Amstel Gold Race 2026 preview - 33 climbs as Evenepoel hunts revenge against Skjelmose

The first of the Ardennes Triple, the Amstel Gold Race, is the only Dutch race on the Men's WorldTour calendar and is defined by its punchy roads in the province of Limburg.

It's a relatively younger race compared to some of the other major Classics, first taking place in 1966, where Jean Stablinski was the winner. Across 59 editions, there have been 47 different winners, with Jan Raas holding the record for most victories with five.

Tadej Pogačar looked to be soloing to victory for the second time in his career last year. However, in a rare setback, the world champion was reeled in by Remco Evenepoel and Mattias Skjelmose. At the finish in Berg en Terblijt, it was Skjelmose who timed his sprint to perfection to cause an upset, with Pogačar settling for second and Evenepoel third.

Key information: 

• Date -  Sunday, April 19
• Distance - 257.2km
• Start Location - Maastricht
• Finish Location - Valkenburg
• Start time (CET) - 11:13
• Fastest expected finish (CET) - 16:56 

Follow all the action via our live report!

In total, there are a whopping 33 categorised climbs packed into 257.2km from Maastricht to Valkenburg. 

Over the first 170km of the race, 20 categorised climbs await the riders, most defined by their steepness rather than length, with plenty of leg-sapping terrain in between. Despite being in the Netherlands, the race is hardly flat, with the road either up or down for the most part.

Many will highlight the first of three ascents of the iconic Cauberg with 84.4km as a key moment in the race, marking the start of the finale. 

The Cauberg is 900 metres in length with an average gradient of 7% and a maximum of 11.7%. It's one of the climbs that is most associated with the Amstel Gold Race, having been a decisive part of many previous editions. The run-in to the S-bend climb is also fast and furious, with positioning an important factor, particularly on the second and third ascent.

The climbs continue to follow thick and fast, and another significant section of the race begins with the 25th climb of the day, the Gulperberg, with 46.8km remaining. The Gulperberg, Kruisberg, Eyserbosweg, Fromberg and Keutenberg, all within the space of 15km, can stretch the race out significantly.

Recent editions have seen decisive moments occur during this part of the race. Last year, Tadej Pogačar went clear on the Gulperberg, 900m at 5.6%, before being caught by Evenepoel and Skjelmose. The Eyserbosweg, 900m at 8.9%, and Keutenberg, 1.3km at 6.2%, were also key in forming selections in the 2024 and 2023 editions won by Tom Pidcock and Pogačar, respectively.

The next climb following the Keutenberg is the second ascent of the Cauberg with 21.6km remaining. From the crest of the Cauberg, there is a 1.7km run-in to the finish line, where the riders will hear the bell lap signal. 

A 19.9km final circuit awaits the riders, featuring the Guehlhemmerberg and Bemelerberg, two climbs already tackled earlier in the race. The 33rd and final categorised climb is the third ascent of the Cauberg. Once more, there will be just 1.7km remaining once the riders reach the crest of the climb before the finish line and where the 2026 edition of the Amstel Gold Race will conclude.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe start with the obvious favourite: Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian started the season off in a very impressive way for his new team. In a period of a little over three weeks, he won seven races.

However, he then started to struggle uphill in the UAE Tour. Fortunately for him, an altitude camp was planned. This had clearly done him very well, as he showed amazing form in the first three stages of the Volta Catalunya. Then, he sadly crashed in the third stage, but fortunately without any big problems.

He still managed to perform pretty well in the mountain stages and the Barcelona stage, and ended fifth in the general classification. A week later, he made a surprise debut at the Tour of Flanders. 

He finished third in a very impressive way behind Pogačar and Van der Poel, having to ride solo from the first Paterberg onwards, for more than 50 kilometers. He managed to defend his third spot, even with Pedersen and Van Aert chasing behind.

After the Tour of Flanders, he had a two-week period to build his form even further towards the Amstel Gold Race. Normally, he should start here in top form, without a competitor of his level. However, there will be a lot of other good riders on the startlist, who won't just accept a defeat.

Lidl-Trek brings a very impressive squad here. The victor of last year, Mattias Skjelmose, will be their leader. However, in Itzulia, he didn't look as good as he did last year. But, together with the Volta Catalunya, he has a very hard block of racing in the legs. He has a week to recover from that, which could set him up with some really nice compensation for Amstel.

Quinn Simmons has really made a goal of this race. Last year, he made a really big step, after constantly suffering bad luck the years before. Both in the Tour de Suisse and Tour de France, he showed insane form as an attacker, besides also doing great domestique work at the Tour. Afterwards, he podiumed the GP Montréal and got fourth in Il Lomardia, in the latter even out of the early break, a huge step. In this Amstel Gold Race, he can further build on that.

Albert Withen Philipsen also takes the start here. He has been suffering from a lot of crashes this season, so he hasn't been able to show his true form. However, he seems to really be in shape. Will this race be too hard for the young rider, or can he already show himself here? He'll definitely be interesting to keep an eye on. 

Team Visma | Lease a Bike has a really impressive start list here, on paper. However, for Christophe Laporte, this race is probably a bit too hard. He has also done a full cobbled spring classics campaign, not evident to perform in Amstel that way. Louis Barré has been ruled out by a knee injury, while Ben Tulett is also struggling with a knee issue and his participation is not certain.

However, with Matteo Jorgenson, they still have a clear leader for this race. The American targets the Ardennes for the first time in his career, shaking things up, having also raced the Tirreno-Adriatico instead of "his" Paris-Nice. 

In all the races he has done this season (Ardèche, Drome, Strade Bianche, Tirreo, Milan-Sanremo), he has shown notable form. And all this while claiming that he hadn't even trained that hard yet. Jorgenson went on an altitude camp after Milan-Sanremo, so he should arrive here in even better shape. 

Bahrain Victorious have three interesting cards to play. Pello Bilbao seemed to be growing towards his top form in Itzulia, in his last pro season. Maybe he has one last masterpiece to show here. Matej Mohorič and Edoardo Zambanini give Bahrain two other cards to play, but this race really is on the limit for them.

EF Education-EasyPost turn up with two options here. For Ben Healy, this is the perfect race. He has done really well here and will definitely be looking to do the same this year. Alex Baudin offers them a nice second option, with his great punch. He is a rider who is evolving very nicely and shows great potential.

Groupama-FDJ United have one clear leader here with Romain Grégoire; the parcours is perfect for him. At the moment of writing, Valentin Madouas isn't present on the startlist. However, it seems like he will be starting, as he also rides the Brabantse Pijl, and Amstel suits him even better.

At Decathlon CMA CGM Team, there is also one clear leader, with Paul Lapeira. He raced here once and finished fifth. A very impressive stat, as a good result on your debut is rare in Amstel. He'll be looking to confirm that this year.

Ineos Grenadiers have two leaders, with the Frenchmen Kévin Vauquelin and Axel Laurance in action.Vauquelin will probably have an attacking role, while Laurance will try to follow moves and get a good result in a reduced sprint, the perfect combination.

Team Jayco AlUla also have a really impressive duo at the start. The in-form Mauro Schmid will be looking to get another top result, while Andrea Vendrame will hope to further build on the rest of his spring, during which he also showed his best-ever form.

Uno-X Mobility will be looking for a result with mainly Andreas Kron, who has proven his worth here in 2024, with a fourth place.However, they also have "Mister Amstel" with Alexander Kamp. Even when he doesn't perform in other races, he always performs here. With Anthon Charmig, they also have a nice third option.

XDS Astana Team have a strong squad, with Christian Scaroni,who made strides last year and confirmed them with his fast start to the new season. With Simone Velasco and Clément Champoussin, they have two other riders who are really suited for this race and will also be looking for a result.

Cofidis will be looking for a good result in a reduced sprint with Alex Aranburu. Dylan Teuns offers them a nice attack option, in case he is recovered from Paris-Roubaix. Ion Izagirre will also definitely look to attack here, enjoying his last pro season to the fullest.

Tudor Pro Cycling Team will have Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi, but neither man has managed to find his top form so far this year. It's up to them to prove themselves and turn that narrative around. If they can, both are perfectly suited for this race.

Other riders to keep an eye on: Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto-Intermarché), Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL), Emiel Verstrynge (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step).