The Classics of the Ardennes: Three Prestigious Cycling Races in April

The Classics of the Ardennes, also known as the Ardennes Trilogy or Ardennes Triptych, are a set of three cycling races in April. [expander_maker id=”1″ ] These races include the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands and the Flèche Wallonne and Liége-Bastogne-Liége in Belgium. The latter is one of the five cycling ‘monuments’.

The Amstel Gold Race was created by the Dutch promoters Ton Vissers and Herman Krott, who wanted to establish a major cycling competition that could rival the likes of the Tour of Flanders in Belgium and Milan-San Remo in Italy. The first edition of the race was held on April 30, 1966, on a 302 km route from Breda to Meerssen in the Netherlands. Jean Stablinski, a Polish-French cyclist who was world champion in 1962 and had won the Tour of Spain in 1958, won the inaugural edition.

The Ardennes Classics have a long and illustrious history, with several cycling legends among their list of winners. Jan Raas is the record-holder, having won the Amstel Gold Race five times (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1982). Other notable winners include Eddy Merckx (1973 and 1975), Gerrie Knetemann (1974 and 1975), Philippe Gilbert (2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017), and Enrico Gasparotto (2012 and 2016). Michal Kwiatkowski won the most recent edition of the Amstel Gold Race, adding to his victory in 2015.

This year’s Amstel Gold Race will take place on Sunday, April 16, with a new route featuring 33 climbs, including the famous Cauberg, which will be tackled twice. The final climb will take place at Bemelerberg, seven kilometers from the finish line in Berg en Terblijt. The narrow and winding roads along the route will make for a challenging and exciting race.

Several notable cyclists will be vying for top honors, including Tadej Pogačar, David Gaudu, Tom Pidcock, Neilson Powless, and Julian Alaphilippe. Portuguese cyclist Rui Costa, who has finished fourth in the race in 2015, will also be among the competitors.[/expander_maker]