Just 23-years-old, Dutch cyclist Huub Duyn is looking forward to this Saturday’s Amstel Gold and the chance to perform before a hometown crowd.

Does the race go near where you grew up in Holland?
I grew up in the North of Holland, Wervershoof, where it is dead flat. So for better training now and again, I go to Limburg (the provence where the Amstel is held). So I am pretty familiar with the roads. Though it’s so twisty and turning here, you really just ride around and up and down.

Does it go along any roads you rode when you were young?
I did a couple of races in this area, from when I was young till now. Of course this will be the biggest race I have ever done there. So I’m really excited about it!

Do you think this will give you some advantage?
Well, like I’ve said, it’s not that I know every road here. But for sure I have done every single climb and most of the roads. So that will give me an advantage. It is also good for the moral to ride a race in your home country.

Will your family be out to watch?
There will be fans and friends coming to cheer me up the Cauberg for sure!

Are you excited about this race and what are your goals?
I’m really excited as it is the only race the team does in the Netherlands, and it is the biggest one around here. My goal is to enjoy the atmosphere and get some good experience for the future! I hope to perform as best I can. Maybe get in an early break and represent Slipstream in the coverage!

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.

Check out the Saris power file of Martijn’s impressive performance at Roubaix. Young Martijn put in 6006 kj of total work in 6:05′56″ in the saddle over 256.39 km. Not bad for a debut ride!

Riders sometimes say the Amstel Gold is a race on a postage stamp. The area where the riders race is so small that they pass the same point on the road sometimes three times. Here is the actual course. You can see how they use different colors to better indicate where the course goes.

It is has an unbelievable amount of turns and some very small, narrow roads. The roads for some parts of the course are only three meters wide. It also takes place in Limburg, the hilly part of the Netherlands where the most prestigious races are held. So it is very important to know when the turns and climbs will come and when the roads get narrow. And then you just have to stay in front!

Huub Duyn and Martijn Maaskant were born about 250 km from where the race starts. They have both raced these roads quite a lot and they know what to expect.

The race was really fast. 45 kph average even with the seven climbs in the last 70 km. We thought Pat’s break was gone as it was a very strong group. But the combined efforts of four other teams got them back.

The two important climbs in the last 15 km were set to decide the race. The team worked well to get Ryder and Trent to the front, as position was vital with narrow farm tracks and 15-18% grade. Sure enough, the peleton exploded on the final climb and I actually had a prime view of the action.

There were basically three groups of about 10 separated by 200 meters. Trent was in the front group, Ryder in the second and I was in the third. But Caisse d’Epargne had about four guys in my group, and chased hard till we caught the others.

The plan was to try something in the last 2 km, but the slight descent meant the speed was crazy all the way to the line. The sprint was chaos too as we were going so fast. I was only about three bike lengths behind the winner, but then you see 30th on the results.

Pity we couldn’t have made a difference. But I’m quite happy as the distance felt good and I am more confident that I will be useful to the team at the Classics next week.

A tailwind and clear sunny skies pushed the average speed of today’s 69th running of the Paris-Camembert up to an average speed of 45 kph. Pat McCarty was part of an early break of 13 that was eventually reeled in by teams Caisse d’Epargne and Bouygues. Despite a second break away attempt, the race ended in a mass sprint.

Slipstream results
1. Alejandro Valverde

29. Ryder Hesjedal
31. Trent Lowe
33. Dan Martin
52. Christophe Laurent
58. Huub Duyn
73. Kilian Patour
76. Lucas Euser
77. Pat McCarty

With the Tour de Georgia and more Spring Classics fun on the April agenda, Team Slipstream/Chipotle H3O will be flying the argyle on two continents next week. The triple crown of classics kicks off Saturday with the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands. La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège wrap up a lovely week in Belgium.

While the hardened classics crew are tackling these dangerous, challenging courses, our top squad will be warming things up in Georgia. The Tour de Georgia kicks off in Savannah on Sunday, April 21 and will include a first-ever team time trial on Thursday, April 24.

Directeur Sportif Chann McRae will be directing the Argyle Armada in Georgia. He says the team’s goals are aggressive but solid, especially given the talented squad he has.

“We will put our climbers into the moves that go on the flatter stages early on. For the sprints, we will work to set Tyler up for a stage win,” said Chann. “We’re also going to focus efforts on the team time trial.”

Cyclingnews.com profiles “Sleepy Martijn” on his brilliant 4th place finish in his first Paris-Roubaix and his plans for the rest of the Spring Classics.

From the article: Next week the Dutch young man will enjoy a home race, with the Amstel Gold Race featuring as next Spring Classic. “I’m very happy with my fourth place as it offers me prospects for the future. I’m busy taking one of the last steps, and the one that lacks is winning. I’m going for it!”