View source for Amstel Gold Race

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{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:250px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
| colspan=2 style="padding:0; background:#333333; color:#fff; border-bottom:1px solid #999;" |[[Image:Amstel Gold Race 2006.jpg|250px]]
|- style="color:#fff; background:darkred; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=2 |'''Amstel Gold Race'''
|-
|Local name || Amstel Gold Race
|-
|Region || {{flagiconNetherlands}} Mostly [[Limburg (Netherlands)]]
|-
|Date || Middle of April
|-
|Type || One-day race
|- style="color:#fff; background:darkred; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=2 |History
|-
|First Edition || 1966
|-
|Editions || 40
|-
|First Winner || [[Jean Stablinski]] {{flagiconFrance}}
|-
|Most Recent || [[Danilo Di Luca]] {{flagiconItaly}}
|-
|Most Wins || [[Jan Raas]] {{flagiconNetherlands}} 5 wins
|}



The '''Amstel Gold Race''' is a [[road bicycle racing]] race held (mostly) in the southern part of the province of [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], [[The Netherlands]].  It is held every spring. As of 2005, it is part of the [[UCI ProTour]].
Prior to that it was part of the [[Road Cycling World Cup]]. The name does not (directly) refer to the river [[Amstel]], which is far away from the course, but to the sponsor, [[Heineken]]-owned beer brand Amstel.

==History==
The first race, organized by Herman Krott, took place on April 30 1966, chosen by Krott because it was the [[Queen Juliana|Queen's]] birthday, which he thought would help draw crowds. Unfortunately, in many villages the festivities blocked the roads, meaning that the course had to be changed several times when the race was already underway. As a result, it became over 300 km long, which led an infuriated [[Jacques Anquetil]] to leave the race prematurely.

==Course==
As is not unusual for road cycling races, the course has changed many times over the years. In 2005 the race took place almost entirely within the boundaries of the province of Limburg, but there have also been editions that covered significant parts of [[Belgium]]. Since [[2003]] the finish is at the top of the [[Cauberg]] hill, in the [[Valkenburg aan de Geul|Valkenburg]] municipality. Before 2003 the finish used to be in [[Maastricht]].

==Results==

{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:left; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:500px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
|- style="color:#fff; background:darkred; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=3 |'''Amstel Gold Race Winners (since 1966)'''
|-
| '''Date''' || '''Winner''' || '''Nationality'''
|-
|[[1966]]  ||  [[Jean Stablinski]]  ||  {{flagiconFRA}}
|-
|[[1967]]  ||  [[Arie den Hartog]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1968]]  ||  [[Harry Steevens]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1969]]  ||  [[Guido Reybrouck]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1970]]  ||  [[Georges Pintens]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1971]]  ||  [[Frans Verbeeck]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1972]]  ||  [[Walter Planckaert]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1973]]  ||  [[Eddy Merckx]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1974]]  ||  [[Gerrie Knetemann]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1975]]  ||  [[Eddy Merckx]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1976]]  ||  [[Freddy Maertens]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1977]]  ||  [[Jan Raas]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1978]]  ||  [[Jan Raas]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1979]]  ||  [[Jan Raas]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1980]]  ||  [[Jan Raas]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1981]]  ||  [[Bernard Hinault]]  ||  {{flagiconFRA}}
|-
|[[1982]]  ||  [[Jan Raas]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1983]]  ||  [[Phil Anderson]]  ||  {{flagiconAUS}}
|-
|[[1984]]  ||  [[Jacques Hanegraaf]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1985]]  ||  [[Gerrie Knetemann]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1986]]  ||  [[Steven Rooks]]  ||  {{flagiconNED|}}
|-
|[[1987]]  ||  [[Joop Zoetemelk]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1988]]  ||  [[Jelle Nijdam]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1989]]  ||  [[Eric van Lancker]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[1990]]  ||  [[Adri van der Poel]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1991]]  ||  [[Frans Maassen]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[1992]]  ||  [[Olaf Ludwig]]  ||  {{flagiconGER}}
|-
|[[1993]]  ||  [[Rolf Järmann]]  ||  {{flagiconSUI}}
|-
|[[ 1994]]  ||  [[Johan Museeuw]]  ||  {{flagiconBEL}}
|-
|[[ 1995]]  ||  [[Mauro Gianetti]]  ||  {{flagiconSUI}}
|-
|[[1996]]  ||  [[Stefano Zanini]]  ||  {{flagiconITA}}
|-
|[[1997]]  ||  [[Bjarne Riis]]  ||  {{flagiconDEN}}
|-
|[[1998]]  ||  [[Rolf Järmann]]  ||  {{flagiconSUI}}
|-
|[[1999]]  ||  [[Michael Boogerd]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[2000]]  ||  [[Erik Zabel]]  ||  {{flagiconGER}}
|-
|[[2001]]  ||  [[Erik Dekker]]  ||  {{flagiconNED}}
|-
|[[2002]]  ||  [[Michele Bartoli]]  ||  {{flagiconITA}}
|-
|[[2003]]  ||  [[Alexandre Vinokourov]]  ||  {{flagiconKAZ}}
|-
|[[2004]]  ||  [[Davide Rebellin]]  ||  {{flagiconITA}}
|-
|[[2005]]  ||  [[Danilo Di Luca]]  ||  {{flagiconITA}}
|-
|[[2006]]  ||  [[Fränk Schleck]]  ||  {{flagiconLUX}}
|-
|[[2007]]  ||  [[Stefan Schumacher]]  ||  {{flagiconGermany}}
|-
|[[2008]]  ||  [[Damiano Cunego]]  ||  {{flagiconITA}}
|}
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==References==
* Graat, John (April 16, 2005). <i>De Gold Race is allang geen 'poenkoers' meer</i>. Trouw (newspaper), p. 21.

==External links==
* [http://www.amstelgoldrace.nl/ Official site]

[[Category:UCI ProTour]]
[[category:Cycle races]]
[[Category:Classic cycle races|Amstel Gold Race]]