The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classics riders as the favourites.
Henri "Rik" Van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals. He was twice world professional road race champion, and was the first cyclist to win all five 'Monuments': the most prestigious one-day classics – a feat since achieved by just two others. With 379 road victories he's second to Merckx only. He is ninth on the all-time list of Grand Tour stage winners with thirty-seven victories.
Patrick Sercu was a Belgian cyclist who was active on the road and track between 1961 and 1983. On track, he won the gold medal in the 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, as well as three world titles in the sprint in 1963, 1967 and 1969. On the road, he earned the green jersey in the 1974 Tour de France. Sercu is the record holder for the number of six-day track race victories, having won 88 events out of 223 starts between 1961 and 1983; several of these wins were with cycling great Eddy Merckx. He also won six stages at the Tour de France and eleven stages at the Giro d'Italia.
Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important preparation for the Giro d'Italia. It is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest level of professional men's races.
Ludo Dierckxsens is a former Belgian racing cyclist. He is best known for winning the 11th stage of the 1999 Tour de France, while competing for Lampre–Daikin.
Joseph Bruyere or Bruyère is a former Belgian cyclist.
Iljo Keisse is a Belgian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team. Keisse races on the track and on the road, specializing himself until recently in riding six-day races. He notably has won the Six Days of Ghent seven times and reached the podium a total of 12 times.
Jacobus Johannes Henricus "Jacques" Hanegraaf is a retired road bicycle racer from the Netherlands, who was a professional rider from 1981 to 1994. He twice won the Dutch title in the men's road race. His other major wins include the 1984 Amstel Gold Race. Hanegraaf later became a cycling manager, first for TVM and later for Team Bianchi and Unibet.com. He also competed in the individual road race and team time trial events at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Niki Terpstra is a Dutch racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam Team TotalEnergies. He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Mike Terpstra. He is the third Dutch cyclist to have won both of the cobbled Monument spring classics, Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, after Jan Raas and Hennie Kuiper.
Franco Marvulli is a Swiss professional racing cyclist.
Anthony Paul Doyle is a British former professional cyclist.
Ad Wijnands is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer, who won two stages in the 1981 Tour de France.
Morgan Kneisky is a French former track and road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2020 for the Team Raleigh–GAC, Armée de Terre, Roubaix–Lille Métropole and Groupama–FDJ Continental Team squads. Kneisky is a four-time UCI Track Cycling World Championships gold medallist, winning golds in the madison in 2013 with Vivien Brisse, 2015 with Bryan Coquard and 2017 with Benjamin Thomas, and the scratch in 2009. He retired following the 2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
The 2010 Amstel Gold Race was the 45th edition of the Amstel Gold Race classic cycle race and took place on April 18, 2010. It was held on a 257.4 kilometres (159.9 mi) course from Maastricht to Cauberg as the sixth event of the 2010 UCI ProTour and the tenth event in the UCI World Ranking series. The race was won by Philippe Gilbert, ending a 16-year wait for a Belgian victory in the race.
Tom Dumoulin is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam Team Jumbo–Visma. He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic silver medals.
Graeme Gilmore is an Australian retired track cyclist. He is the father of Belgian racing cyclist Matthew Gilmore and brother in law of British racing cyclist Tom Simpson.
The Battle of Aldenhoven saw the Habsburg Austrian army commanded by Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld attack a Republican French force under René Joseph de Lanoue. The Austrians successfully crossed the Roer River and engaged in a cavalry charge led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen which routed the French and inflicted heavy losses. The War of the First Coalition battle occurred near Aldenhoven, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany located about 55 kilometres (34 mi) west of Cologne.
The siege of Maastricht was a failed siege of the city of Maastricht by the forces of the French First Republic from 6 February to 2 March 1793, marking the final action of the 1793 campaign of the War of the First Coalition. The city was successfully defended by the Dutch garrison with the assistance of a small band of French Royalists.
The Six Days of Brussels was a six-day track cycling race held annually in Brussels, Belgium.
The 2018 Amstel Gold Race was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 15 April 2018 in the Netherlands. It was the 53rd edition of the Amstel Gold Race and the sixteenth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour. The race started in Maastricht and finished in Berg en Terblijt, containing 35 categorised climbs, covering a total distance of 263 kilometres.
Patrick Sercu (BEL)
Graeme Gilmore (AUS)
René Pijnen (NED) (6 wins)
Franco Marvulli (SUI)
