced to chase. He's in a group of four with Valverde, who hasn't come through for a turn yet, along with Fabio Felline and Tim Wellens. 

27km remaining from 264km

Michael Matthews finds himself in a small group, the third group on the road.

Correction. It's Warren Barguil in that third group - not Matthews. He's with Rui Costa and Bob Jungels, and they're closing in on the Valverde/Van Avermaet/Wellens/Felline group.

That trio joins up with Van Avermaet et al, so we now have a proper chase group of seven riders. They're fighting against the lead group of seven, and the gap is currently 15 seconds. 

23km remaining from 264km

23km remaining from 264km

You can see the situation over on the right of your screen, but here's how it stands. 

19km remaining from 264km

The Kwiatkowski/Gilbert leading group extend their advantage on the climb. It's looking pretty good for them. 

In the main pack Sunweb gather on the front before Matthews decides it's time for him to strike out and set about clawing himself back into contention. 

16km remaining from 264km

The main peloton of around 30 riders crosses the line. They're 1:05 down on the front of the race, and it seems two of the top favourites, Matthews and Colbrelli, won't be contesting the victory today. 

13km remaining from 264km

Comeback?

Valverde attacks! The Spaniard has Rojas up the road but is still keen to be up there himself. 

The Valverde attack is short-lived. 

Gilbert doing plenty of work up front. Henao also chipping in with big pulls. Sky are the only team here with two riders - it'll be interesting to see how they play this one tactically. 

10km remaining from 264km

Cannondale hit the front in what's left of the main pack. They're 1:20 in arrears, though, and that looks like a futile effort. 

Van Avermaet looks tired as he takes a turn on the front, being forced to do the bulk of the work. The gap is back up at 45 seconds, and surely our winner will come from the front group of seven.

8km remaining from 264km

Haas leads the group onto the Bemeleberg.

Kwiatkowski accelerates!

Gilbert is onto the wheel, but Kwiatkowski drives again. 

Small cracks but no splits for now. It looks like Kwiatkowski and Gilbert are the strongest out there.

Gilbert attacks now!

Kwiatkowski goes with him, and the duo have a gap.

5km remaining from 264km

And now Haas goes. Great acceleration from the Australian, but he locks up and can't quite finish it off. 

4km remaining from 264km

The main pack catches the Van Avermaet chase group, but that matters little at this point. Gilbert and Kwiatkowski have 13 seconds!

Rojas doesn't want to take a turn, Haas looks round for a hand, Albasini gives a half-hearted dig. 

3km remaining from 264km

2km remaining from 264km

1km remaining from 264km

Gilbert adjusts his shoes. Here we go.

The cat and mouse begins as Gilbert is on the front and Kwiatkowsi refuses to comes through. 

Kwiatkowski remains locked on the wheel as Gilbert swerves across the road.

Kwiatkowski is just off the wheel but they're still soft-pedalling

Now Kwiatkowski opens it up!

Strong acceleration, but Gilbert is coming back...

Gilbert takes it!

Philippe Gilbert wins the Amstel Gold Race!

Wow. Kwiatkowski produced a strong sprint but it was perhaps a touch early, as Gilbert managed to get back on terms, and Kwiatkowski had nothing left when the Belgian came past. 

The Philippe Gilbert renaissance continues apace. Remarkable stuff.

Albasini won the sprint for third place in the group behind. 

Top 10

Gilbert speaks to the TV cameras ahead of his trip to the podoium

Gilbert wins the bike race, then wins the beer drinking contest, seeing off his Amstel on the podium in half the time of Kwiatkowski and Albasini.

Four times a winner at the Amstel Gold Race

Here's our full report, with full results and plenty of photos for you.

Want to see exactly how that played out? We've already got video highlights for you.

We've also got a full report, results, and photos from the women's Amstel Gold Race, which took place earlier today. Here it is:

That's it for our live coverage today. And what a day it was. Amstel genuinely produced a quality race. With this latest route change, you could say the organisers have struck... gold (Sorry, that's what nine hours of live blogging does to you). 

Latest on Cyclingnews