IAM have announced their line-up for Sunday's Amstel Gold Race.

“I am one of those riders who is able to follow-up the Flanderian races with the Ardennes classics,” Oliver Naesen admitted.  Having recently taken 22nd at the Tour of Flanders and 13th at Paris-Roubaix, the young Belgian racer nevertheless remains realistic about his chances.  “I want to help the team.  Although I have recovered well from Roubaix, I know I will not be the best.  Other riders who competed at the Tour of the Basque Country in preparation for these races will be fresher than me.”

The difficulty of the Amstel Gold lies not only in the string of 35 climbs, but knowing how to place yourself is crucial. 

“It is very important to know the course,” Naesen explained.  

“Last year I got trapped.  I did not know the key points of the race.”

This is an assessment supported by directeur sportif Thierry Marichal:

“This is an event where the experience is a definite bonus.  It takes more than one participation to tame it.”

“The Amstel Gold Race is the most Flandrian of the Ardennes classics,” Marichal, a Belgian former racer, reflected. “There are the short, dry climbs of the Ronde, but also the accumulation of ascents that you will encounter at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège as well.  In this context, it is difficult to identify a real favorite.  For IAM Cycling, we will rely heavily on David Tanner.  But we also have several other riders who could prove useful according to how the race unfolds.”

Apart from a slight deviation, the route remains unchanged from that of 2015.  Of the 248,7 kilometers that will separate Maastricht from Valkenburg, the peloton will climb 35 hills, or bergs, which are mainly located in the Limburg region.  Among the renowned climbs will be the Keutenberg, the Eyserbosweg, and the Kruisberg.  And then finally the finish line will be drawn 800 meters after the Cauberg.  This mythical mount is climbed four times over the course of the day, at kilometers 52,2 km, 160,8 km, 228,4 km, and then 246.9 km.

4000m: that is the total number of meters climbed during the Amstel Netherlands.  In comparison, a day in the high-mountains of the Tour de France will cover between 3000 and 5000 meters of altitude gain.