32nd Amstel Gold Race, World Cup Round 5

Previews, Route, Bill's Guide and more

The Amstel Gold Race - As it Unfolds

 1. Bjarne Riis (Denmark) Telekom		6.11.00
 2. Andrea Tafi (Italy) Mapei
 3. Beat Zberg (Swi)
 4. Roux (Fra) 
 5. M. Gianetti (Swi)
 6. M. Bartoli (Italy) MG
 7. L. Jalabert (Fra) ONCE
 8. A. Tchmil (Mol) Lotto

Bartoli is now the sole leader in the World Cup Classification from Sorenson.

16h25 - RIIS TAKES IT.

The solo winning Bjarne Riis (33) is the first Danish winner of the Amstel Gold Race.

16h21 - RIIS IS STRONG. He has 55" on the 4. From the back Jalabert and Bartoli are coming to Van Bon.

15h21 - Last climb (nr 29) Pietersberg (900 meter/120 high/7%) for Riis.

16h19 - Riis has 5 km to the finish and is ahead by 50".

16h18 - Can Riis make it? He has 44 seconds on the four. Van Bon and Planckaert are at 1'10

16h16 - Riis still 8 km to go. He asks for Godefroot again.

16h14 - Riis has 37" on Roux, Zberg, Tafi and Gianetti.

16h13 - Riis at 22". There is still 10 km to go. They can still get him. The peleton is gone.

16h11 - Riis on top of St Pierre. Dangerous descent!! Riis takes corner nearly at a walk. He is 43" in front of chase group. Planckaert and Van Bon are coming

16h08 - Climb 28 St Pierre (1000 meters/130 high/8%) - Bjarne Riis still leading on his own.

16h05 - In the descent of the Halembaye: Riis has 30" on Tafi, Gianetti, Zberg and Roux. 150 meters further back - Planckaert and Van Bon.

16h01 - Riis starts climb 27 - Halembaye (1000 meters/155 high/16%). Four riders are at 35" - Tafi, Gianetti, Van Bon and Zberg.

16h00 - Gianetti and Van Bon back with Tafi. Zberg is coming 5th at present.

15h59 - Tafi attacks. He is 41" behind Riis.

15h58 - Riis is the leader. In pursuit there are 7 riders and they are coming together: Gianetti, Zberg, Ferrigato, Tafi, Roux, Planckaert and Van Bon. Peloton is at 1'40"

15h56 - On the St Simeon there are several attacks. The group of 7 is splitting up. In Haccourt (Belgium), we see Riis and a group of three follows: Ferrigato, Gianetti and Zberg. Peloton at 1'40"

15h54 - Riis starts climb number 26 (of 29) - St Simeon (1200 meters/135 high/4,5%) with group of 7 at 30".

15h49 - Van Bon attacks. Team leader Theo van Rooy sends Van Bon away because the leading group is not co-operating very well together. Group of 7 on 15", peloton on 1'45" with MG-riders (for Bartoli) in front.

15h46 - Race is now in Valmeer/Belgium. More rain. Kamikaze riding by Riis? Group of 7 with Gianetti, Zberg, Tafi at 20". Peloton at 1'45".

15h40 - Surprise. On the left side Riis is flying past the leaders. 60 meters in front of the 7.

15h39 - Riis back with the leaders. Peloton on 1'45".

15h35 - Riis stops and changes frontwheel

15h34 - Finally Godefroot reaches Riis. Did we actually see what happened next? Riis' gives a middlefinger for Godefroot. He is angry about the time that it has taken Godefroot to come up to him and change his wheel.

15h32 - Climb 25 Muizenberg (900 meter/105 high/7%) with 8 leaders. Riis in the tail of this group and looking backwards. Why? He is asking for his team leader Walter Godefroot.

15h28 - The roads are still wet from the rain and the race is going into Belgium soon. They had better take care on the Belgium streets which might generously be described as "sort of" roads.

15h25 - Zonneberg/Pietersberg is the last climb before the race is going to Belgium. (By the way: Riis had some flat tyres before he came back in front of the race on the Cauberg earlier)

15h21 - Leaders cross the finish line in Maastricht by the river Maas for the first time. Peleton at 1'35"

15h20 - After the attack of Riis on the Cauberg the only 70 riders are left in the peloton.

15h17 - 8 Leaders: Riis, Gianetti, Roux, Tafi, Van Bon, Planckaert, Ferrigato and Zberg (he came across to the lead bunch on his own from the peloton). Peloton is now at 1'30" !!!

Time for 'dinner' in the race - feed point.

15h15 - The race is coming into Maastricht now.

15h14 - Riis is riding strongly. Jalabert and Zulle talking at the back of the peloton. Leaders with big peloton on 1'. Ballerini and Bertolini fall in the peloton

15h13 - Climb Geulhemmerberg 10%

15h09 - Three leaders Riis, Roux and Gianetti. Tafi, Van Bon, Planckaert and Ferrigato are coming at 6"

We have some communication difficulties but it is working now.

15h05 - In Vilt (still 59 km to go) Riis is coming up to the two leaders with a strong attack.

15h03 - Start climb Cauberg (1000 meters/150 high) with Gianetti and Roux as leaders.

14h55 - Flat tyre for Zanini.

14h53 - A new group with 17 riders including Museeuw, Boogerd, Ekimov, Bartoli, Zanini, Boltz, Riis, Van Petegem, Rue and Rebellin. Jalabert and Zulle in peloton

14h50 - Climb 21 Keutenberg (400 meter/165 high/22%). Peloton comes back to leaders

14h48 - A little bit of rain is now coming down as forecast earlier.

14h43 - Climb 20 Fromberg (10%) starts.

14h38 - Five leaders: Jonker, Peron, Boltz, Herve and Canzonieri with peloton at 100 meters.

14h34 - Climb 19 Huls (900 meters/230 meters high) in Simpelveld. The race is on schedule with the finish expected at 16h40 local time. The peleton is together. Even though I am racing myself in the morning I will be staying through to the finish.

14h32 - The peleton is now back together after catching the leaders (Talen, Rosciolo and Bessy). Good try but too early.

14h24 - Climb 18 Eyserbos is coming.

14h21 - On climb 17 Kruisberg three leaders with 50" on Zanini (last year's winner) and Konisjev. Peloton at 1'25"

14h15 - Three leaders (Talen, Bessy and Roscioli) on climb of Gulpenerberg with Konisjev on 1'15" and peloton on 1'20"

14h14 - 16th climb Gulpenerberg

14h08 - 15th climb Eperheide. Three leaders (Talen, Bessy and Roscioli) have 2' on Dimitri Konisjev. Peloton on 2'15".

14h05 - After 159 km still three leaders (Talen, Bessy and Roscioli) with peloton complete on 2'20".

14h00 - Leaders with 2'30 on a group of 5 (with Breukink, Rue and Boltz). Virenque in attack. Peloton comes.

13h45 - Behind three leaders group of 8 (with Aldag, Durand)

13h35 - After 136 km: three leaders with group at 5'45" and peloton at 7'36".

13h20 - After 125 km a group (with Aldag, Jaermann, Wauters, Dekker) is in pursuit.

12h35 - After 71 km three riders in front of peloton: John Talen, Roscioli and (announced as) Bessy.

10h00 - With the start in Maastricht it's very cloudy, wind variable, temperature 10 degrees Celsius.

191 riders start (including 17 Dutch riders) and face 29 climbs

10h00 - Starting time

18h00 Australian Eastern Time (Saturday Evening)
01h00 Californian Time (Saturday Morning)
04h00 New York Time (Saturday Morning)

08h00 - The weather - Grijze dag - A Grey Day

At 8.00 local, the weather is for Maastricht - zwaar bewolkt (heavy cloud), 9.0 degrees Celsius, wind light (3 meters per second from the south west), visibility 1000m, air pressure 1014.

By midday the temperature will rise to 14. The wind will remain light from the south west. There is a possibility of a shower.