Preview Amstel Gold Race 2025 - women | Vollering, Vos, Van der Breggen, Kopecky, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot—The top riders are all lining up

In its current form, the Amstel Gold Race for women has been held since 2017. Anna van der Breggen, who made her comeback this year, won that edition. Then it was up to Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, who recently retired, and Kasia Niewiadoma before the coronavirus shutdown caused a small interruption in the winner's list.

In 2021 Marianne Vos won for the first time, before Marta Cavalli surprisingly claimed the title in 2022. Demi Vollering was the best in 2023, and last year, we saw the much-discussed sprint between Vos and Lorena Wiebes. The fast woman from SD Worx-Protime thought she had won, but in the end, Vos crossed the line first.

2024 Marianne Vos
2023 Demi Vollering
2022 Marta Cavalli
2021 Marianne Vos
2020 Canceled
2019 Kasia Niewiadoma
2018 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak
2017 Anna van der Breggen

Two years ago, race director Leontien van Moorsel proudly announced that she was taking the women's Amstel Gold Race 'one step further.' This meant that the race would be increased by thirty kilometers, bringing the total distance to 160 kilometers. To clarify, this was at the request of a few ladies in the peloton. In 2025, the men will follow suit.

A lap will mainly cover the extra distance in the opening phase towards Sittard and Geleen, and the final eighteen-kilometer lap will also be completed twice. The ladies must climb 1700 meters of altitude, divided over 21 hills.

The local lap with the Geulhemmerberg, Bemelerberg, and Cauberg will probably be crucial again. With one hundred kilometers to go, the riders will face the Kruisberg, Keutenberg, Fromberg, and Eyserbosweg, after which they will take on the four local laps with the climbs mentioned earlier. With 2.7 kilometers to go, the Cauberg must be conquered for the last time.

"To prevent the women's Amstel Gold Race from remaining deadlocked until the final ascent of the Cauberg, we have made a small change," Van Moorsel explained at the time. "In the final lap, the riders turn left off the main road after the Bemelerberg. They will then take a series of narrower roads to the Daalhemerweg descent, towards the last ascent of the Cauberg, before finishing in Berg en Terblijt."

Weather
What kind of weather can we expect on Sunday in South Limburg? It will be barely breezy, but there may be a chance of rain in the afternoon. The temperature will be just under 20 degrees Celsius.

Times
Start: 9:55 AM local time (03:55 AM EDT)
Finish: 2:06 PM local time (08:06 AM EDT)

There she is again: Demi Vollering! The Dutchwoman from FDJ-Suez skipped the cobblestone classics this year in favor of an altitude training camp in Tenerife but will descend to the Low Countries for the triptych in the Ardennes - and later also the Vuelta. The winner of Strade Bianche will be at the start in her home country on Sunday with a strong team that includes Evita Muzic, Juliette Labous, and Amber Kraak.

Her main opponents are her old team, SD Worx-Protime. Lotte Kopecky, who won the Tour of Flanders, is focusing specifically on the hill classics this year and is not only doing so on behalf of Danny Stam's team. Anna van der Breggen will also be there, as will Lorena Wiebes, who still has unfinished business with this race after last year. Blanka Vas, Mischa Bredewold, and Mikayla Harvey normally complete the team.

Visma | Lease a Bike organized it perfectly in Paris-Roubaix, which looks promising for the Gold Race. Defending champion Marianne Vos is always dangerous in this race, and with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, she has now proven to be a successful combination. The Frenchwoman can choose to attack, while Vos can rely on her sprint.

Another rider who will be back after her heavy crash in The Tour of Flanders is Elisa Longo Borghini. The Italian made a very strong impression earlier this spring. As a result, we immediately put her back among the top favorites, with Silvia Persico at her side, among others. The same goes for Tour de France Femmes winner Kasia Niewiadoma, who always shows her will on the Cauberg and the Movistar duo of Liane Lippert and Marlen Reusser.

Fenix-Deceuninck will be represented by Puck Pieterse, Pauliena Rooijakkers, and Yara Kastelijn, while EF Education-Oatly can count on Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner and Swiss rider Noemi Rüegg. At AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step, Kimberly Le Court-Pienaar is the designated team leader, with Alexandra Manly and Aisleigh Moolman at her side. At the same time, Lidl-Trek can go in multiple directions with Elisa Balsamo, Riejanne Markus, Lucinda Brand, and Anna Henderson. Other ladies to watch are Victoire Berteau (Cofidis), former winner Marta Cavalli, Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL), and Letizia Paternoster of Liv-Jayco AlUla.

Top favorites: Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Outsiders: Lorena Wiebes, Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)

The NOS, Sporza, and Eurosport (also via HBO Max) will cover the race's final hour, starting at around 13:00 PM local time (07:00 AM EDT). The men's race will start immediately after the women's finish.