Among the climbers, Wiebes hopes to take revenge in her “home race”: “The best thing that could have happened to me then”

Wiebes lives in Simpelveld, in South Limburg, right on the German border. That means the peloton will pass almost by the front door of the Dutch champion’s house after 55 kilometers of racing. “It feels more and more like a home race now,” she told NOS. “I know every road, every stone. That gives me extra motivation to do well.”

The race means a lot to Wiebes, but also to the public. The rider noticed that during a training ride. “I was doing a bit of race activation, and I accidentally ended up right in the middle of the sportive. That shows you how much it lives here, how many people are already taking part. It is really beautiful to ride up the Cauberg with so many spectators. It is one of the most popular races in the Netherlands.”

The former European champion has already come very close to winning the Amstel Gold Race. In 2024, a reduced group went to the finish, where Wiebes looked by far the fastest. However, she celebrated too early, giving Marianne Vos the chance to suddenly throw her wheel over the line first. That made it even more painful, as Wiebes had narrowly won Gent-Wevelgem three weeks earlier. “Better not to celebrate than to do it too early,” she said at the time.

The former European champion was once very close to victory in the Amstel Gold Race. In 2024, a depleted group headed to the finish line, where Wiebes seemed to be the fastest by far. She cheered too early, however, and that gave Marianne Vos the chance to push her wheel over the line even earlier from nowhere. Extra painful, since she narrowly won Gent-Wevelgem three weeks earlier. 'Better not to cheer, than to do it too early,' she said then.

The defeat in Berg en Terblijt still stung for a while. “I was able to put it behind me fairly quickly, mainly because it was Marianne. That made the pain less, because I know what a legend she is and how much respect I have for her. It was the best thing that could have happened to me at that moment, but it has motivated me to do well.”

Motivation is therefore the key word, the most important thing to come out of that painfully lost sprint. “You have to get over it quickly, because hopefully there will still be plenty of chances to win that race. It remains a beautiful race, and it would be a shame if I had nightmares about it.” Alongside defending champion Mischa Bredewold and Anna van der Breggen, Wiebes will fight for victory for SD Worx-Protime.