The Ardennes Classics begin with the demanding and undulating Amstel Gold Race, the biggest one-day race on the Dutch cycling calendar.
The first of three Classics in the space of a week, the race sets the ball rolling before the riders head for La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Based in the Limburg region, the 258-kilometre parcours retains a similar feel, with the newly established run-in seeing the finish line set back 1.8km from the top of the infamous Cauberg climb.
The route boasts 34 climbs and criss-crosses the hills to the east of Maastricht. Narrow, twisting roads place a premium on being up towards the head of the peloton, particularly ahead of the last of four ascents of the Cauberg, which is often a decisive factor in the race.
WorldTour points will make this race fiercely contested, with high speeds often leading to bottlenecks and crashes in one of the most spectacular one-day events of the year.
Team Sky head to Holland with a strong eight-man line-up. Sergio Henao is back in action following his second place at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, while Pete Kennaugh makes a welcome return from injury. Philip Deignan, Nathan Earle, Vasil Kiryienka, Lars Petter Nordhaug, Wout Poels and Xabier Zandio round out the squad.
29.03: La Route Adélie de VItré |
30.03: The Bueng Si Fai |
30.03: Gran Premio Miguel Indurain |
30.03: Volta Limburg Classic |
31.03: Ronde van Vlaanderen |
31.03: Ronde van Vlaanderen |
29.03 - 01.04: Ster van Zuid Limburg |
01.04: Gran Premio del Perdono |
01.04: Giro del Belvedere |
01.04: Ronde de Mouscron |
Javier Moreira La LUZ 43 years | today |
Daniele RIGHI 48 years | today |
Timo DE JONG 25 years | today |
Karsten Larsen FELDMANN 21 years | today |
Muhamad Nur FATONI 32 years | today |
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