After weeks of cobbles and powerful riders, it is time to shift our attention to the hills and the climbers. Today's Amstel Gold Race is the first of the Ardennes classics and marks the start of a week for the explosive riders on the steep climbs in Belgium and Netherlands.

The Amstel Gold Race has a special place on the race calendar as the only major race held in the cycling-mad country of the Netherlands. For once, the orange-clad fans get an opportunity to see their heroes on no less than three Dutch ProTeams go head to head with the world's elite on their own roads.

The race is the first of the Ardennes classics but is a sort of an amalgamation between the Tour of Flanders and the Liege-Bastogne-Liege. As it is the case in the Flemish classic, the race takes place on winding, narrow roads and thus positioning and pre-race knowledge is the key to any successful bid. Furthermore, the climbs are much shorter than the ascents in its fellow Ardennes classics. With no less than 33 climbs and more than 4000m of climbing, the race is, however, certainly one for the strongest on the uphill sections and thus comparable to the race in Liege.

This year Peter Sagan (Cannondale) is the major favourite and the Slovakian hopes to leave behind last year's disappointing 3rd place. He will, however, face strong opposition with the likes of Philippe Gilbert, Alejandro Valverde, Joaquin Rodriguez and Simon Gerrans all ready to put up a fight against the mighty Slovakian.

Starting at 14.00, you can follow all the action here. Until then, you can prepare by reading our preview here.