Amstel Gold Race 2023: Favourites

Winning the race means succeeding Michal Kwiatkowski. The Pole bested Benoît Cosnefroy last year in a photo finish sprint. Which was also the case in 2021. That is, the photo finish sprint, not the riders. Two years ago Wout van Aert outgunned Tom Pidcock, although some still doubt that photo finish decision. Last year’s decision was even more heartbreaking, as Cosnefroy was told he had won – and he celebrated jubilantly -, but the victory was ripped from him after a proper inspection of the finish photo.

Kwiatkowski won the race also in 2015. No one will be able to match him, as he is the only former winner at the start.

In 2017, the route of the Amstel Gold Race was overhauled to favour attackers. It turned out perfectly, as the race serves extremely compelling finales since then. That development reached its zenit in 2019, when Mathieu van der Poel ambushed Julian Alaphilippe and Jakob Fuglsang on the finishing straight. The Dutchman led a group seemingly from nowhere back to the front of the race before sprinting ahead to take an incredible victory.

Usually, a group of strong men makes it into the final lap of 16 kilometres, in which climbs two lay waiting, Geulhemmerberg (1 kilometre at 5%) and Bemelerberg (900 metres at 4.5%).

Favourites 2023 Amstel Gold Race

***** Tom Pidcock, Tadej Pogacar
**** Benoît Cosnefroy, Neilson Powless, Sergio Higuita
*** Ide Schelling, Matej Mohoric, Søren Kragh Andersen
** Tiesj Benoot, Attila Valter, Michael Woods, Alexey Lutsenko
* Warren Barguil, Marc Hirschi, Michal Kwiatkowski, Quinten Hermans