WorldTours now pivot from Cobbled Classics to Ardennes Classics

Now that the Cobbled Classics are over, Canada scoring big time in the Paris-Roubaix Femmes, it’s time for the two Ardennes Classics, before which both WorldTours visit the Limburg region in the south of The Netherlands for pivot race Amstel Gold. All three races run both men’s and women’s contests.

Amstel Gold Race rolls on April 16. The men’s edition has 30 hills to climb over 252 km, with the famous Cauberg, 800 metres of 6.5 percen and a maximum of 12.8 percent, will be faced twice, at 81 km to go and 18 km to go. The final, 16-km finish loop will include the Geulhemmerberg and the Bemelerberg, the latter climb 7 km out from the line in Berg en Terblijt. Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal was runner-up to Philippe Gilbert in 2010 and Steve Bauer came third in 1989. So far, this is the only race of the trio that Michael Woods is slated to start.

The women’s side has 21 climbs over 156 km, and the 18-km finishing circuit with the Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg and Cauberg will be ridden four times.

Last season Michael Kwiatkowski took his second title, and Marta Cavalli earned the win in the eighth Ladies Edition.

Flèche Wallonne, the Walloon Arrow, is older than Amstel Gold Race but younger than La Doyenne, Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Falling on Wednesday, April 19, it’s under 200 km, but Fleche Wallonne finishes on the Mur de Huy, 1.2 km of 10.3 percent, so it’s no poor cousin. Michael Woods placed third in 2020, fourth in 2021 and sixth last year when Dylan Teuns won it.

Flèche Wallonne Feminine is in its 26th edition, as opposed to the 9th Amstel Gold Femmes and 7th Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes. It’s 131 km and gets the same finishing circuit with the Mur de Huy to top off affairs. Marta Cavalli is the reigning champ of this race too.

La Doyenne, the Old Lady, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, is the fourth Monument of the season, the fifth and final one not until October. For the next three months there is a single one-day race on the WorldTour calendar after this. The climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège are longer than Amstel Gold’s and Flèche Wallonne’s and most are over 6 percent. Although Michael Woods did not finish his first L-B-L, he hasn’t finished below 10th in six editions and was runner-up in 2018. World champion Remco Evenepoel will be back to defend his title.

The women’s version holds seven climbs, including the Cote de la Roche aux Faucons, 1.3 km of 10 percent. Champion Annemiek van Vleuten could really do with a win at this point of the season. In the seven previous runnings of the race, Leah Kirchmann claimed Canada’s best ever result with 13th in 2017’s inaugural edition.