The route is a carbon copy of last year with the exception of the final lap. The riders now traverse a number of narrow roads, which will make it harder to pinpoint attackers.
But, let’s starts from the beginning. The run-up to the circuit that lies at the heart of the Amstel Gold Race is exactly the same. Following climbs up the Maasberg, Adsteeg, Bergseweg, Korenweg, Kruisberg, Eyserbosweg, Fromberg and Keutenberg, the women tackle the famous Cauberg for the first time after 82.4 kilometres in the saddle. Moments later they cross the finish line and enter the first of three laps on the same roads as last year. This lap is 17.9 kilometres long and features three climbs – Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg, and Cauberg.
The Geulhemmerberg is 1 kilometre long and averages 5%, while the Bemelerberg is a winding 900 metres climb at 5%. A false flat and an ensuing drop on wide roads takes the riders to the foot of the Cauberg, which is the most revered hill of the Netherlands. It climbs for 800 metres at an average gradient of 6.5% and the steepest stretch kicks up at 12.8%.
The final lap also takes in this combination of climbs, but the route from the Bemelerberg to the Cauberg is different, as the riders take a left-hander onto the alley-like Franse Steeg (Dutch for French alley). The route then zigzags on narrow country roads towards Valkenburg, at the base of the Cauberg.
The Cauberg has always been decisive in the women’s Gold Race. Usually, attackers are caught early in the ascent before the strongest riders take over. In fact, the last two edition panned out in the same way. An elite group survived the Cauberg and one of them had some energy left in the tank to push on in the false flat section after the top. Marta Cavalli did it in 2022, Demi Vollering won last year’s Amstel Gold Race in exactly the same way.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX Amstel Gold Race Ladies edition 2023.
Other interesting reads: results and start list 2024 Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition.
Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition 2024: profiles, more
Click on the images to zoom
