"The Amstel Gold Race is a home race for me," Maassen, who won the classic in 1991, opens. "I love being able to race in 'my Limburg' with the team. I have very fond memories of this race. My victory after a battle with Maurizio Fondriest will stay with me forever. I was extremely happy to win this race as a Limburger. However that is now a thing of the past. Next Sunday, we want to show ourselves as a Dutch formation in a homegrown classic, spurred on by the Limburg audience."

"In 2021, we already managed to win this race with Wout van Aert," he continued. "This year the Amstel Gold Race was again marked in red in his calendar. He was hugely motivated to get a second win here. For known reasons, he cannot ride the race. The crashes and the additional disappointments we experienced have been the topics lately. Each time, I saw an extremely resilient team that kept fighting on all fronts. That's what it's all about: falling and getting back up again."

The peloton sets off from Maastricht for a 253-kilometre ride towards the arrival town of Vilt. Thirty hills await the riders along the way, including the Keutenberg and the double climbs of the Cauberg and Geulhemmerweg. Surrounded by a strong squad, Team Visma | Lease a Bike is aiming for a result with team leaders Tiesj Benoot and Matteo Jorgenson.

"Earlier this spring, Tiesj already proved that he has good legs. He showed his shape in both Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour of Flanders. Sunday he will be able to show himself again. We also have a huge asset in Matteo. So far he is one of the revelations of the spring after his victories in Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen. After a tough Tour of Flanders, he appeared not to be fully fit for Paris-Roubaix, but he has recovered. Sunday's course should definitely suit him," Maassen said.

Line-up Team Visma | Lease a Bike Amstel Gold Race: Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Milan Vader, Julien Vermote, Tosh van der Sande & Per Strand Hagenes