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The Amstel Gold Race has been redesigned. This year the riders will complete a total of 128.5 kilometres from their starting point in Maastricht. From there, the peloton will depart in line (73 kilometres) for a local lap, which is scheduled three times. The lap is about 18 kilometres long and with the combination of Geulhemmerberg, Bemeleberg and Cauberg, promises to be a tough one.
With Demi Vollering, Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, Blanka Kata Vas, Marlen Reusser, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Niamh Fisher-Black, Team SD Worx brings a strong block to the start. The Amstel Gold Race has already been won twice by this team (Anna van der Breggen - 2017 & Chantal van den Broek-Blaak - 2018). "This year, the leader's position will most likely not be mine, but that wasn't the case four years ago either," Van den Broek-Blaak said. "Then I got in front with a select group and the situation unfolded in my favour. So if I find myself in a scenario again this year where I have to finish, I am confident. After all, I have already shown that this race suits me and my legs feel just fine," says Chantal van den Broek-Blaak.
The former world champion was impressive in the Tour of Flanders, which she crowned with third place after Lotte Kopecky and Annemiek van Vleuten. "The form is there. This season I did things a little differently than last year. I have built up a bit calmer in order to peak towards this period. The races I like best are coming up now. I hope I can take a win myself soon. Our team is once again very strong. If the races are tough, it only plays into our hands. This Amstel Gold Race promises to be tough. Lotte's victory makes us want more," Van den Broek-Blaak concludes.
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