The Netherlands will host the Flemish classics specialists for a final mano-à-mano between Maastricht and Valkenburg.  This is an event where the puncheurs find fertile ground for their qualities.  After having earned two top-10s with Martin Elmiger at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, IAM Cycling hopes to build on this momentum, and shoot for a podium in one of the upcoming monuments of cycling.

Aleksejs Saramotins had no less a remarkable Hell of the North by taking 13th after spending more than 200 kilometers at the head of the race, marked by a mini-controversy after a large portion of the chasing peloton crossed illegally through closed railway barriers.  Saramotins is already thinking about his next appointment with the best cyclists in the world. 

“I had no trouble getting to sleep Sunday night.  I slept well and then on Monday I simply rode one hour on the home trainer to get rid of the toxins.  This week will be dedicated to recovery and maintenance so that I will be able to give the best of myself for the Amstel Gold Race.  I do not know if I’d rather go in the break or stay in the peloton.  It’s 50/50; for a breakaway, you just have to ride as fast as possible, while in the peloton there is the stress to keep position and avoid crashing on the narrow roads near the end.”

As a rouleur and puncheur, Saramotins, who comes from Latvia but lives in Nice, recognizes the differences of the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and the Amstel Gold Race, but also knows what qualities a rider must have in order to hope to be able to lift his arms in victory at the finish in Valkenburg. 

“For Flanders, we face cobbles typically in good repair and on relatively short climbs.  At Roubaix, there are no climbs, but the pavé sections create the natural selection.  And then Amstel, there are some cobbled section, but the climbs are longer and demanding.  You have to be strong enough to fight after 250 kilometers in order to be well-placed on the final ascent of the Cauberg which is located less than a kilometer from the finish.”

Riders:
Sylvain Chavanel (F)
Dries Devenyns (Bel)
Martin Elmiger (S)
Reto Hollenstein (S)
Jérôme Pineau (F)
Vicente Reynes (Sp)
Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat)
David Tanner (Aus)