Next Spring Classic: Amstel Gold Race

After the E3 Velotour and the Ronde van Vlaanderen I managed to secure a last-minute ticket for another classic tour this weekend: the Amstel Gold Race in Valkenburg/Maastricht, Holland. It will be my third participation in the event after 2004 and 2005. I like the route as a perfect training opportunity. The most popular distance of 150 km has about 13 official hills with the Keutenberg at the end as the steepest and best known. The finish is also atop the Cauberg, but that hill is seriously overrated. The difference between Amstel and Flanders is the fact that there are no cobblestones and that the hills are on average slightly longer.

Unfortunately, there is (again) a considerable chance for wet conditions and I haven't fully recovered from my cold yet. But with the first real race around the corner in Göttingen next weekend, we need to put in some mileage now.