The future of one of the most prestigious one-day races on the yearly programme, the Amstel Gold Race is in doubt due to the decisions of the local council.
Last summer, the authorities of the South Limburg municipalities established the South Limburg Cycling Tours Policy, designed to limit the amount of tours with between 5,000 and 15,000 participants in the area to just three. However, it seems some within the council have had second thoughts and believe a race the size of Amstel Gold Race is perhaps too large for the area.
Speaking at a committee meeting, ex-pro rider, Leo van Vliet desperately plead the case that an amateur race simply has to coexist with the Amstel Gold Race. “You cannot see them separately,” he stresses. “Without a tour version, the Sunday races are also at risk, so no twenty million euros economic impact for the region and no income for all those volunteers and associations.”
"We are currently working hard to further spread recreational cyclists across the region," says Van Vliet. “With a wrong choice, an event with an international reputation for Limburg is jeopardized and therefore a 60-year history."
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