Image 1 of 92
Enrico Gasparotto (Astana) wins the Amstel Gold Race 2012 (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) and Lars-Petter Nordhaug (Team Sky) hit the deck 300m from the line at Amstel Gold (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto Belisol Team) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Peio Bilbao (Euskaltel - Euskadi) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) (Image credit: Sirotti)
The RadioShack team worked hard (Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Gatto (Image credit: Sirotti)
Sylvain Chavanel (Omega-Pharma QuickStep) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Fabian Wegmann (Garmin-Barracuda) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Robert Gesink (Rabobank) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Giovanni Visconti (Movistar Team) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Cadel Evans (BMC) quits the race (Image credit: Sirotti)
Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel - Euskadi) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Freire (Katusha) attacked in the final 10km and almost held on (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Enrico Gasparotto (Team Astana), Jelle Vanendert (Team Lotto Belisol) and Peter Sagan (Team Liquigas) avoid the Cunego crash (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Enrico Gasparotto (Pro Team Astana) made an earlier attack (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Enrico Gasparotto (Pro Team Astana) takes the win (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The sprint to decide the winner of Amstel Gold Race (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Oscar Freire (Katusha) attacked in the final 10km and almost held on (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Sagan, Gasparotto and Vanendert (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Cadel Evans (BMC) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Sagan, Gasparotto and Vanendert (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Jose Rojas (Movistar) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Freire Gomez (Katusha Team) attacks from the bunch (Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Freire Gomez (Katusha Team) races towards the final climb (Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Freire Gomez (Katusha Team) looks back (Image credit: Sirotti)
Niki Terpstra ran out of steam on the Cauberg (Image credit: Sirotti)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) chases down Freire (Image credit: Sirotti)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) attacked on the Cauberg (Image credit: Sirotti)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) attacked on the Cauberg (Image credit: Sirotti)
Gilbert attacks just before Cunego crashes (Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Freire Gomez (Katusha Team) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Enrico Gasparotto (Pro Team Astana) briefly attacked before the final climb (Image credit: Sirotti)
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Greg Van Avermaet leads Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Gilbert comes home ahead of Sanchez (Image credit: Sirotti)
Frank Schleck (Radioshack-Nissan) was 12th (Image credit: Sirotti)
Nicki Sörensen (Team Saxo Bank) was his team's best finisher in 16th (Image credit: Sirotti)
Thomas Dekker (Garmin-Barracuda) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Australian national champion Simon Gerrans (GreenEdge) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Pre race favourites Rodriguez and Valverde cross the line together (Image credit: Sirotti)
Peter Sagan and Thomas Voeckler attacked together (Image credit: Sirotti)
Fans from Luxembourg on the Amstel course (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Amstel Gold Race 2012 (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Three Garmin riders at the back of the bunch (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Maarten Tjallingii leads Robert Gesink (Team Rabobank) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Sagan and Nibali set to lead Liquigas (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Argos-Shimano sign on in the morning (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Team RadioShack-Nissan (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The start in Maastricht (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Katusha team at the start (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) goes back to the team car (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Road furniture on the course of Amstel Gold Race (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Oscar Freire (Katusha) put in another strong performance (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC) put in a solid performance in Amstel but didn't have the form from 12 months ago (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Paolo Bettini and Vicenzo Nibali at the start (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Johnny Hoogerland (Team Vacansoleil - DCM) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Paolo Bettini and Vicenzo Nibali at the start (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Enrico Gasparotto (Team Astana) wins ahead of Jelle Vanendert (Team Lotto Belisol) and Peter Sagan (Team Liquigas - Cannondale) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Gilbert hangs at the back of the bunch (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Gilbert hangs at the back of the bunch (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The bunch tackle the Cauberg (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Local favourites: Rabobank at the start (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Liquigas Cannondale team (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Enrico Gasparotto (Team Astana) wins ahead of Jelle Vanendert (Team Lotto Belisol) and Peter Sagan (Team Liquigas - Cannondale) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Omega-Pharma QuickStep team (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Amstel Gold Race is made up of 31 climbs (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Vacansoleil on the podium at the start (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Vacansoleil on the podium at the start (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) finished 3rd in 2010 but won Amstel in 2012 (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Cheers: Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) enjoys a well-deserved beer on the Amstel podium (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Italy and Astana enjoy their win with Enrico Gasparotto (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The 2012 Amstel Gold Race podium (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
2012 Amstel Gold Race winner: Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The Dutch countryside at Amstel Gold Race (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) wins Amstel Gold Race (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Astana Pro Team (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) wins Amstel Gold Race (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The sprint to decide the winner of the 2012 Amstel Gold Race (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Jelle Vanendert (Lotto Belisol Team) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Enrico Gasparotto (Astana) leaves the rest behind on the Caubert (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC) mis-timed his sprint and faded to sixth (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Oscar Freire (Katusha) put in a late-race attack that nearly succeeded (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) won a thrilling Amstel Gold Race, timing his sprint to perfection atop the Cauberg, to win ahead of Jelle Vanendert (Lotto Belisol Team) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale).
Three time world champion Oscar Freire (Katusha Team) finished fourth after his bold attack in the closing 7 kilometres was caught in the final meters of the race. Two-time defending champion, Philippe Gilbert, (BMC Racing Team ) had to settle for sixth behind Thomas Voeckler (Europcar).
BMC had controlled the race throughout much of the closing stages but Gilbert was left to do all the work on the final ascent of the Cauberg. His acceleration first brought back Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma QuckStep) and then Freire's dying legs to within touching distance. However the move proved as a spring board for the podium placers.
Sagan was the first rider to come around the Belgian champion but he too ran out of gas, with Gasparotto accelerating on his left and Vanendert on his right.
