Cycling: Amstel Gold Race betting preview, tips & TV channel

Eurosport 1, 2.15pm Sunday

After the hellish cobbles of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, cycling’s Spring Classics head for the hills of the Ardennes.

Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race is the first of a trilogy of prestigious one-day races this week with La Fleche-Wallonne on Wednesday before the year’s fourth Monument, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, in a week’s time.

The pertinent question for punters is who can stop Mathieu van der Poel?

The world cyclocross champion has made a stunning transition to the road this spring, winning two of his first four one-day classics, Dwars door Vlaanderen and Brabantsje Pil. Added to that, he finished fourth at Gent-Wevelgem and in the Tour of Flanders.

Van der Poel has all the abilities needed to be a leading force in one-day races for years to come but bookmakers are wise to this and he is as short as 4-1 to continue his meteoric rise.

Michael Matthews looks a fair each-way alternative to the Dutchman at nearly three times the price.

Matthews has finished third, fifth, tenth and 24th in his four completed attempts of Amstel Gold and arrives in Holland in decent nick having won two stages of the Volta Catalunya.

The Australian was fourth in the sprint behind Van der Poel at Brabantsje Pil but would probably have been much closer had Julian Alaphilippe not cut him up when about to launch his sprint.

Of the outsiders, Enrico Gasparotto, twice a winner of Amstel Gold and third last year, saves his best for this race and may be worth a small interest. He was seventh on Wednesday.

Recommendations
M Matthews
1.5pt each-way 11-1 BoyleSports
E Gasparotto
1pt each-way 25-1 BoyleSports, Sky Bet

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