The Amstel Gold Race heralds the end of springs cobbled classics and the start of the hillier Ardennes one-day races. Amstel takes place in the Limburg region in the south of the Netherlands and forms part of the Ardennes triptych of races that includes La Fleche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
This year's Amstel Gold Races take place on Sunday April 20. Both men's and women's races start in Maastricht near the Belgian border, and finish just 17 kilometres to the east in Valkenburg. The men cover 256kms and 34 named climbs - or Hellingen in Dutch - while the women cover 157kms and 22 climbs.
Despite that amount of climbing, and its place among the Ardennes races, Amstel Gold is something of a transitional classic and has been won by cobbled specialists and Grand Tour winners alike. Recent editions have been won by Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel as well as Tadej Pogačar. Similarly the women's race has been won by Marianne Vos and Demi Vollering.
Both races are WorldTour events (the only men's WorldTour event in the Netherlands) and are based on a circuit that includes the iconic climb of the Cauberg, just outside of Valkenburg. The men climb the Cauberg three times, while the women climb it five times. The finish line used to be at the very top of the climb, but in 2013 the organisers moved the finish line two kilometres further along the road to open up the race to more riders, a move that has clearly worked.
If you want to watch this year's Amstel Gold Race on television, check out our how to watch guide.
Amstel Gold Race 2025 women's race route
The 157.3km women's race starts in Maastricht at 9.55am local time and heads directly north alongside the river Meuse that forms the border between the Netherlands and Belgium. The first climb of the Maasberg comes inside the first 10km and will barely warm the legs up. The route turns east at Urmond and then heads south toward the races spiritual home of Valkenburg where the climbs start to come in quick succession.
The first ascent of the Cauberg - the tenth climb of the day - comes after 81km as the race hits the finishing circuit based around Valkenburg, Bemelen, and Vilt. This circuit is covered four times and includes 12 climbs in the final 75km. Four ascents each of the Geulhemmerberg, Belemerberg and the Cauberg.
The finish line comes 1.6km after the final ascent of the Cauberg, typically ending in a chase to the line for the those who have been distanced by the climbers.
Demi Vollering will likely start as favourite with three wins to her name already in 2025. Anna van der Breggen, another home favourite and winner in 2017, will likely lead the SD Worx Protime team as she has improved with each race since her comeback at the start of the year.
Other riders to watch include Marianne Vos and her Visma Lease-a-bike team mate Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck).
Amstel Gold Race 2025 men's race route
Starting in Maastricht at 10.40am local time, Amstel Gold Race features its first of 34 categorised climbs just 9km into the race, with the Slingerberg. As with the women's race, the route turns at Urmond before heading south to the south of the Limburg region where this is barely a flat stretch of road.
The hills, some big, some small come thick and fast as the route twists and turns around on itself. Following the map above, the route follows the black line, then the red, then the yellow, and finally the dark gray line that makes the finishing circuit around Valkenberg, Bemelen and Vilt. The Cauberg is ridden three times in the latter stages.
Favourites this year include Tadej Pogačar, if he has recovered from his cobble campaign, last year's winner Tom Pidcock who sat out the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix, Marc Hirshi and Wout van Aert. Belgian fans be pleased to have Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel back in action after an extended lay off following his crash in training this winter.
25 teams start the race, including all WorldTour teams with Q36.5, Tudor Pro Cycling, Uno-X Mobility, Israel Premier Tech, Lotto, Unibet Tietema Rockets and Team TotalEnergies the ProTour teams reiieving an invite
Amstel Gold previous winners - Women
2024: Marianne Vos (NED) Visma Lease-a-bike
2023: Demi Vollering (NED) Team SD Worx
2022: Marta Cavalli (ITA) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope
2021: Marianne Vos (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma
2020: No race due to Covid Pandemic
2019: Kasia Niewiadoma (POL) Canyon-SRAM
2018: Chantel Blaak (NED) Boels-Dolmans
2017: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels-Dolmans
2004-2016: No race
2003: Nicole Cooke (GBR) Pasta Zara–Cogeas
2002: Leontien van Moorsel (NED)
2001: Debby Mansveld (NED) Vlaanderen T Interim
Amstel Gold previous winners - Men
2024: Tom Pidcock (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
2023: Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates
2022: Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) Ineos Grenadiers
2021: Wout van Aert (BEL) Team Jumbo-Visma
2020: No race due to Covid pandemic
2019: Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Corendon–Circus
2018: Michael Valgren (DEN) Astana Pro Team
2017: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Quick-Step Floors
2016: Enrico Gasparotto (ITA) Wanty–Groupe Gobert
2015: Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) Etixx–Quick-Step
2014: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) BMC Racing Team
2013: Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Saxo–Tinkoff
2012: Enrico Gasparotto (ITA) Astana
2011: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma–Lotto
2010: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma–Lotto
