2015 Amstel Gold Race

September 2019 2015 Amstel Gold Race 2015 UCI World Tour 11 28 http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-confirm-worldtour-calendar-2015 UCI confirm WorldTour Calendar 2015 4 January 2015 Cyclingnews.com Amstel Gold race 2015, Cauberg (17267915542).jpg Cauberg during the 2015 race 300 19 April 2015http://www.uci.ch/road/calendar/detail#date=20150401&view=list&categ=257&country=0&classc=0 2015 UCI Calendar 4 January 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale 258 km 6h 31' 49" Michał Kwiatkowski EQS 2015 POL Alejandro Valverde MOV 2015 ESP Michael Matthews OGE 2015 AUS 2014 2016 The 2015 Amstel Gold Race was the 50th edition of the Amstel Gold Race one-day race. It took place on 19 April and was the eleventh race of the 2015 UCI World Tour. The Amstel Gold Race formed part of the Ardennes classics season, although it took place in the Limburg region of the Netherlands rather than in the Belgian Ardennes. It took place in the week before La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the other principal Ardennes classics. The defending champion in the 2015 edition of the race was Philippe Gilbert, who had won the race three times and had also won the 2012 world championships on a very similar course. http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/a-beginners-guide-to-the-ardennes A beginner's guide to the Ardennes Cossins Peter 17 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com Immediate Media Company 18 April 2015 The race took place on a 258 km on route centred on the town of Valkenburg aan de Geul; the route included 34 short climbs, several of which were repeated. The decisive climb was the Cauberg, the fourth ascent of which came within 2 km off of the finishing line. The race typically suited puncheurs. After several attacking groups were caught, the decisive action came on the final ascent of the Cauberg. A small group formed after the climb and sprinted for the race victory. The sprint was won by Michał Kwiatkowski, the reigning world champion; it was his first road race victory since he won the world championships. Alejandro Valverde (MOV 2015) was second, with Michael Matthews (OGE 2015) third. Teams The Amstel Gold Race was part of the 2015 UCI World Tour, which meant that the 17 UCI WorldTeams were automatically invited and obliged to send a team. The race organisers also made eight wildcard invitations to UCI Professional Continental teams. The peloton was therefore made up of 25 teams. http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/02/news/final-amstel-gold-race-wildcards-announced_361560 Final Amstel Gold race wildcards announced 23 February 2015 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 18 April 2015 18 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150418150117/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/02/news/final-amstel-gold-race-wildcards-announced_361560 dead With eight riders on each team, a total of 200 riders were entered. Two of these, IAM 2015's Dries Devenyns (sore back) and Thomas Degand (stomach upset), were forced to pull out before the start, so 198 riders started the race.Amstel Gold Race 2015 - Classic http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Amstel_Gold_Race_2015-startlist ProCyclingStats 21 April 2015Dries Devenyns en Thomas Degand starten niet in Amstel Gold Race http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cnt/dmf20150419_01637128 21 April 2015 Het Nieuwsblad Belga 19 April 2015 nl ALM AST BMC OPQ FDJ IAM LAM LTB MOV OGE GRS GIA KAT BEL SKY TTS TFR UCI WorldTeams 2015MTN CCC VFN CUL CSF ROO WGG TSV UCI Professional Continental teams 2015 Route thumb|Route of the 2015 race The 258 km off on route of the 2015 Amstel Gold Race began in Maastricht and left the city towards the north. The riders passed through the towns of Bunde and Geulle on their way to the first climbs of the day. The first climb of the day was the Slingerberg; the peloton then passed through Beek and climbed the Adsteeg. These climbs came within the first 15 km off of racing. The route then turned south through Meerssen, where the riders climbed the third climb, the Lange Raarberg, then east in the direction of Heerlen. The course turned, however, before they reached Heerlen, first heading south across the climb of the Bergseweg, then west. At this point, the route entered a series of circuits around the town of Valkenburg aan de Geul. The riders climbed the Sibbergrubbe and the Cauberg for the first time. The first climb of the Cauberg came after 54 km off. http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Amstel_Gold_Race_2015-profiles Amstel Gold Race 2015 - Classic 18 April 2015 ProCyclingStats thumb|right|The Cauberg, climbed four times during the race The first of the loops around Valkenburg was the longest at 101.6 km off. The riders first climbed the Geulhemmerberg as they left Valkenburg, then turned south-east. The next 20 km off contained no categorised climbs, though the roads were far from flat. The next climb, the Wolfsburg, came after 78.1 km off and was followed quickly by the first climb of the Loorberg. The route then briefly turned north, before turning south again on the outskirts of Gulpen. The next climb, the Schweibergerweg, came after 92.5 km off of racing, with the Camerig 6 km off later. The riders then entered a short circuit around the town of Vaals, where the Drielandenpunt, the Gemmenich and the Vijlenerbos came within 9 km off of one another. The route then returned to Gulpen along the same roads, with the Eperheide the only categorised climb. In Gulpen, the route crossed the Gulpenerberg, then turned east to cross the Plettenberg and the Eyserweg. The riders then reached Simpelveld, where they turned west again towards Valkenburg. The final part of the loop took the peloton across the climb of Huls and the Vrakelberg. As they entered Valkenburg, the riders climbed the Sibbergrubbe and the Cauberg for the second time. As the riders crossed the finish line in Valkenburg, they had 99.8 km off remaining.Route 50e Amstel Gold Race 19 April 2015 http://www.amstel.nl/~/media/Websites/Amstel/Afbeeldingen/Evenementen/Amstel%20Gold%20Race/Amstel%20Gold%20Race/Wedstrijd/Wedstrijd%20Route%20Amstel%20Gold%20Race%202015.ashx amstel.nl 19 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150419080158/http://www.amstel.nl/~/media/Websites/Amstel/Afbeeldingen/Evenementen/Amstel%20Gold%20Race/Amstel%20Gold%20Race/Wedstrijd/Wedstrijd%20Route%20Amstel%20Gold%20Race%202015.ashx 19 April 2015 PDF nl The second loop was shorter than the first at 71.3 km off. It again began with the climb of the Geulhemmerberg, then travelled through the outskirts of Maastricht. The route again turned north, this time to climb the Bemelerberg, before another turn to the south-east towards Beutenaken. The route re-used several of the roads that made up the first loop: the riders climbed the Loorberg for the second time, then turned north for the second climb of the Gulpenerberg. From this point, the peloton took a different route towards Valkenburg, which included the climbs of the Kruisberg, the Eyserbosweg, the Fromberg and the Keutenberg. On this loop, the riders did not climb the Sibbergrubbe but proceeded directly to the third climb of the Cauberg. This was seen as a moment when an early attack might succeed and came with 21.1 km off remaining. The final loop was the shortest of the day at 18.5 km off. The riders climbed the Geulhemmerberg for the third time, then the Bemelerberg for the second time. This was the penultimate climb of the day. The final climb was a fourth ascent of the Cauberg. At the base of the climb, there were 2.6 km off remaining. The climb itself was 900 m in length, with an average gradient of 7% and a maximum gradient of 12%. At the top of the climb, there were approximately 1.7 km off of fairly flat roads to the finish line in Berg en Terblijt. Cauberg Valkenburg http://www.sport.be/cycling/nl/hellingen/info.html?Route_ID=158 Sport.be Golazo media nv 19 April 2015 nl 18 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160418224613/http://www.sport.be/cycling/nl/hellingen/info.html?Route_ID=158 dead Pre-race favourites thumb|Philippe Gilbert, three-time winner of the race, wearing the rainbow jersey he won on a similar course in the 2012 world championships The Amstel Gold Race had been won in the past by riders who attacked a long distance from the finish line. This happened as recently as 2013, when Roman Kreuziger attacked shortly after the penultimate climb of the Cauberg. Normally, however, the race was decided on the final ascent of the Cauberg; in the 2014 edition, Philippe Gilbert (BMC 2015) attacked midway up the climb and was able to take a solo victory. As there was a flat section after the climb, there was also opportunities for riders dropped on the Cauberg to rejoin any escapees and to bring the race together for a sprint finish.Frattini Kirsten Gilbert wins 2014 Amstel Gold Race http://www.cyclingnews.com/amstel-gold-race/results 19 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150418184318/http://www.cyclingnews.com/amstel-gold-race/results 18 April 2015 Puddicombe Stephen Amstel Gold Race 2015 preview http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/amstel-gold-race-2015-preview-166683 19 April 2015 Cycling Weekly 15 April 2015 19 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150419054853/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/amstel-gold-race-2015-preview-166683 dead The race was therefore expected to suit puncheurs, especially those who were also able to defend a solo lead ahead of a chasing group. http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/04/amstel-gold-race-preview-2/ Amstel Gold Race preview Conde Mikkel 17 April 2015 CyclingTips 20 April 2015 Gilbert, the defending champion, was the main favourite for the race. As well as his 2014 victory, he had won the race in 2010 and 2011; he also won the 2012 world championships road race, which was raced on a very similar course. Gilbert had demonstrated good form by coming third the previous week in Brabantse Pijl. Several other former champions took part in 2014: Kreuziger (TTS 2015), Enrico Gasparotto (WGG 2015), Damiano Cunego (VFN 2015), Fränk Schleck (TFR 2015), Stefan Schumacher and Davide Rebellin (both CCC 2015). http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/amstel-gold-race-2015/preview Amstel Gold Race attracts the stars for 50th edition O'Shea Sadhbh 17 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com Immediate Media Company 18 April 2015Windsor Richard Who are the bookies’ favourites for Amstel Gold Race? http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/who-are-the-bookies-favourites-for-amstel-gold-race-167080 19 April 2015 Cycling Weekly 17 April 2015 14 May 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160514031136/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/who-are-the-bookies-favourites-for-amstel-gold-race-167080 dead Alejandro Valverde (MOV 2015), who had come fourth in 2014, was also among the major favourites and was in strong form following three stage wins during the Volta a Catalunya. Michał Kwiatkowski (EQS 2015), the incumbent world champion, Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT 2015) and Michael Matthews (OGE 2015) were also considered to have a strong chance of winning the race. Matthews in particular was the favourite to win any small bunch sprint if a group came together after the Cauberg. Race report An early breakaway was formed by six riders after more than 20 km off, after the climb of the Lange Raarberg. The six riders were Laurens De Vreese (AST 2015), Jan Polanc (LAM 2015), Timo Roosen (BEL 2015), Linus Gerdemann (CUL 2015), Johann van Zyl (MTN 2015) and Mike Terpstra (ROO 2015). The peloton initially hesitated in letting the break escape, but soon relented and the leading group's advantage grew to approximately 10 minutes by the time they reached Mechelen after 90 km off of racing. The peloton was led by BMC 2015 and CCC 2015. There were several crashes during this phase of the race; Jelle Vanendert (LTS 2015), who was second in 2014, and Lieuwe Westra (AST 2015 y) were among the riders forced to abandon the race. As the riders crossed the finish line for the second time, with 99.8 km off remaining, they had a lead of approximately six minutes as the riders in the peloton began to chase.Kwiatkowski wins Amstel Gold Race http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/amstel-gold-race-2015/results 20 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2015Kwiatkowski sprints to first victory in rainbow jersey in Amstel Gold Race http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/news/road/kwiatkowski-sprints-to-first-victory-in-rainbow-jersey-in-amstel-gold-race_367157 20 April 2015 VeloNews 19 April 2015 20 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150420051845/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/news/road/kwiatkowski-sprints-to-first-victory-in-rainbow-jersey-in-amstel-gold-race_367157 dead thumb|Michał Kwiatkowski (here pictured after winning the 2014 world championships road race) won his first race in the rainbow jersey in a sprint finish On the second loop around Valkenburg, MOV 2015 came to the front of the peloton to chase the breakaway in support of Alejandro Valverde. They reduced the breakaway's lead to four minutes and briefly broke a small group free on the descent from the Bemelerberg, but a mechanical problem for Valverde forced them to stop chasing and bring him back to the front of the peloton. As the riders came to the end of the loop, three riders had been dropped from the breakaway and the group's lead was under a minute. The first attacks from the peloton came on the Eyserbosweg, with David Tanner (IAM 2015) and Simon Clarke (OGE 2015) attacking and forming a lead group. A second group attacked, made up of Tony Martin (EQS 2015), Vincenzo Nibali and Diego Rosa (both AST 2015 Y), Wilco Kelderman (BEL 2015 y), Damiano Caruso (BMC 2015) and Alex Howes (GRS 2015). With 37 km off remaining, Clarke and Tanner had an 11-second lead over the second group, with the peloton a further 24 seconds behind. The original breakaway, meanwhile, had been caught.Clarke Stuart Michał Kwiatkowski wins Amstel Gold Race http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/michal-kwiatkowski-wins-amstel-gold-race-167263 20 April 2015 Cycling Weekly 19 April 2015 21 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150421044538/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/michal-kwiatkowski-wins-amstel-gold-race-167263 dead Kelderman missed a corner shortly afterwards and was forced to ride through a field to rejoin the race; he was unable to catch up with the leading riders. The two groups came together shortly afterwards, although there was some disagreement in the group about the riders' commitment to the breakaway attempt. Rosa and Caruso crashed on a corner, reducing the group to five riders, while MOV 2015 yes were again leading the chasing peloton. The group was caught with 15 km off remaining. Clarke then attacked again, but was caught 7 km off later. One final attack was made by Jakob Fuglsang (AST 2015 y) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC 2015 yes); Van Avermaet refused to assist Fuglsang in setting the pace and they were soon caught. The peloton was therefore all together for the final ascent of the Cauberg. In 2014, Samuel Sánchez (then BMC 2014 yes) had attacked at the foot of the Cauberg on behalf of his teammate Philippe Gilbert, whose subsequent attack allowed him to take the race victory. They attempted to replicate this strategy with an attack from Ben Hermans in the same place as Sánchez. Gilbert's attack, however, was less successful than his 2014 effort: although most riders were dropped, Michael Matthews was able to hold his wheel. Michał Kwiatkowski was chasing alone at this point. Valverde bridged across to Gilbert and Matthews, with another 15 riders joining the group shortly afterwards. Kwiatkowski was a long way behind with 500 m remaining, but was able to stay in the slipstream of the other riders and recover from the climb. He then began a long sprint and was able to keep the rest of the group behind him. Valverde finished second, with Matthews third. Kwiatkowski's win was his first win in the rainbow jersey of the world champion. Results Race result 1 Michał Kwiatkowski POL EQS 2015 6h 31' 49" 2 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 + 0" 3 Michael Matthews AUS OGE 2015 + 0" 4 Rui Costa POR LAM 2015 + 0" 5 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2015 + 0" 6 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 0" 7 Julian Alaphilippe FRA EQS 2015 + 0" 8 Enrico Gasparotto ITA WGG 2015 + 0" 9 Maciej Paterski POL CCC 2015 + 0" 10 Philippe Gilbert BEL BMC 2015 + 0" Post-race analysis Riders' reactions Kwiatkowski's win was his first road race victory since his victory at the 2014 world championships (his only other 2015 victory was in the prologue individual time trial at the 2015 Paris–Nice). He also became the fourth rider to win the Amstel Gold Race while wearing the rainbow jersey; the others were Eddy Merckx, Jan Raas and Bernard Hinault. He described the race as "an amazing day" and said that it "[put] the dot on the i" following the EQS 2015 team's second-place finishes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix.O'Shea Sadhbh Experience pays off for Kwiatkowski at Amstel Gold Race http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/experience-pays-off-for-kwiatkowski-at-amstel-gold-race 20 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2015 BMC 2015 were praised for their tactics after the race, despite Gilbert's failure to repeat his victory; his tenth-place finish was his worst result since 2008. Gilbert attributed his failure to stay away from the chasing pack in part to the lack of a tailwind on the final flat section after the Cauberg, while his reputation as the main favourite for the race also worked to his disadvantage.Benson Daniel O'Shea Sadhbh Five conclusions from Amstel Gold Race http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/five-conclusions-from-amstel-gold-race 20 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2015Fotheringham Alasdair Alasdair Fotheringham Gilbert fails to defend Amstel Gold Race after Cauberg attack http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gilbert-fails-to-defend-amstel-gold-race-after-cauberg-attack 20 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2015 Valverde, meanwhile, was delighted at his second-place finish, which was the best result of his career at the Amstel Gold Race, declaring himself "happy with second" and looking forward to the remainder of the Ardennes classics.Fotheringham Alasdair Alasdair Fotheringham Valverde remains upbeat despite another loss in Amstel Gold Race http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-remains-upbeat-despite-another-loss-in-amstel-gold-race 20 April 2015 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2015 UCI World Tour rankings After winning 80 points for his victory in the race, Kwiatkowski moved up from thirteenth place to fourth place in the UCI World Tour rankings. His total of 195 points left him 108 points behind the leader, Richie Porte (SKY 2015). Valverde also moved into the top ten of the World Tour rankings. EQS 2015 moved ahead of SKY 2015 y to take the lead in the teams' ranking; Australia remained in the lead of the nations' rankings.For the individual rankings, see UCI Individual - WorldTour - 2015 http://www.procyclingstats.com/rankings/UCI_Individual_2015_04_19_WorldTour ProCyclingStats 20 April 2015 For the teams rankings, see UCI Teams - WorldTour - 2015 http://www.procyclingstats.com/rankings/UCI_Teams_2015_04_19_WorldTour ProCyclingStats 20 April 2015 For the nations ranking, see UCI Nations - WorldTour - 2015 http://www.procyclingstats.com/rankings/UCI_Nations_2015_04_19_WorldTour ProCyclingStats 20 April 2015 UCI World Tour individual rankingshttp://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D102007&SportID%3D102&CompetitionID%3D24055&SeasonID%3D488&EventID%3D12146&GenderID%3D1&ClassID%3D1&EventPhaseID%3D1186645&Phase1ID%3D1186656&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?862346 UCI WorldTour Ranking - 2015 6 August 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111643/http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp%40PageID%3D102007%26SportID%3D102%26CompetitionID%3D24055%26SeasonID%3D488%26EventID%3D12146%26GenderID%3D1%26ClassID%3D1%26EventPhaseID%3D1186645%26Phase1ID%3D1186656%26TaalCode%3D2%26StyleID%3D0%26Cache%3D2.html?862346 4 March 2016 dead yes 1 Richie Porte AUS SKY 2015 303 2 Alexander Kristoff NOR KAT 2015 237 3 John Degenkolb GER GIA 2015 232 4 Michał Kwiatkowski POL EQS 2015 195 5 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 184 6 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2015 178 7 Nairo Quintana COL MOV 2015 168 8 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 158 9 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 152 10 Niki Terpstra NED EQS 2015 140 References External links Category:Amstel Gold Race Category:2015 UCI World Tour Category:2015 in Dutch sport Category:April 2015 sports events in the Netherlands