The 70th “Race to the Sun” will include 18 pre-registered ProTeam squads for the season’s first major stage race, set for March 4-11.

In what’s no surprise, three French teams make up four of the invitations, with Cofidis, Saur-Sojasun and Europcar getting nods. Rounding out the peloton will be former Skil-Shimano, Project 1t4I, with Marcel Kittel leading a team that’s in the pole position to gain a berth in July’s Tour de France.

Project 1t4I also netted an invitation for the Dutch classic, Amstel Gold Race, set for April 15 in Holland’s Limburg region.

Three other Belgian teams – Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, Accent Jobs-Willems and Landbouwkrediet – also earned starting spots for the hilly Dutch classic that opens the Ardennes week.

All four netted spots for the Tour of Flanders, along with Europcar and Farnese Vini.

Teams selected for Paris-Nice

AG2R LA MONDIALE
ASTANA PRO TEAM
BMC RACING TEAM
EUSKALTEL – EUSKADI
FDJ-BIGMAT
GARMIN-BARRACUDA
GREENEDGE CYCLING TEAM
KATUSHA TEAM
LAMPRE – ISD
LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
LOTTO BELISOL TEAM
MOVISTAR TEAM
OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP
RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM
RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
SKY PRO CYCLING
TEAM SAXO BANK
VACANSOLEIL-DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM

Plus the four other teams, invited by the organisers, will make up the field for the 70th edition of Paris-Nice:

COFIDIS, LE CREDIT EN LIGNE
PROJECT 1T4I
SAUR – SOJASUN
TEAM EUROPCAR

April 20: Gilbert wins Fleche Wallonne

Liège, the oldest one-day classic on the calendar, brings an end to the spring classics season and is also the third and final in the “Ardennes Classics” trilogy after the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne.

Gilbert, who rides for Belgium’s number two team, Omega-Pharma, won Amstel last Sunday and stunned more suited rivals to win Flèche Wallonne in midweek.

With a series of one-week stages races set to take centre stage leading up to the Giro d’Italia next month, Belgium’s success rate may be about to dip as they have few stage racing specialists.

But what a classics campaign it has been for the divided country, which is still reeling from the lack of a government.

Tom Boonen, a former winner of Paris-Roubaix (three times) and the Tour of Flanders (twice) grabbed a surprise win at Ghent-Wevelgem in March.

Belgian compatriot Nick Nuyens then stunned race favorite Fabian Cancellara to win the Tour of Flanders.

A week later, another Flemish-speaking Belgian, Johan Van Summeren, silenced a host of bigger contenders to claim victory at Paris-Roubaix.

The following week, it was the turn of French-speaking Gilbert to join the party, winning the Flèche Brabanconne semi-classic three days before his victory at the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands.

April 17: Gilbert wins Amstel Gold Race

For many, his victory at the Flèche Wallonne semi-classic in midweek means he is the overriding favorite for Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the penultimate of the five cycling ‘monuments’.

Italian Gianni Bugno, runner-up at Liège in 1995, believes Gilbert ─ already a two-time winner of the fifth monument, the Tour of Lombardy (2009, 2010) ─ can become a classics giant.

“For me it’s simple, he can win them all. Certainly Liège-Bastogne-Liège because he has the two main ingredients: power and endurance,” he told Belgian daily La Derniere Heure.

Known since the early days of his career for his attacking prowess, it has taken Gilbert several years to hone his physique, racing skills and sense of tactics.

Occasionally, he gets it wrong ─ like at last year’s world championships when, despite great form, he launched a futile solo attack several kilometres from the line where Norwegian Thor Hushovd triumphed.

A long solo attack at Flanders earlier this month also left the Belgian off the podium.

However Gilbert’s fearless approach to racing, as well as his outspoken views on doping, have won him many fans.

Retired Italian specialist Paolo Bettini, the former world and Olympic champion who won a string of big one-day races, added: “He’s got that little something extra, and that’s what will one day make him a bigger rider than I ever was.

“He will win Tour of Flanders one day, for sure. I didn’t manage it. But one day he will have a bigger honors list than me.”

Editor’s note: Every week through the 2011 road season, VeloNews editor-at-large John Wilcockson is writing about key features of the week’s racing. This 10th installment focuses on the career of rider of the week Philippe Gilbert.

Gilbert races over his own name on La Redoute in 2004.

Seven years ago this week, while scouting the 2004 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, I had to scratch my head when I saw a name painted on the pavement dozens of times up the iconic slopes of the Côte de La Redoute: “PHIL … PHIL … PHIL …”

For a moment, I thought of Phil Anderson, the Australian pioneer who three times made the podium at Liège in the 1980s. But the paint was too fresh for races that took place a decade or so earlier.

Then it clicked. This Phil must be short for Philippe, not Philip. And the rider must be Philippe Gilbert, a then-promising 21-year-old Belgian hope in his second season with the French team La Française des Jeux.

On checking, I saw that Gilbert was born in Verviers, just down the road from Liège, and that his home was at the foot of the Redoute climb in Remouchamps, a town of slate-roofed houses with cobblestone streets and an old arched bridged over the fast-flowing Amblève River.

With his local connection, Gilbert’s name being painted on the slopes of La Redoute made sense, even though this would be his first time riding Liège. His hometown fans “knew” that their boy was going to be a special rider, and this was his first appearance in La Doyenne, the world’s oldest surviving classic.

Gilbert comes from a cycling-crazed family and was racing a bike as soon as he was big enough. He eventually joined an amateur team coached by Dirk De Wolf, a former pro who raced in Anderson’s era and won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 1992. De Wolf and Gilbert bonded, and it was something of a surprise when Gilbert signed his first pro contract with FDJ, and not a Belgian team, at age 20.

In six seasons with the French squad, under the management of two-time Paris-Roubaix winner Marc Madiot, Gilbert never seemed to reach his full potential. He didn’t win a race in his native country until his fourth year with FDJ, when he scored a fine victory in the semi-classic Omloop Het Volk after an attacking race over the final stretches of cobblestones. (Related: Gilbert wins 2006 Het Volk)

But this wasn’t a true breakthrough for Gilbert, as the following year he won only a single race: a stage of the minor French race, the Tour du Limousin. But his end-of-season form was strong enough for him to lead a late breakaway at the Paris-Tours classic, even though it was caught in the final kilometer.

Then, in the spring of 2008, Gilbert again won the Het Volk race and took third place at Milan-San Remo; but he felt his career wasn’t progressing as he would like with FDJ, and by June that year Gilbert decided he was going to move to his present Belgian team — after he was told that his old mentor De Wolf would be one of his sport directors.

Ironically, at the end of his sixth and final year with FDJ, Gilbert got the breakthrough he’d sought by winning Paris-Tours: He bridged up to a small breakaway group on the last short climb and then took the four-man sprint, four seconds ahead of the chasing peloton. (Related: Gilbert wins 2008 Paris-Tours)

In 2009, Gilbert had immediate success with his new team, Silence-Lotto (later re-branded as Omega Pharma-Lotto). At the spring classics, he showed his versatility by placing third at the Tour of Flanders, fourth at the Amstel Gold Race and fourth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège — maybe not the victories he’d hoped for, but that series of performances showed that his renewed partnership with De Wolf was paying off.

Gilbert wins stage 20 at the 2009 Giro

Gilbert’s career really shifted gears at the 2009 Giro d’Italia, where he won stage 20 with a lightning-fast uphill attack for an impressive solo win. That presaged a triumphant return to Italy in the fall, when he won the Coppa Sabatini, Tour of Piedmont and Tour of Lombardy (his first monument) all in the space of 10 days, which included a quick trip to France where he successfully defended his Paris-Tours title.

That brilliant late-season sweep was reminiscent of Eddy Merckx, who won all the sport’s monuments multiple times, including four editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the classic that Gilbert will try to win for the first time this coming Sunday. Another similarity with Merckx — at least in terms of the classics — is Gilbert’s old-fashioned work ethic, his aggressive riding style and his tactical instincts (he doesn’t use a two-way radio, for instance).

By winning a second Tour of Lombardy last year, along with his first Amstel Gold Race and two stages of the Vuelta a España, the Omega-Lotto leader put himself alongside Fabian Cancellara as the world’s must successful classics rider. That designation was confirmed this past week by his wins at the Flèche Brabançonne (aka Brabantse Pijl) and Amstel Gold —and had he not flatted at a crucial point of the Tour of Flanders, he would likely have been in the breakaway with Cancellara and Sylvain Chavanel before the Mur de Grammont and maybe have beaten them in an eventual sprint finish.

Joaquim Rodriguez attacks at Amstel Gold. Gilbert (the second Omega rider in this shot) would soon join him. Photo: Graham Watson

Gilbert is hoping that he can extend his superb form another few days to finally win Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He will again need the support of teammates Van Den Broeck and Vanendert and director De Wolf to counter the challenges that will undoubtedly come from Katusha and Schleck’s Leopard-Trek squad.

And if the hometown boy wins in Liège Sunday afternoon seven years after that first appearance, those fans in Remouchamps and on the Côte de La Redoute will go wild!

Schleck was the only rider to dare to break the deadlock out of the lead group after coming over the Keutenberg. Knowing he would be out-gunned out a small bunch sprint, Schleck tried a solo attack that came up 500 meters short.

O’Grady said that type of raid shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. The veteran Aussie says Schleck is a racer who isn’t afraid to throw down when the odds are stacked against him.

“He rides on pure instinct. Despite all the computers and data, you cannot calculate everything in cycling. He’s not a detailed-oriented type of rider. He goes on gut instinct. When he’s feeling good, he attacks,” O’Grady told VeloNews. “It’s just raw, unbridled young energy. It’s talent. It’s Eddy Merckx-style. That’s the way Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly raced. It’s not calculated. Everyone’s hurting, he’s hurting, too, then he just smashes it out.”

Schleck came up short at Amstel Gold, but it bodes well for the Ardennes, where Leopard-Trek will line up as favorites for Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

“We were close to victory in the early classics,” O’Grady said, referring to second places at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix and third at Tour of Flanders with Fabian Cancellara. “I know the team is motivated for the Ardennes. The Schleck brothers want to win one of them.”

O’Grady, meanwhile, is taking a break after the northern classics. He returns to action with the Bayern Rundfahrt in late May, followed by the Tour of Luxembourg and the Tour de Suisse before the Tour de France.

“We want to be 100 percent for the Tour,” O’Grady said. “We want to have one of the Schleck brothers on the top step of the podium in Paris. That’s what everyone is working for.”

O’Grady said last year’s Tour de France was a tough one for the squad. First, they lost Frank Schleck early in the race with a crash on the cobblestones. Then, Andy Schleck dropped a chain in the Pyrénées that cost him invaluable seconds in the decision moments of the race.

O’Grady said he was impressed, however, with how Andy Schleck responded to the stress of the unknown, something that bodes well for 2011.

“It was really tricky last year at the Tour. When we lost Frank, it was real gut-wrenching for the team. To be honest, I was worried about Andy. These Schleck brothers feed off each other and have a closeness I’ve never seen in anyone else. I was worried about how Andy would react without Frank. He could have gone either day. It was 50-50. He could have stepped or, the easier option would have been to say, ‘my brother’s not here, we lost a key rider and we’re going to lose the Tour,’” O’Grady said. “Hats off to Andy. He really stepped up. He rode for his brother and all of us and showed just how gutsy a rider he is.”

O’Grady said without Frank, Saxo Bank had to tweak its strategy and ride more conservatively. Rather than one-two punch the peloton with Frank and Andy taking turns attacking, O’Grady said Andy Schleck had to be more calculating.

Looking ahead to July, O’Grady said winning the Tour is the team’s paramount goal. Whether or not Alberto Contador will be there depends on the outcome of his hearing in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

O’Grady said the team is not losing much sleep over Contador’s ongoing case.

“It’s a complicated situation. I have no comment on what’s going on. We just hope that the authorities and the officials make the right decision. No one wants to see it dragged on for months and months. The decision has to be made,” O’Grady said. “We have to be prepared to Alberto on the start line. If he’s not, well, he’s not. It’s beyond our control. We have to be ready with our plan.”

O’Grady says that plan is clear and straight-forward: putting one of the Schleck brothers in the yellow jersey when the 2011 Tour de France reaches Paris.

Philippe Gilbert stands atop yet another podium. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.com

MAASTRICHT, Netherlands (VN) – Just as he did on Wednesday at De Brabantse Pijl and last October at the Giro di Lombardia, Philippe Gilbert proved Sunday to be the most talented rider in the peloton when it comes to hilly, one-day races.

But despite Gilbert’s win at the Amstel Gold Race, for the second consecutive year, the Omega Pharma-Lotto one-day specialist said he would not call himself the best classics rider in the world.

“It’s true that I’m there everywhere in all types of one-day races,” said Gilbert. “But no, I don’t want to say that I am the best one or the second best one or the third best one. Maybe that is something we can say when I stop my career as a rider.”

Being “there” has included two wins at Lombardia and now two consecutive Amstel Gold victories, as well as four more podiums in the sport’s five monuments in the last three years. In March Gilbert won the Montepaschi Strade Bianche in Italy and earlier this month registered his worst Ronde van Vlaanderen placing, ninth, since 2008. The only monument at which he has yet to stand on the podium is Paris-Roubaix, which he doesn’t ride.

Three-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) called Gilbert unbeatable Sunday.

“Against a rider like this, it’s not possible (to win) at this moment,” he said after finishing sixth, five seconds back. “Today I was okay. There was a chance to win, but we saw in the last kilometer that that was not possible.”

Much was made in the build-up to the Ardennes classics this week over the similarities between Gilbert and cobbled classics master Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek), who found himself marked out of a repeat of his 2010 Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix double earlier this month.

The finale to the Cauberg played out just as the cobbled classics did. Gilbert, the favorite, was left to do the work of pulling in a late escapee in Schleck and could look to no one other than teammate Jelle Vanendert to help. This is not pavé, however, and Gilbert overcame the tactics with a pure show of strength when he reeled Schleck in over the final 3km and sprung free on the 750-meter finish climb.

“You can do that in a race like Flanders,” said Gilbert. “Here it is not possible because it’s completely different. It’s impossible to do an empty race and just go against somebody. With all of the climbs at the end, only the best riders are in front and you finish with maybe only seven or eight riders who can win the race.”

In the last 12 months, Gilbert has outfoxed most of the climbers to finish third from a late breakaway at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, outkicked a group of hard men at Montepaschi and made a late surge in a drag race to pull third, for the second time, at Milan-San Remo.

“Yes, I think I’m the most complete rider because I’m really an all-rounder,” said Gilbert. “I think my results prove that.”

While commentators in northern Europe debate Gilbert’s place among the one-day greats — and the Belgian media clamor for every ounce of news from their new national star — Gilbert said he would saddle up and take a crack at the spring’s two remaining classics, Wednesday’s La Flèche Wallone and next Sunday’s tilt in Liège.

“What I want to do is do my job really with patience and try to win and of course when a result follows, I am very happy,” he said.

2011 Amstel Gold Race

• 1. Philippe Gilbert (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto, 6:30:44
• 2. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (ESP), Katusha, at 0:02
• 3. Simon Gerrans (AUS), Sky, at 0:04
• 4. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN), Leopard Trek, at 0:05
• 5. Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS), Katusha, at 0:05
• 6. Oscar Freire Gomez (ESP), Rabobank, at 0:05
• 7. Björn Leukemans (BEL), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:07
• 8. Ben Hermans (BEL), Radioshack, at 0:18
• 9. Robert Gesink (NED), Rabobank, at 0:19
• 10. Paul Martens (GER), Rabobank, at 0:26
• 11. Andy Schleck (LUX), Leopard Trek, at 0:28
• 12. Johnny Hoogerland (NED), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:36
• 13. Jelle Vanendert (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 0:48
• 14. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (ESP), Katusha, at 1:38
• 15. Damiano Cunego (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 1:39
• 16. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA), Quickstep, at 1:44
• 17. Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ), Astana, at 2:09
• 18.  Jurgen Van Den Broeck (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 2:09
• 19. Bram Tankink (NED), Rabobank, at 2:10
• 20. Fabian Wegmann (GER), Leopard Trek, at 2:13
• 21. Nicki Sørensen (DEN), Saxo Bank Sungard, at 2:14
• 22. Frank Schleck (LUX), Leopard Trek, at 2:14
• 23. Staf Scheirlinckx (BEL), Veranda’s Willems-Accent, at 2:14
• 24. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), BMC, at 2:15
• 25. Francesco Gavazzi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 2:15
• 26. Marco Marcato (ITA), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 2:18
• 27. Nick Nuyens (BEL), Saxo Bank Sungard, at 2:18
• 28. Antonio Fischer Murilo (BRA), Garmin-Cervelo, at 2:20
• 29. Kristof Vandewalle (BEL), Quickstep, at 2:21
• 30. Tony Gallopin (FRA), Cofidis, at 2:21
• 31. Petter Nordhaug Lars (NOR), Sky, at 2:21
• 32. Biel Kadri (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:21
• 33. Jérôme Baugnies (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 2:23
• 34. Jan Bakelants (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 2:23
• 35. Enrico Gasparotto (ITA), Astana, at 2:24
• 36. Craig Lewis (USA), HTC-Highroad, at 2:24
• 37. Kristijan Koren (SLO), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 2:24
• 38. Mikael Cherel (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:26
• 39. Simon Geschke (GER), Skil-Shimano, at 2:26
• 40. Serguei Ivanov (RUS), Katusha, at 2:27
• 41. Addy Engels (NED), Quickstep, at 2:27
• 42. Eduard Vorganov (RUS), Katusha, at 2:28
• 43. Bert De Waele (BEL), Landbouwkrediet, at 2:28
• 44. Philip Deignan (IRL), Radioshack, at 2:28
• 45. Daniele Pietropolli (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 2:28
• 46. Julien El Fares (FRA), Cofidis, at 2:28
• 47. Francesco Reda (ITA), Quickstep, at 2:29
• 48. Danilo Di Luca (ITA), Katusha, at 2:29
• 49. Mauro Santambrogio (ITA), BMC, at 2:29
• 50. Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:29
• 51. Gabriel Rasch (NOR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 2:29
• 52. Dries Devenyns (BEL), Quickstep, at 2:34
• 53. Ivan Santaromita (ITA), BMC, at 2:36
• 54. Christian Knees (GER), Sky, at 2:40
• 55. Geoffroy Lequatre (FRA), Radioshack, at 2:46
• 56. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:46
• 57. Stephen Cummings (GBR), Sky, at 2:46
• 58. Davy Commeyne (BEL), Landbouwkrediet, at 2:47
• 59. Nicolas Roche (IRL), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:47
• 60. Ivan Velasco Murillo (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:48
• 61. Jérôme Pineau (FRA), Quickstep, at 2:48
• 62. Michael Albasini (SUI), HTC-Highroad, at 2:54
• 63. Maxime Monfort (BEL), Leopard Trek, at 2:57
• 64. Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Leopard Trek, at 2:57
• 65. Vasili Kiryienka (BLR), Movistar, at 2:58
• 66. Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (ESP), Rabobank, at 2:58
• 67. Martin Elmiger (SUI), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 3:21
• 68. Rémy Di Gregorio (FRA), Astana, at 3:25
• 69. Stijn Devolder (BEL), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 3:57
• 70. Sander Armee (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 4:19
• 71. Martin Kohler (SUI), BMC, at 4:19
• 72. Francesco Failli (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 4:39
• 73. Luca Mazzanti (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 4:39
• 74. Dmitriy Fofonov (KAZ), Astana, at 4:39
• 75. Kjell Carlström (FIN), Sky, at 4:48
• 76. Pieter Serry (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 5:54
• 77. Dirk Bellemakers (NED), Landbouwkrediet, at 5:55
• 78. James Vanlandschoot (BEL), Veranda’s Willems-Accent, at 5:55
• 79. Geert Verheyen (BEL), Landbouwkrediet, at 5:55
• 80. Geert Steurs (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 5:55
• 81. Pieter Jacobs (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 5:59
• 82. Wouter Poels (NED), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 5:59
• 83. Johannes Fröhlinger (GER), Skil-Shimano, at 6:00
• 84. Marc De Maar (AHO), Quickstep, at 6:00
• 85. Esteban Egoi Martinez De (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 6:01
• 86. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 6:01
• 87. Maxim Iglinsky (KAZ), Astana, at 6:02
• 88. Matthew Busche (USA), Radioshack, at 6:02
• 89. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (ESP), Movistar, at 6:02
• 90. Christian Vandevelde (USA), Garmin-Cervelo, at 6:03
• 91. Daniel Lloyd (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 6:03
• 92. Paolo Longo Borghini (ITA), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 6:04
• 93. Maciej Paterski (POL), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 6:04
• 94. Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (ESP), Radioshack, at 6:05
• 95. Laurens De Vreese (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 6:05
• 96. Mathew Hayman (AUS), Sky, at 6:27
• 97. Carlos Barredo Llamazales (ESP), Rabobank, at 6:27
• 98. Peter Sagan (SVK), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 6:31
• 99. Sergey Lagutin (UZB), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 7:18
• 100. Jurgen Van Goolen (BEL), Veranda’s Willems-Accent, at 8:03
• 101. Manuel Quinziato (ITA), BMC, at 8:13
• 102. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (ESP), Movistar, at 8:14
• 103. Nico Sijmens (BEL), Cofidis, at 8:14
• 104. Samuel Dumoulin (FRA), Cofidis, at 8:15
• 105. David Loosli (SUI), Lampre-ISD, at 8:15
• 106. Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE), Astana, at 8:25
• 107. Thomas Degand (BEL), Veranda’s Willems-Accent, at 8:25
• 108. Grischa Niermann (GER), Rabobank, at 9:11
• 109. Roy Curvers (NED), Skil-Shimano, at 9:12
• 110. Andriy Grivko (UKR), Astana, at 9:12
• 111. Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU), Movistar, at 9:12
• 112. Brian Vandborg (DEN), Saxo Bank Sungard, at 9:13
• 113. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 9:13
• 114. Giovanni Visconti (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 9:13
• 115. Leonardo Giordani (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 9:13
• 116. Jesus Herrada Lopez (ESP), Movistar, at 9:14
• 117. Rein Taaramae (EST), Cofidis, at 9:16
• 118. Michel Kreder (NED), Garmin-Cervelo, at 9:17
• 119. Marco Pinotti (ITA), HTC-Highroad, at 12:24
• 120. Matthieu Sprick (FRA), Skil-Shimano, at 12:24
• 121. Rafal Majka (POL), Saxo Bank Sungard, at 12:25
• 122. Leonardo Bertagnolli (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 12:26
• 123. Simon Zahner (SUI), BMC, at 12:26
• 124. Maxime Bouet (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 12:26
• 125. Bram Schmitz (NED), Veranda’s Willems-Accent, at 12:27
• 126. Klaas Lodewyck (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 12:27
• 127. Dario Cataldo (ITA), Quickstep, at 13:18
• 128. Pier Paolo De Negri (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 13:18
• 129. Pim Ligthart (NED), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 13:19
• 130. Francesco Bellotti (ITA), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 13:19
• 131. Sébastien Delfosse (BEL), Landbouwkrediet, at 13:21
• 132. Jeffry Louder (USA), BMC, at 13:21
• 133. Danny Pate (USA), HTC-Highroad, at 13:24
• 134. Aleksejs Saramotins (LAT), Cofidis, at 13:28
• 135. Assan Bazayev (KAZ), Astana, at 13:31
• 136. Maxime Vantomme (BEL), Katusha, at 13:33
• 137. John Degenkolb (GER), HTC-Highroad, at 13:34
• 138. Jan Ghyselinck (BEL), HTC-Highroad, at 13:44
• 139. Reinier Honig (NED), Landbouwkrediet, at 13:48
• 140. Gregory Habeaux (BEL), Veranda’s Willems-Accent, at 13:59
• 141. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), Garmin-Cervelo, at 14:14
• 142. Davide Appollonio (ITA), Sky, at 15:03
• DNF – Gert Dockx (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Walle Jurgen Van De (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Jussi Veikkanen (FIN), Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Guillaume Bonnafond (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – Christophe Riblon (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – Mathias Frank (SUI), BMC
• DNF – Jon Izaguirre Insausti (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Alan Perez Lezaun (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Matt Brammeier (IRL), HTC-Highroad
• DNF – Caleb Fairly (USA), HTC-Highroad
• DNF – Yury Trofimov (RUS), Katusha
• DNF – Manuele Mori (ITA), Lampre-ISD
• DNF – Alessandro Spezialetti (ITA), Lampre-ISD
• DNF – Diego Ulissi (ITA), Lampre-ISD
• DNF – Jens Voigt (GER), Leopard Trek
• DNF – Anders Lund (DEN), Leopard Trek
• DNF – Damiano Caruso (ITA), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF – Dominik Nerz (GER), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF – Simone Ponzi (ITA), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF – Da Costa Rui Alberto Faria (POR), Movistar
• DNF – José Vicente Garcia Acosta (ESP), Movistar
• DNF – Enrique Sanz (ESP), Movistar
• DNF – Maarten Tjallingii (NED), Rabobank Cycling
• DNF – Aaen JÖrgensen Jonas (DEN), Saxo Bank Sungard
• DNF – Mads Christensen (DEN), Saxo Bank Sungard
• DNF – Laurent Didier (LUX), Saxo Bank Sungard
• DNF – Gustav Larsson (SWE), Saxo Bank Sungard
• DNF – Kurt-asle Arvesen (NOR), Sky Procycling
• DNF – Johan Van Summeren (BEL), Garmin-Cervelo
• DNF – Miguel Moreira Paulinho Sergio (POR), Radioshack
• DNF – Grégory Rast (SUI), Radioshack
• DNF – Sam Bewley (NZL), Radioshack
• DNF – Rob Ruijgh (NED), Vacansoleil-Dcm
• DNF – Luis Angel Mate Mardones (ESP), Cofidis
• DNF – Elia Favilli (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF – Luca Mirenda G. (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF – Davide Ricci Bitti (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF – Benjamin Gourgue (BEL), Landbouwkrediet
• DNF – Bert Scheirlinckx (BEL), Landbouwkrediet
• DNF – Koen De Kort (NED), Skil-Shimano
• DNF – Mitchell Docker (AUS), Skil-Shimano
• DNF – Yann Huguet (FRA), Skil-Shimano
• DNF – Albert Timmer (NED), Skil-Shimano
• DNF – Johan Coenen (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
• DNF – Steven Van Vooren (BEL), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
• DNF – Arnoud Van Groen (NED), Veranda’s Willems-Accent
• DNF – Stefan Van Dijk (NED), Veranda’s Willems-Accent

Philippe Gilbert wins the Amstel Gold Race and now turns his attention to Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

VILT, Netherlands (VN) — Philippe Gilbert left no doubt Sunday on the Cauberg, launching a violent attack midway up the climb to claim his second Amstel Gold Race in a row. The win was the third consecutive hilly classic for the Omega Pharma-Lotto rider, who cemented his position as king of the Ardennes.

The 28-year-old Gilbert surged ahead of Katusha’s Joaquin Rodriguez after the Spaniard countered the catch of a solo Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) low on the finish climb. Rodriguez faded but held on for second while Simon Gerrans (Sky) crossed third.

“I wasn’t forced to go on the attack, I only had to make an extra effort in the final three kilometers, which allowed me to win,” said Gilbert. “It was up to me to assume my responsibilities as favorite and that is what I did.”

Gilbert and teammate Jelle Vanendert did a load of work in the final 10km to pull back Schleck, who had gone clear 11 kilometers from the finish. Gilbert and the Schleck brothers entered as three of the top favorites Sunday; Andy came through outside of the top 10, while his brother Fränk and Swiss star Fabian Cancellara watched the race go up the road when they were held up in a crash 23km from the finish.

“It’s a punch in the stomach,” said Fränk Schleck. “I’m not angry on anybody; I have some regrets, but things, they happen.”

The first 60 kilometers over the northernmost — and mildest — portion of the parcours was lightning fast before a breakaway established. Riders averaged 45 kph in the opening 90 minutes.

Eventually four riders cut free to face the serpentine, furniture-filled roads on their own. Simone Ponzi (Liquigas-Cannondale), Pierpaolo De Negri (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli), Thomas Degand (Veranda’s Willems-Accent) and Yann Huguet (Skil-Shimano) built an lead of more than 11 minutes, but when the gap shrank below three minutes a train of Rabobank riders, resplendent in their special-issue Ride for the Roses jerseys, upped the tempo in the bunch on the descent of the Huls berg with 95km remaining.

Huguet wore the weight of the Limburg climbs on his face as he became the first of the escapees to falter at the base of the finish ramp in Valkenburg. On the second of three trips over the Cauberg, the break splintered, the chasing peloton just over a minute behind. De Negri and Degand held just 40 seconds atop the climb and the peloton scooped up their former mates by the time Paris-Roubaix winner Johan van Summeren climbed into the Garmin-Cervélo bus two minutes later.

Carlos Barredo (Rabobank) countered the catch and bridged across quickly, followed by HTC-Highroad’s Jan Ghyselinck. That move — and several to follow — came undone within a few kilometers and when the peloton arrived to the village of Schwieberg 34km from the finish, it swelled six riders wide.

After riding a late acceleration to second at Amstel Gold in 2010, it was not to be Ryder Hesjedal’s day. The Garmin-Cervélo rider was back in the cars before the Gulperberg at 28km to go and not seen at the front again.

It was 2km later that Cancellara inexplicably hit the deck. Fränk Schleck was on his teammate’s wheel and had no hope. A few hundred meters after remounting, Schleck pushed his machine aside in frustration, forced to make a bike change right at the base of the Kruisberg. The timing could not have been worse.

“He’s the best bike handler we’ve ever seen. He crashes once every five years. Today I was in his wheel because you can trust him with your eyes closed,” said Schleck. “It was the key moment.”

Rabobank’s Bram Tankink opened the serious affairs with an acceleration halfway up the climb, forcing Leopard’s Jacob Fuglsang to pull the chase group of around 20 riders away from Fränk Schleck. When Fuglsang drew Tankink in on the Eyserbosweg with 20km to go, Alexander Kolobnev (Katusha) forced another selection.

Gilbert was there with teammates Vanendert and Vandenbroeck. There too were Andy Schleck and Fuglsang; Gerrans; Degand; Vacansoleil-DCM’s Bjorn Leukemans and Johnny Hoogerland; Rabobank’s Tankink, Robert Gesink and Oscar Freire; Danilo Di Luca (Katusha); Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana); Ben Hermans (RadioShack); Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD); and Sylvain Chavenel (Quick-Step).

From that point on, the group rarely saw a jersey other than Omega Pharma’s on its head. Rodriguez took a turn when the group dove left onto the 22-percent ramp at the base of the penultimate climb, the Keutenberg. The move shed Chavanel, Vinokourov and Cunego, but Vanendert remained planted patiently on the front. When Rodriguez came back, Kolobnev again went, this time on a slight descent. It was that acceleration that set Schleck up for his flyer.

“We planned to go a little bit earlier,” said Schleck. “When I attacked it was still a pretty big group for Amstel Gold Race. … I felt I had to go full gas, but they were pretty quickly organized behind me.”

Just as his teammate Fuglsang came away from the front of the group, Schleck shot from the tail up the left gutter and got a quick five-second gap. He sunk low into a time trial position, pressing his wrists into the tops of his bars, his weight placed forward on his saddle.

Behind, Vanendert pulled and pulled. Gilbert looked for help, but no one bit. Despite having Gesink and Freire in the move, Rabobank refused. Hoogerland pulled through a few times, but was back in the rotation almost as soon as he hit the wind.

“Against a rider like this, it’s not possible (to win) at this moment,” said Freire. “Today I was okay. There was a chance to win, but we saw in the last kilometer that that was not possible.”

Schleck ground his way across the fields between Scheulder and Ijzeren and flew down the winding, patchwork descent to Valkenburg. Gilbert came to the front with 3km to go and together the Omega riders ticked the advantage down a second at a time.

“I still had Vanendert with me, and I was confident and did not panic,” said Gilbert. “When he had built up a lead of 15 seconds, I decided to help because Vanendert was at the end of his tether.”

Schleck made the gentle left turn onto the Cauberg 750 meters from the line along a massive wall of Dutch sound. He rose out of the saddle, his bike lobbing back and forth and when he looked under his left arm 100 meters up the ramp, Schleck knew it was not to be.

“When they passed me with 500 meters to go, I lost for a moment everything,” he said.

Just as Kolobnev had a year earlier, Rodriguez fired early on the Cauberg, jumping past Schleck. Gerrans was tucked in Gilbert’s wheel, but when the Walloon exploded after Rodriguez, he was alone.

“He unleashed that acceleration that he has and it really blew everyone away,” said Gerrans. “I thought coming into the final that if I started really on his hip and right with him, when he kicked I could go with him. He really had the legs and I didn’t. … It was an incredible ride what he did today.”

Gilbert charged onto the flagging Spaniard’s wheel, like a hunter tracking wounded prey. Then, just as he did in 2010, Gilbert came over the false flat 100 meters from the line assured of the win. Four days after his demonstrative victory at De Brabanste Pijl, Gilbert shook his fist as he rolled the pedals to the line.

Gerrans charged ahead of Fuglsang, but couldn’t make the distance up to Rodriguez.

“For me this is the most important week of the season,” said Gilbert, who after winning jumped a barrier and cuddled his child. “I had planned to be at 100 percent at this particular spell and it has proved to be the case.

“I am starting to have extraordinary experiences in the one-day races, both in training and in the races themselves.”

Agence France Presse contributed to this report.

The podium at the 2011 Amstel Gold Race. | Graham Watson photo

Quick results

• 1. Philippe Gilbert (B), Omega Pharma-Lotto, 6:30:44
• 2. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Sp), Katusha, at 0:02
• 3. Simon Gerrans (Aus), Sky, at 0:04
• 4. Jakob Fuglsang (Dk), Leopard Trek, at 0:05
• 5. Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus), Katusha, at 0:05

Complete results

“It’s an intense race,” Louder told VeloNews before the start in Maastricht. “It’s a race of attrition. Even though it’s intense all day, guys like Greg have the endurance and stamina.”

With almost constant turns over three overlapping circuits, the youngest spring classic is also the most stressful for riders.

Louder returned to racing Wednesday at De Brabantse Pijl after missing Vuelta a Pais Vasco with flu and bronchitis. A training camp in Italy with assistant director Max Sciandri carried Louder into the Ardennes classics where he will work to earn BMC its second win in the hilly classics after Cadel Evans’ victory – in rainbow stripes – at La Flèche Wallonne in 2010.

“(Van Avermaet’s) surrounded by guys like (Manual) Quinziato and Ivan Santaromita and just the whole team is in waves keeping him out of trouble and looking after him,” said Louder. “Usually a lot of the race is selective from behind. At the end when you do the Eyserbosweg, the Keutenberg and the Cauberg, it’s up to him to do it at that point.

“It’s just guys that can and the guys that can’t and we think Greg can.”

Cancellara was the center of attention at Paris-Roubaix. | Graham Watson photo

“I feel really free,” said Cancellara. “The stress is gone, the pressure’s gone and I can enjoy it.”

Much of that pressure moved from the world time trial champion to his Luxembourgian teammates Andy and Fränk Schleck. The brothers will face their first Ardennes classics since leaving Bjarne Riis and Saxo Bank in 2010. Fränk broke through in 2006 with a solo win in the Amstel Gold. Andy followed three years later at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Cancellara hasn’t started the Amstel Gold Race since 2004, but said in March he would do so not with an eye toward a run at his fourth of five monuments at Liège and the world championship road race in 2012, but with a look for the win. The top contenders marked Cancellara out of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel parcours, basically a paved version of Flanders, may serve him the best opportunity since his demonstrative win at E3 Harelbeke.

“For the moment, my plan is to go until Amstel because I think this is possible until there. Then I need a break,” he told a small number of press in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy. “I will go on there as long as I have my energy. I don’t go there to only start and then say hello a little bit to the Limbish people and watch the parcours for the worlds. I’m going there to get the result out and go for the win. I know the Cauberg is hard, I know, but you have to calculate.”

Rast said his fourth place in the Roubaix velodrome trumped all – even his overall title at the Tour of Luxembourg and team time trial win at the 2009 Tour de France.

“For me it’s the biggest success of course because it’s one of the biggest one-day races and fourth place is pretty good,” he told VeloNews atop the Cauberg finish climb. “Luxembourg is nice too, but this is one of the biggest races in the world.”

Rast led out the sprint for second ahead of Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek), Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank) and Lars Bak (HTC-Highroad). He stood on his pedals out of the final corner on the track, but Cancellara powered past tucked in his saddle. Rast landed just off the podium and said the one thing he would change about the race was his sprint.

“The one thing I can say is that my sprint was not so clever, afterwards,” he said, standing atop the Cauberg finish climb. “Afterwards you’re always more clever. Maybe if it works everybody says it was perfect, but it didn’t work so well for me … I would start later now.”

Rast came to Maastricht a little weary for the start of his final spring classic and lasted just 73 kilometers. Still, he said, Amstel Gold is a race that the cobbled classics riders can contend, even if the Ardennes riders come in with fresher legs and minds.

“For us, the classics riders, this is a race that is still possible to do,” he said. “We’ve already fought for a month here in the north; every race is a fight for positioning. I think many guys of the northern classics are tired now. For most of those guys it’s their last race and for others it’s the first, so maybe it’s a little advantage if you’re fresh in the head coming into this race.”

With no Giro d’Italia or Tour of California on his schedule, Rast said he would miss a place in his home country’s Tour de Romandie next month. He was disappointed, but looking forward to six weeks at home.

“I have a six-week holiday. It’s wonderful for me,” he said. “I want to race Romandie, but some riders need to have racing in their legs to go to California; it’s really important to us. They have priority to go to Romandie. Also the riders for the Giro need to have Romandie. I have neither and so I’ll stay home.”

The 2011 Amstel Gold Race Profile: Who said Holland was flat?

The twisting climbs of the Limburg start at kilometer ten on Palm Sunday with the Maasberg. Three intertwined circuits mean hills like the nearly 20-percent Gulperberg and the Valkenberg finish climb make two appearances in the race for a total of 32 climbs. The statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Gulperberg won’t offer any help overlooking the summit of the first of six bergs in the closing 25 kilometers.

The road chokes to a single lane as it climbs 59 meters to the hill above the town of Gulpen for the second time 262 kilometers into the day. From there, twisting descents and narrow, sharp climbs mark the road as an elite group almost certainly emerges over the Kruisberg and disintegrates over the penultimate climb, the 1700-meter, 21-percent max Keutenberg.

Eight winding kilometers down to the town of Valkenberg usually glue the front of the race back together somewhat and the finale should come down to a well-timed attack on the Cauberg. Rowdy Dutch fans poured out of restaurants at the base of the finish climb to watch in 2010 as Gilbert waited until the halfway point of the 900-meter Cauberg to make his move. The Wallonian followed early attacks by Alexander Kolobnev (Katusha) and Bert De Waele and jumped in the steepest section of the climb to easily take a 10-plus-bike length win in race founder Hermann Krott’s last edition before his death in October at the age of 79. The result started an impressive run through the year’s hilly classics for Gilbert, which culminated in a second consecutive win at the Tour of Lombardy three days before Krott’s passing.

Gilbert was his usual affable self Friday afternoon, smiling as he sat for his final press conference before pulling on the low number on Sunday morning. “I’m starting with the number one on Sunday; that’s always something special,” said Gilbert. “I’ve already won some races before so that’s better (than 2010), with less pressure from the press. I’ve done everything to be okay and ready to win these races and I have good support with this team and can arrive to the start with confidence.”

Gilbert couldn’t count out the other rider on the tip of classics tongues, Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek), for the finale Sunday, even if the parcours doesn’t necessarily suit the big Swiss. Other top favorites for the Amstel Gold Race include Dutchman Robert Gesink (Rabobank), former winners Fränk Schleck (Leopard), Sergei Ivanov (Katusha), Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) and Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), past runners-up Karsten Kroon (BMC Racing) and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Cervélo), and Andy Schleck (Leopard). Ronde van Vlaanderen victor Nick Nuyens (Saxo Bank) will also be at the start in Maastricht Sunday morning.

The route.

The last Dutchman to win in Valkenberg was Erik Dekker in 2001. The drought is the longest in the race’s history.

With demands on the mind and legs from the rollout Sunday morning, the most fit, attentive and lucky rider in the field should find a frosty beverage waiting atop the Cauberg to mark the first of three consecutive weekends of festivities in the Netherlands. If that rider is Gesink, the party will go on until Queen’s Day April 30.

Stay online with VeloNews.com and @VeloNewsLive on Twitter for full coverage of the 46th Amstel Gold Race on Sunday April 17.

Amstel Gold Race Winners Since 2000

2010- Philippe Gilbert (BEL)
2009- Sergei Ivanov (RUS)
2008- Damiano Cunego (ITA)
2007- Stefan Schumacher (GER)
2006- Frank Schleck (LUX)
2005- Danilo Di Luca (ITA)
2004- Davide Rebellin (ITA)
2003- Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ)
2002- Michele Bartoli (ITA)
2001- Erik Dekker (NED)
2000- Erik Zabel (GER)

Amstel Gold Race Notable Winners

Jean Stablinski (FRA) – First edition (1966)
Jan Raas (NED) – Most wins (1977-1980, 1982)
Eddy Merckx (BEL) – Twice, 1973 and 1975
Arie den Hartog (NED) – First Dutch win (1967)
Erik Dekker (NED) – Most recent Dutch win (2001)

Andy Schleck's winning attack at the 2009 Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Cycling brothers Andy and Frank Schleck say they’re in the hunt for a win heading into the first of the three Ardennes Classics Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race.

Andy Schleck is a two-time Tour de France runner-up who won the third and most prestigious race in the series, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, in 2009.

It was at Amstel, a 260 km race held in the hilly Limburg region of the Netherlands, that older brother Frank claimed his breakthrough win in 2006.

The Schleck brothers have shown glimpses of emerging form at the hilly Tour of the Basque Country last week and go into Sunday’s race hoping to bag victory for their Leopard-Trek team.

“Frank and I have prepared to peak in our top condition for the Ardennes Classics,” Andy said Friday.

“We showed at Pais Vasco (Tour of the Basque Country) that our condition is where it needs to be.”

Leopard-Trek team manager Kim Andersen stopped short of predicting victory at Amstel, Flèche Wallonne or Liège but said his team was in the best condition possible.

“Our goals for the three races are to do very well and offer good racing to the spectators, both on the roads and back home,” said Andersen.

“I don’t like to say our goal is to win. Obviously, we cannot determine the outcome. We are well-prepared and we are strong, that’s what counts. We’ll be there to make a good race.

The Schlecks will be supported by teammates who showed good form in the Basque Country, notably Maxime Monfort, Fabian Wegmann and Jakob Fuglsang.

“The entire team is strong,” he said.

“Our goal is to be up there and in contention for the win.”

Belgian one-day specialist Philippe Gilbert is the defending champion and will be one of the big favourites after his victory in the shorter semi-classic Fleche Brabanconne in midweek.

The last time a Dutchman won at Amstel was in 2001 when former Tour de France stage winner Erik Dekker claimed victory, two years after compatriot Michael Boogerd.

Robert Gesink is hoping to end that famine, but is wary: “All our rivals know we’re riding ‘at home’ and it will be difficult for us to escape.

“But it’s no secret I want to be first to the finish on the Cauberg.”

Gilbert wins in 2010

But that won’t stop his rivals taking him as a serious contender for victory Sunday, when Amstel opens a trio of long, hilly one-day races known as the Ardennes Classics.

Gilbert, who rides for Omega Pharma-Lotto, had a super 2010 season, winning Amstel in the spring and making up for missing out on a podium at the world road race championships in Australia with autumn victories in the Tour de Piedmont and Tour of Lombardy.

And despite primarily targeting the oldest classic of them all at Liege on April 24, the Belgian could be the man to beat Sunday following his easy win at the Fleche Brabanconne in midweek.

Gilbert escaped late in the race with fellow Belgian Bjorn Leukemans of Vacansoleil, who lacked bite when it came to the crunch in the final kilometer and ultimately finished runner-up in the 200 km-long race.

At 260km, Amstel is a different challenge altogether and Leukemans is part of a team which expects to play a starring role in the hilly one-day classic which finishes on the 31st and last climb of the race, the Cauberg.

“I have high expectations and we have a strong team with several riders who can compete in a final,” said Vacansoleil sport director Michel Cornelisse, who will also be counting on Stijn Devolder and Marco Marcato, who was eighth in 2010.

The last time a Dutchman won at Amstel was in 2001 when former Tour de France stage winner Erik Dekker claimed victory, two years after compatriot Michael Boogerd.

In Robert Gesink they hope to have found their man.

Gesink, a strong climber, is being groomed for potential yellow jersey glory at the Tour de France, but is the hosts’ best chance of victory on Sunday. Nevertheless, the Rabobank rider believes that racing at home won’t be advantageous.

“As a team we will be giving everything to try and win. But it won’t be easy for us,” said Gesink.

“All our rivals know we’re riding ‘at home’ and it will be difficult for us to escape. But it’s no secret I want to be first to the finish on the Cauberg.”

Amstel, held in the Limburg region of the Netherlands, features over 20 ‘bergs’ (climbs) over its course and so attracts many of the most powerful climbing specialists in the peloton.

Frank Schleck, the brother of two-time Tour de France runner-up, claimed his breakthrough win in the Cauberg in 2006 while Italian Damiano Cunego won in 2008 and Russian Sergei Ivanov prevailed in 2009.

This year Andy and Frank Schleck are part of a Leopard-Trek team which will also include Swiss powerhouse Fabian Cancellara, who finished runner-up at the gruelling Paris-Roubaix cobbled classic last week.

Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov won the race in 2003 and can’t be discounted.

BMC will line up without Australian Cadel Evans, who has pulled out of the Ardennes Classics because of a knee injury. The American team still hopes to can score a podium through Belgian Greg Van Avermet, according to sports director John Lelangue.

“We’re still riding for Greg Van Avermaet, but we’re losing a really good guy with Cadel – first as a teammate for Amstel and also as a leader for Fleche Wallonne,” Lelangue said.

Top Ten results From 2010 Amstel Gold Race

• 1. Philippe Gilbert (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto, 257km in 6:22:54
• 2. Ryder Hesjedal (Can), Garmin-Transitions, at 0:02
• 3. Enrico Gasparotto (Ita), Astana, at 0:02
• 4. Bert De Waele (Bel), Landbouwkrediet-Colnago, at 0:05
• 5. Roman Kreuziger (Cze), Liquigas Doimo, at 0:05
• 6. Damiano Cunego (Ita), Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 0:05
• 7. Frank Schleck (Lux), Team Saxo Bank, at 0:07
• 8. Marco Marcato (Ita), Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, at 0:09
• 9. Karsten Kroon (Ned), BMC Racing Team, at 0:11
• 10. Christopher Horner (USA), Team RadioShack, at 0:11

Full Results

Evans won't be able to defend his Flèche Wallonne title this year.

“From a medical standpoint, he’s out of competition for at least the next five days,” Testa said in a team report. “Keeping him out longer will help the ultimate injury outcome and also give him time to get training to return on the top end.”

Evans said he’s disappointed not to be participating in the Ardennes classics.

“Normally, I thought I’d be back by now, but I had a check-up Tuesday and the injury has proven to be more of an obstacle than we first thought,” he said. “I had wanted to be a helper for Greg Van Avermaet at Amstel Gold and on a good level for Flèche Wallonne. But this won’t be a long-term problem, especially for my preparation for the Tour. It’s just a little hiccup along the way.”

Directeur Sportif John Lelangue said the BMC Racing Team’s approach for Sunday’s 260-kilometer race will not change.

“We’re still riding for Greg Van Avermaet, but we’re losing a really good guy with Cadel – first as a teammate for Amstel and also as a leader for Flèche Wallonne,” Lelangue said. Evans won Flèche Wallonne last year. Lelangue said barring any complications, Evans will return to action at the Tour de Romandie (April 26-May 1).

BMC for Amstel Gold Race

● Marcus Burghardt (G)
● Matthias Frank (Swi)
● Martin Kohler (Swi)
● Jeff Louder (USA)
● Manuel Quinziato (I)
● Ivan Santaromita (I)
● Mauro Santambrogio (I)
● Greg Van Avermaet (B)

The Amstel Gold Race highlights a big week of springtime racing.

A different breed of riders moves to the forefront with this weekend’s Amstel Gold Race. While some familiar faces from the northern classics will be lining up Sunday in Maastricht in Holland’s hilly LImburg region, including defending champion Philippe GIlbert (Omega-Lotto) and Tour of Flanders winner Nick Nuyens (Saxo Bank-Sungard), the upcoming “Ardennes” classics will draw lighter, more nimble riders capable of punching up the endless string of climbs that mark the second half of the spring classics.

With all eyes on Amstel, there are other one-day races sprinkled across Europe, with four races in a busy week in France as well as the next round of the women’s World Cup in Holland in the cycling hotbed of Drenthe in northern Holland, where fans lined the entire route of the Vuelta a España when it passed through the area in 2009.

The stage-race highlight of the week is the five-day Castilla y León tour in northern Spain. Mild weather has helped turn the normally bleak northern meseta of Spain into a carpet of green as fields of wheat and barley are in full bloom in what should be another chance for Alberto Contador to win his fourth overall title at the race.

72nd Paris-Camembert (1.1)

April 12 – France

Sandy Casar (FDJ) won out of a five-man group on Tuesday to open a packed week of racing in northern France.

On the Web: www.paris-camembert.ifrance.com/

Brabantse Pijl (1.HC)

April 13 – Belgium

Three-time winner Oscar Freire (Rabobank) is among the favorites for this semi-classic that transitions the classics month from the cobblestones to the hills.

On the Web: www.debrabantsepijl.be/nl

26th Vuelta a Castilla y León (2.1)

April 13-17 – Spain

Alberto Contador is the top draw in his first race since winning the Volta a Catalunya earlier this month. It’s also the first race for Contador since both the UCI and WADA have confirmed they will appeal the Spanish cycling federation’s decision to clear him of clenbuterol charges, so it will be interesting if Contador will make any public comments on the controversial doping case or simply let his legs do the talking. So far, Contador has won two overall titles and three individual stages since he was cleared in mid-February.

The five-day Castilla y León tour is tailor-made (again) for Contador’s characteristics. Three road stages favor the sprinters while the uphill summit finish in the mountains of Bierzo, where nearby Ponferrada will be hosting the 2014 world cycling championships, gives Contador a chance to win another stage and his fourth title. There’s a short, 11.2km ITT, so it’s his race to lose.

“It’s a challenging race, because the climb is not that demanding so there won’t be that many differences,” Contador said ahead of Wednesday’s start. “And the time trial is short, so any rider that shows up in form has a chance to win it. I will do the best I can, with the Giro in the back of my mind, which is only three weeks away.”

This year’s field is comparatively thin compared to the past few years, with only Sky, Movistar, Euskaltel-Euskadi and Rabobank joining Saxo Bank-Sungard as ProTeam squads. Igor Antón, who won a climbing stage ahead of Contador last year, will be the “Pistolero’s” most dangerous rival. Others with GC ambitions include Jerome Coppel (Saur-Sojasun), who was third to Contador at the Vuelta a Murcia in March; Carlos Sastre (Geox-TMC), Xavier Tondo (Movistar) and Bauke Mollema (Rabobank).

On the Web: www.vueltacastillayleon.com/portal/inicio.php

52nd GP de Denain (1.1)

April 14 – France

On the Web: www.asso.nordnet.fr/gpdenain/Menu.htm

Ronde van Drenthe (WC)

April 16 – Holland

Women’s World Cup racing continues with the third round of the 2011 series in northern Holland on a technical course that always delivers an exciting race. Annemiek Van Vleuten (ARC) will carry the World Cup leader’s jersey onto home roads following his victory in the Tour of Flanders. Emma Pooley (CWT), winner of the World Cup opener, is second in the overall standings, with 86 points to Van Vleuten’s 110. Emma Johansson (HPU) is third overall with 80.

On the Web: www.rondevandrenthe.nl/worldcup

26th Tour du Finistère (1.1)

April 16 – France

On the Web: www.tourdufinistere.fr/

46th Amstel Gold Race (WT)

April 17 – Holland

Amstel is perhaps one of the most nervous races of the season. Narrow farm roads, strong crosswinds and an endless string of climbs — 31 in all — make for one of the most demanding days on the calendar. Add Holland’s notorious “traffic furniture,” unpredictable weather and huge packs of loud and rowdy Dutch fans, and the winner of Amstel Gold always deserves the just accolades.

Gilbert kicked to victory up the Cauberg last year in a huge win for him and his Omega Pharma-Lotto team in what was Gilbert’s coming-of-age season. Gilbert will give it a run if he has the legs on the day, but you can’t help but wonder if Gilbert will be saving his legs for Liège-Bastogne-Liège next Sunday, the race that he truly wants to win.

Ryder Hesjedal will lead Garmin-Cervélo after coming out of the Tour of the Basque Country with a strong overall performance. Second last year behind Gilbert, Hesjedal will get a boost from the team’s massive victory in Paris-Roubaix last weekend.

The Dutch will be gunning for victory in what they deem as “their” race. The last Dutch winner was way back in 2001, when Erik Dekker beat Lance Armstrong, so the pressure will be on for local riders. Karsten Kroon is a KO for BMC, so everyone will be looking at Rabobank’s Robert Gesink to carry the national colors. Gesink is hot off third overall at the Basque tour, so this could well be the year a Dutchman is back on the top.

That certainly would make the tens of thousands of fans who line the final kilometers through Valkenberg and up the short but steep climb to the finish line at Cauberg very happy.

(Check back later this week with full reports from VeloNews‘ Brian Holcombe, who will be following the action from Maastricht.)

On the Web: www.amstelgoldrace.nl

28th Tro-Bro León (1.1)

April 17 – France

On the Web: www.tro-bro-leon.com/

The podium

Philippe Gilbert is one of the smartest, strongest and nicest guys in today’s peloton. And those qualities were neatly reflected in the way he took the victory in Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race. He brilliantly exploited all the resources of his admittedly weak team. And he then stamped his authority on the race by making or following repeated accelerations before his winning uphill punch to the summit finish on the Cauberg.

Gilbert has often said that the Dutch classic deserves to be one of the sport’s monuments —“It’s just like the Tour of Flanders without the cobblestones,” he said last week, after finishing third in Flanders. Like the Belgian classic, the Amstel has a circuitous course that twists and turns around hilly, narrow back roads, one in the bergs of the Flemish Ardennes, the other in Limburg, the Dutch province that juts into the hillier parts of western Belgium and eastern Germany.

So how did Gilbert use his smarts in the Amstel Gold Race? First off, he made sure he had a teammate (Staf Scheirlinckx) in the early seven-man breakaway, which allowed the rest of the Omega-Lotto team to sit back in the peloton. “We’re a strong team,” Gilbert said in the build-up to this weekend, “but not strong enough to bear the weight for 250km.”

Omega-Lotto’s smart decision put the pressure on the other race favorites, with home squad Rabobank, led by last year’s third-place finisher Robert Gesink and Milan-San Remo winner Oscar Freire, setting the peloton’s tempo for the first half of the race. The bulk of the work was done by Rabobank’s Lars Boom, the former world cyclocross champ, who flamed out on the second of the three passes of the Cauberg climb, at the start of the vital final loop of the 257.3km Amstel course.

This left Rabo’s other support riders to help those teams that also missed the break, principally Saxo Bank (for the Schleck brothers) and Lampre-Farnese (for 2008 winner Damiano Cunego). “There was no other choice but to make the race harder with 130km still to go,” said Saxo’s co-leader, Fränk Schleck, the 2006 Amstel winner.

Meanwhile, in the break, Scheirlinckx soft-pedaled for much of the day until the gap came down to a minute (from a 6:30 maximum) with 40km and seven climbs still to come. Then, Pharma’s 31-year-old Belgian domestique went to the front of the lead group and did everything he could to delay the eventual catch — which came 10km later. Scheirlinckx’s efforts meant that Gilbert had a little extra time to compose his thoughts and muscles before what are the key climbs of the Amstel: the Kruisberg, Eyserbosweg, Fromberg and Keutenberg, which all come within the space of 11km on the narrowest roads.

If you are badly place turning left across the narrow brick bridge at the foot of the Kruisberg, which average 7.5 percent for 800 meters, you have little chance of figuring in the finale. That was clear when race favorites Andy Schleck, Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), Chris Horner (Team RadioShack) and Gilbert were all present in the front line as the leaders pushed the pace.

Gilbert said he was in perfect position because of this strongest teammates. “I kept (Javier) Moreno and (Jurgen0) Van den Broeck with me,” he said at the post-race press conference. “I knew I could count on them to help.”

Being close to the front of the peloton, which spit into several sections over the Kruisberg, meant that Gilbert was in the ideal position to monitor the attacks that were about to come. The first came from the promising Italian rider Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil), who went off on his own before the Eyserbosweg (1.1km at 8.1 percent), where Andy Schleck blasted clear of the chasers, with Gilbert, Cunego and two others joining him over the windswept summit.

Ten men quickly formed the lead group, with Garmin-Transitions team leader Ryder Hesjedal having to work hard at the head of the chase group to close a 10-second gap. When the groups came together entering the Fromberg, Fränk Schleck accelerated, taking with him Cunego, Gilbert, brother Andy and three others.

Over the top, Cunego stepped on the gas, and this time just Gilbert, Fränk Schleck and defending champion Serguei Ivanov (Katusha) were in position to follow. With 14km still to go, it looked like a potentially winning move; but Evans (now working as a domestique for teammate Karsten Kroon, the 2009 runner-up) put in a long surge to pull up a dozen-strong chase group.

Ivanov's attack

That was the moment, before a fast, twisting descent, chosen by Ivanov to charge away from the front. But it wouldn’t be this easy for him to win again. From the re-grouped chasers, Gilbert sent Van den Broeck after Ivanov, while Evans sped after them for BMC.

When these three hit the foot of the Keutenberg, Ivanov immediately dropped the other two (Evans said he was cramping), and Gilbert emerged on the 700-meter, 9.4-percent wall, splitting the group. Only Cunego, Fränk Schleck and Ivanov’s teammate and fellow Russian Alexandr Kolobnev could go with them, while Hesjedal was looking strong at the front of a group 10 seconds back.

It’s at this point in the race, across a flat plateau across farmland with 10km to go, that the Amstel is often decided. So when Ivanov was reeled in, Gilbert dashed clear alone, confident of his strength. But he wasn’t burning all of his energy.

“After my attack, when I saw the chase group with Cunego and Ivanov, I decided to wait,” he said. “It was a difficult decision but I think it was a good one. That way I was able to conserve enough strength for the finale.”

It was right here four years ago that Fränk Schleck made his winning solo move through a cloying mist. This time, on a clear sunny afternoon, the Luxembourger was more circumspect. “It wasn’t an ideal situation,” he said. “Gilbert and Cunego were there, and we had to be careful of the Ivanov-Kolobnev pairing.”

Cunego was feeling the same way. His Lampre team director, Brent Copeland, said about Cunego, “His only regret concerned the breakaway he was in during the last 10km. If there hadn’t been two riders from the same team, who logically took turns to attack, that group would have stayed away.”

Indeed, with 8km still to race, Kolobnev counter-attacked from the front group and hurtled away. He was out of sight when the course entered the little streets of Sibbe, where, with 5km remaining, he was nine seconds ahead of the Gilbert quartet, and 19 seconds clear of the 25-strong Hesjedal pack, where Gesink was making a huge effort to close the gap for teammate Freire.

His efforts helped the groups merge on the sweeping descent into Valkenburg, where Kolobnev was clearly in their sights. It had, once more, come down to the final assault up the Cauberg, which is steep in the first half before leveling out with 200 meters to go.

Kolobnev attack

A year ago, Gilbert didn’t have any teammates left to close a 60-meter gap on the three-man break, and he finished in fourth. This time, Van den Broeck made the effort to close down Kolobnev, before Quick Step’s Carlos Barredo (the 2009 Clásica San Sebastián winner) launched the sprint. Gilbert followed him with Cunego right behind.

Then, another unlikely aggressor, Landbouwkrediet’s Bert de Waele, blasted past them on their left. This was just what Gilbert was waiting for as he took the veteran Belgian’s wheel and then launched an unstoppable acceleration. We saw him make just such a move on the San Fermo della Battaglia hill in his victorious Tour of Lombardy last October; and this time with the line only 400 meters away, no one was going to catch him.

Hesjedal came from way back, pushing a bigger gear that he was able to accelerate on in the flatter finish straight, to take a highly merited second place away from Astana’s Enrico Gasparotto, while De Waele hung tough for fourth.

But this day was all about the man who used impeccable tactics after planning and peaking for a race he had targeted for a whole year: Philippe Gilbert. The 27-year-old Belgian is now the owner of four major classics … and counting.

It was Hesjedal's fifth Amstel

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) delivered a huge podium achievement with second place on Amstel Gold Race on Sunday.

The Canadian hit the base of the Cauberg in perfect position and simply put his head down and hammered the pedals. When he looked up, he was right at the nose of the action. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) rode away from everyone, Hesjedal had the best legs of the rest and notched a well-deserved podium finish.

VeloNews caught up with Hesjedal as he reflected on his first major spring classics podium:

VN.com: Tell us about the race — it seems like you didn’t have any problems all day.

Ryder Hesjedal: It was a pretty straightforward Amstel. This is my fifth time doing it, so I know the race pretty well. The selections come pretty rapid there at the end. I had great legs right from the start. The team was backing me the whole way. The team was really great helping me all day, giving me as much chance as possible. When the hard moments came, I was able to be there and followed what needed to be followed to keep myself in it.

VN.com: Were you worried when the late move went or did you think it would come together for the Cauberg?

VN.com: I had a feeling we were going to hit the bottom of the Cauberg like we did it. There was some strong firepower behind. When you see Gesink chasing, you can get pretty confident that it’s going to come back. I was doing my bits after the Keutenberg. I didn’t go over with the attack, but I was one of the stronger guys over the top there. I was being aggressive and showing that I wanted to stay in the race. It worked out, and we started from the zero at the bottom of the Cauberg.

VN.com: It seems like you were in the middle of the bunch once it hit the Cauberg. Was it difficult to fight through that group?

RH: It’s a long drag and opens up pretty fast. It’s hard to say, Gilbert is pretty classy, so I don’t know if I was in better position if I could have won. That’s kind of a stretch. I remember seeing Gilbert looking back pretty comfortably at one point. That just made me focus on myself. I knew if I did a good ride for myself, it would give me the best chance. It looks like it worked out. I was able to stay strong to the finish.

VN.com: Can you describe what it’s like to hit the Cauberg with 250km in your legs?

RH: That’s a hard, hard climb. The effort is pretty long. Once I was able to get up the steeper part, I still had good power in my legs, that’s when I realized I was in with a shot. I finally put it down and kept fighting right to the end. Everyone was suffering. I don’t remember a whole lot. I remember starting it, going up it and the rest of it is kind of a blur. It’s a partial blackout.

VN.com: It seemed like you put your head down for a dig and when you looked up, you were right at the front with the podium in sight. Can you describe your sensations at that moment?

RH: That was amazing. The whole day was just great, especially after the trauma of traveling up here. My original plan was not to do Amstel. It’s a race that I’ve had the least sensations and least results versus Flèche and Liège. I thought coming out of País Vasco that I would give myself more recovery and not throw my hat in for Amstel, use Flèche as a springboard and throw all my eggs in for Liège. I am glad the team convinced me otherwise. It was the right choice with the conditions I had at País Vasco. Whitey (sport director Matt White) said I could be good at Amstel and he was right.

VN.com: Tell us about your trek to get to Holland when your flight was canceled; hardly ideal preparation for a major, one-day race.

RH: We were fortunate with the team based in Girona. Christian Meier and I were driven up by two of the team staff. It’s not that hard to sit in the back of the car and do a little road trip. Once we realized that’s what we had to do, we left Girona on Friday afternoon, drove 600-700km, spent the night in Lyon, got a good sleep. We got up here on time to do a spin on Saturday. The legs felt great coming out of the car, so I had a good feeling that things would go pretty well.

VN.com: How would you characterize this podium? Would it be the most important result of your career in Europe on the road?

RH: The Vuelta victory was pretty meaningful, with the victory in a mountain stage like that. With how that went down, with the early break and the big favorites coming from behind, that will always be pretty special to me. It’s not really comparable, to a true, one-day 260km classic. It will sink in a little more as the days go on, once I see the images. Gilbert is on the top of his game right now.

VN.com: Does it help to be an underdog in these races? No one was mentioning Garmin or Ryder Hesjedal as a favorite before the race.

RH: That’s fine. Besides my 11^th in Liège last year, I haven’t done enough to get that status in these races. Anyone who understands racing, who’s seen me in Catalunya and País Vasco, they would have known I would have been good up here in races like this. What can I say? I’ve been focusing on these races since last year. My 11^th in Liège really changed my perspective. The first time I did one, after 180km, I could never imagine to have the power to reach the podium five or six years later. Liège really changed it for me. Last year, when we hit Saint-Nicolas, to be in that group with the podium in play, I put that in the back of my mind, and made these races as an objective.

VN.com: So the podium at Amstel will only fuel your confidence for Flèche and Liège?

RH: The condition is there. I can remember the past few years, I can remember the key parts of these races. All day today, I felt good. I am a different rider than I was last year. I got another race on Wednesday. Having this result in Holland means a lot, too. Holland has done a lot for me in regards in cycling. I was with the Rabobank development team, I got my feet wet here up here in the road scene in Holland. I like Holland a lot, so it’s pretty neat to come here and perform in the biggest race they have.