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Women’s Amstel Gold Race lengthened by 30km and made tougher

Soraya Paladin, Marta Bastianelli, Annemiek Van Vleuten AGR 19

The 2023 edition of Amstel Gold Race is due to take place on 16th April and is set to be tougher than ever before for the women’s race. Announced by the race organisation today, the women’s course will be 30km longer than previous editions. The race returned to the women’s calendar in 2017 after a hiatus since 2003. There were originally 3 editions held before a long gap until 2017’s edition won by Anna van der Breggen. Since then, Marianne Vos, Kasia Niewiadoma and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak added themselves to the winners list, with Marta Cavalli joining them last year.

“The race will be extended to a total length of 156 kilometres. A consequence of the development of women’s cycling. You see that nowadays more and more big races are over 140 kilometres. In addition, various top riders from the peloton have also asked if we could make the race a little longer.

The course is not only getting longer, but also tougher. Three additional climbs brings the total to 21 climbs and the amount of elevation rises to 1,700m. In the initial phase, we will make an extra loop towards Sittard-Geleen. From Ubachsberg the peloton rides to Simpelveld and Wahlwiller, where the Kruisberg, Eyserbosweg, Fromberg and Keutenberg are successively visited. The well-known final loop of 18 kilometres with the Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg and Cauberg will be ridden four times instead of three from 2023.”

Leontien van Moorsel, course director of the women’s edition of the Amstel Gold Race

“It was quite a puzzle to solve, but we are proud that we succeeded. Of course we have to ensure that the two races do not run into each other, but we also have to take into account, for example, the number of passages in Valkenburg and the live TV broadcast. As a result, this year, for the first time, women start earlier than men. In addition, the men also make the extra loop towards Sittard-Geleen and the first passage of the Cauberg is cancelled. The final of the Amstel Gold Race remains the same.”

Leo van Vliet, course director of the men’s race: