What started as a desire on my holiday last year in Italy now turned into reality: I got in! I am allowed to participate in the Amstel Gold bicycle race.
However, due to the COVID-19 virus, the race committee had initially decided to cancel the Amstel Gold Race weekend on April 18 and 19. Even though the organizers did a virtual race on April 19 (I did not care to join that one), they always have been looking into all the possible scenarios to re-plan the ‘real’ edition. And with success, they luckily managed to move the event to later this year.
After close consultations with the UCI and the other World Tour races they planned a new spot on the cycling calendar; Saturday, October 10. The Tour version of the Amstel Gold Race will be on Sunday, October 11. So, I blocked off my agenda for Sunday, October 11, and participate in my very first bicycle race.
Main motivation for this actually is to be able to ride in the south of the country. This is where I used to live somewhat 20 years ago. I always knew about the race and hear about it when I was still a little boy. I did a lot of riding back in those days in that area. It’s a trip down memory lane.
Let’s see. I’m really looking forward to experiencing the event. Now that the weather is starting to get better I can start preparing for the race! Stay tuned; will write a piece about it when I am closer to the event.
