It has been 31 years since an Australian last claimed victory in the Amstel Gold Race.
Nathan Haas on the start line and ready for a big day on the bike. Photo: Mark Gunter
In fact, Phil Anderson’s win in 1983 would serve as the first and last win for an Australian at the Dutch classic, and Garmin-Sharp’s Nathan Haas is chomping at the bit to change that on Sunday, April 20.
The 25-year-old Canberra-native has been enthralled with the first of three Ardennes Classics since he first fell in love with cycling during his mountain biking days.
“Before I was a rider, I was a cycling fan,” Haas told Cyclingnews.
“I just love cycling, even when I was watching the Amstel Gold Race as a mountain biker, I just appreciated it because it was tough and it just seemed to me a bit more honest than a lot of the other races.”
The Ardennes Classics consist of a trio of races including the aforementioned Amstel Gold Race, plus La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The races are brutal in profile and participation, with all three hilly courses held within a eight-day window.
Haas says that while cycling as a sport focuses a lot on teamwork, a course like the Amstel Gold Race, which features 34 exhausting climbs over its 251.8km course from Maastricht to the Cauberg, ultimately comes down to who is the world’s best rider on the day.
“Last year’s winner Roman Kreuziger just had bigger balls than anyone else” Haas said referring to Roman Kreuziger’s (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) solo effort to victory.
Fellow countryman Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) came close last year to ending the drought, finishing third overall behind Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), both 22-seconds behind Kreuziger. – Cyclingnews
