Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition 2024 route
Amstel Gold Race 2024 - Analysing the contenders
Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition 2024 - Overview
Race situation
The peloton tackles 157.4km with 21 climbs, including four times over Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg, and Cauberg before run-in to Berg en Terblijt.
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of Amstel Gold Race.
Welcome to the 10th edition of the women's Amstel Gold Race (or the 8th of its newer iteration since the race took a hiatus between 2003 and 2017!)
The riders will roll out for the 2.3 km neutral start at 09:55 CEST
Ardennes week has officially started! Last year, Demi Vollering of SD Worx-Protime was crowned the unequivocal Ardennes Queen as she took the win in all three races. This time, Vollering will have a lot more competition as other teams and their leaders have stepped up or come back from various illness and injury.
The hottest rider on the start list at the moment is Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl-Trek, who, after winning Flanders a few weeks ago, took a convincing victory at Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday showing her Ardennes form.
This race also sees the return of Kasia Niewiadoma since her second place at Flanders. The gravel world champion showed that she was on her best form for a long time and thrives on the hilly terrain of the Ardennes.
A flying Marianne Vos, who won this race in 2021, is also on the start line today and will be hoping to pick up a second Amstel Gold Race victory.
And Vollering, if she hopes to win this race again, may have competition from her own teammate, Paris Roubaix champion Lotte Kopecky.
The riders have 157.6 km of racing. The first 84,1 km takes the peloton around a longer loop before they head towards Maastricht for five laps of the hilly Cauberg circuit.
They're off for the neutral start!
The race is on!
157.8 km to go
The peloton are all together at the moment
147.9 km to go
Anne Knijnenburg of VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team has a 30 second gap
Brodie Chapman of Lidl - Trek did not start the race today due to illness
Nikola Nosková of Cofidis also did not start today.
There doesn't seem to be much impetus to chase Knijnenburg down.
127.9 km to go
Actually, the latest is that Knijnenburg has been caught!
A crash has resulted in India Grangier of Team Coop - Repsol abandoning the race
Peloton all together
124 km to go
Katia Ragusa of Human Powered Health and Quinty Schoens of VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team have a small gap
120 km to go
We're almost an hour in to the race
Schoens and Emond have a 15 second gap
Kim Le Court of AG Insurance Soudal is also a DNS today
The race has been neutralised
Hearing that it is due to an accident but there's no indication of whether it's a crash within the race or a similar accident to Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Update: it's a road traffic accident and the race has been neutralised to allow an ambulance to pass through
Look who was at the start this morning!
🤳💙 Once @Telefonica, always Telefónica @AvVleuten | #RodamosJuntos | @Amstelgoldrace pic.twitter.com/THK27EayX7April 14, 2024
The peloton will re-start as one, Schoens and Emond will not be given their gap.
The race remains neutralised for now
The race remains paused for now. It could be a while before things get going again.
The race is still neutralised. Update is that the accident involved a police motorcyclist who has now been taken to hospital.
🇳🇱 #AGR24The women’s race is still neutralised after a police motorcyclist crashed on the course. The officer has been taken to hospital. pic.twitter.com/D1nI5SSRxyApril 14, 2024
Update: The peloton will be neutralised to the Valkenburg and the start of the finishing circuit where the riders will race the final few laps. The number of laps they are able to complete will depend on time.
The race has resumed!
From the Valkenburg there are 77.8 km of racing.
Images from during the pause in the race
The riders will race three laps of the finishing circuit rather than four, meaning that the race will be in line with the planned time schedule.
The peloton have reached the finishing circuit and the race has been restarted. Three laps to go!
Vertrokken na de herstart pic.twitter.com/bp2N48Ge5uApril 14, 2024
Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Longo Borghini have attacked
52 km to go
Lucinda Brand and Elise Chabbey also made attacks but the peloton is all back together now
The riders are approaching the Bemelerberg (0.7 km at 5.4%)
Four riders have a gap
Elena Cecchini, Christina Schweinberger and Lucinda Brand were the attackers but the peloton is all back together.
43.6 km to go
How will the shortened race affect the final? The riders will be less fatigued coming into the finish meaning the favourites and their teams will have to make the remaining 40 km very hard if they want a smaller group to come to the line.
The pace is high on the descent towards the bottom of the Cauberg. EF Education - Cannondale are driving the pace.
Shirin van Anrooij is leading the peloton up the Cauberg.
Attack from Magdeleine Vallieres EF Education - Cannondale.
Counter from Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl - Trek)
Longo Borghini draws a group away including Kasia Niewiadoma and Elise Chabbey of Canyon//SRAM, Anna Henderson of Visma - Lease a Bike, Amber Kraak of FDJ SUEZ, and Demi Vollering of SD Worx - Protime.
The leading group have a ten second lead. Two laps to go!
37.2 km to go
The leaders are on the descent towards the Geulhemmerberg
Barbara Malcotti of Human Powered Health is pulling the peloton
The leaders are caught
35 km to go
Attack from Eva van Agt of Visma - Lease a Bike. She is joined by Ricarda Bauernfeind of Canyon//SRAM and Yara Kastelijn of Fenix Deceuninck.
Lotte Kopecky leads the peloton behind
Counter attack from Anouska Koster of Uno-X Mobility
The three leaders are working hard to maintain their lead. The gap is 40 seconds.
31 km to go
The pace has slowed in the peloton.
The leaders have 1'30" now while the chaser, Koster, has 18 seconds.
Injection of pace from Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) in the peloton.
The gap to the leaders has come down slightly to 1'05"
24 km to go
The riders are approaching the Bemelerberg
Attack by Henrietta Christie of Human Powered Health from the peloton
She is closed down by Mischa Bredewold of SD Worx - Protime
The gap is back to 1'16" now for the three leaders. Reminder that they are Eva van Agt of Visma - Lease a Bike, Ricarda Bauernfeind of Canyon//SRAM and Yara Kastelijn of Fenix Deceuninck.
The three leaders are on the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg
Attack by Lucinda Brand from Lidl - Trek as the peloton reach the Cauberg
Elena Cecchini gets straight onto Brand's wheel alongside Elise Chabbey
Pfeiffer Georgi comes around to the front
Big attack from Elisa Longo Borghini!
Longo Borghini has a gap and Demi Vollering is trying to close it down
As Vollering catches up to Longo Borghini her teammate Shirin van Anrooij counters!
The leaders are crossing the line for the penultimate time. Ine lap to go!
20 km to go
Anouska Koster is caught by a charging Elisa Longo Borghini who has Kasia Niewiadoma on her wheel
Ellen van Dijk leads the peloton down the descent. The gap to the leading trio is down to 29 seconds.
17.6 km to go
Amanda Spratt leads the peloton. The gap is now down to just 21 seconds.
Yara Kastelijn is struggling to hold on to the wheels of her breakaway companions
15.9 km to go
Clara Koppenburg is leading the chase from the peloton but the gap has gone up to 38 seconds.
Only the Bemelerberg and Cauberg remain
The pace has slowed right down in the peloton and the gap to the leading trio is up to 50 seconds.
12.5 km to go
Attack from New Zealand national champion Ella Wylie in the peloton but she is quickly shut down by World Champion Lotte Kopecky.
11 km to go
The leaders still have 52 seconds
Eva Van Acht attacks on the Bemelerberg as Yara Kastelijn drops
Another attack from Wylie of Liv AlUla Jayco!
Lotte Kopecky remains on her wheel with Amanda Spratt of Lidl - Trek behind.
The leaders are back together and their gap is now 55 seconds - can they make it to the line together?
9.4 km to go
The pace has really lulled behind and the gap is now out to 1'12"
8.4 km to go
The leading trio of Eva Van Acht of Visma - Lease a Bike, Ricarda Bauernfeind of Canyon//SRAM and Yara Kastelijn of Fenix - Deceuninck. Two of the three, Kastelijn and Bauernfeind, are Tour de France Femmes stage winners.
Lotte Kopecky comes to the front of the peloton with an injection of pace. 57 seconds now for the leaders.
5.7 km to go
We are around 1 km away from the bottom of the final Cauberg ascent to the finish
Lidl- Trek have picked up the pace in the peloton now and the gap to the leaders is 34 seconds.
4.3 km to go
Lidl - Trek's efforts have brought the gap right down to 21 seconds now
They will be trying to set things up for Elisa Longo Borghini or Shirin van Anrooij to launch a move on the Cauberg
3 km to go
12 seconds now for the three leaders as they turn the corner to the bottom of the Cauberg
Amanda Spratt attacks from the peloton as the three leaders are struggling
Now Elisa Longo Borghini goes!
Kasia Niewiadoma counters
Niewiadoma, Wiebes, Vollering, and Vos are all there
Ricarda Bauernfeind takes up the front to work for Niewiadoma
1.6 km to go
Another attack from Kasia Niewiadoma but she sits up as she realises Demi Vollering is on her wheel
Juliette Labous attacks now for dsm firmenich, Vollering covers
It's Vollering on the front now as they go under the flamme rouge
It's going to come down to a sprint for this group of favourites
Vollering is leading Lorena Wiebes out
Visma Lease a Bike line out for Vos
Longo Borghin launches
Wiebes opens up and sits up to celebrate but it looks like Marianne Vos may have come past her!
Marianne Vos wins!!
Lorena Wiebes takes second
Ingvild Gåskjenn of Liv AlUla Jayco takes third
Top-10
1. Marianne Vos (Visma Lease a Bike)
2. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx - Protime)
3. Ingvild Gåskjenn (Liv AlUla Jayco)
4. Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm firmenich)
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl - Trek)
6. Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ)
7. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance - Soudal)
8. Amber Kraak (FDJ SUEZ)
9. Yara Kastrlijn (Fenix Deceuninck)
10. Anna Henderson (Visma - Lease a Bike)
Marianne Vos on career win 251:
"Of course Amstel Gold you're always very excited but then with the neutralised section during the race you know there is more important things in life than cycling. So for a moment we were all just waiting and hoping for better news and then again when the restarted you need to focus again and get ready for a big final."
"I knew it was going to be hard form the re-start it was full gas all the time and attacks and people wanted to get into a good breakaway and with Eva van Acht in the three leaders we had good riders up there and for us it was a good situation. But you still need to focus and get ready for the last time up the Cauberg and the team got me into a really good position. And then the final sprint of course was again some sort of special with Lorena Wiebes I got boxed in on the left and I thought we were not coming out again but then Lorena found a gap and then obviously she was too early to celebrate."
"I just wanted to keep going but only at the jump I felt I had more speed. It's a shame for Lorena but I'm happy with the victory."
Thanks for following along with our live text updates! You can read the full race report here. Join us on Wednesday for La Flèche Wallonne.
