Martijn Maaskant With a 12th place finish at Flanders and a fantastic 4th at Paris-Roubaix, Dutch rider Martijn Maaskant is on form for a solid Amstel Gold performance this Saturday, April 20th. As the hometown hero, the talented Martijn took some time out of his preparations to talk about this “local” race.

Does the race go near where you grew up in Holland?
I grew up in the west of Holland, near Rotterdam. But right now I live in Lanaken Belgium which is 4 km from the start of the race!

Does the race include any roads you rode when you were young?
The race includes several roads where I have raced a lot in the past. I also train in this area almost every day when I’m at home.

Do you think this will give you some advantage?
For this race, it’s a very big advantage to know the roads. Sometimes it gets pretty narrow and it’s also good to know which climbs are coming and how long and steep they are.

Will your family be out to watch?
My mom and dad are coming to the race as well as some friends.

Are you excited about this race and what are your goals?
I’m very excited about racing here in my home country. I think I’m on pretty good form right now and hope I can show myself in the finale.