The 28-year-old Markus placed fourth in the Limburg spring classic in 2018. That year, she finished four seconds behind winner Chantal van den Broek-Blaak. "The race suits me very well. I am looking forward to it, and the feeling is okay. I had a successful training period at altitude, so we will see if it pays off on Sunday. Of course I aim to surpass my fourth-place finish of five years ago."

The ladies edition of the Amstel Gold Race will take place between Maastricht and Valkenburg. The riders will cover a distance of 156 kilometres with six climbs. The traditional highlight of the race is the ascent of the Cauberg at two kilometres from the finish. "I expect a nice but tough race. SD Worx will probably take the initiative, as they have performed so well this season. I, therefore, predict a similar race course to last year", Markus continues.

This year's Amstel Gold Race Women Edition will hold extra significance for Markus. "It's always enjoyable for a Dutch rider to compete in a WorldTour race on home soil. I've done a lot of training in this area, so I know nearly all the roads like the back of my hand", she says. "When I was training last week, it dawned on me that this will be a race to cherish. It will be something extraordinary to compete in the Amstel Gold Race wearing the narional tricolour as the Dutch champion."

She hopes the team can score on Sunday. "This spring, we have often been really good in the races. We are doing well, but the absolute top results have been missing. It would be nice if we could change that in the coming period", she concludes.

In addition to Markus, Team Jumbo-Visma Women includes Marianne Vos, Amber Kraak, Karlijn Swinkels, Anna Henderson, and Coryn Labecki for the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition.