Cannondale-Garmin have announced the line-up for the Amstel Gold Race which is the first race in the series of Ardennes classics. The team will be led by Dan Martin who has never achieved a top result in the Dutch race where he has had lots of bad luck.

Sport Director Robbie Hunter says: "We approach Amstel with a very well-rounded team, and we expect to be in the mix on Sunday. Dan Martin is the team leader, and his past performances, including a win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, have shown that he can contend with the best in the Ardennes.

"Dan will be supported by a strong team on Sunday – with a mix of experience and youth. Alex Howes has shown that is well- suited to these races. They come naturally to him. He has grown here every year, and I'm sure this year will be no exception.

"Ramunas Navardauskas is a solid team player and is on good form after his overall victory last week in France. Alberto Bettiol is young, but he has learned a lot so far this season, and I think racing the Ardennes gives him confidence and shows that the team has confidence in him. Another young rider for Sunday will be Matej Mohoric, and he has proven to be a great help even at his young age.

"Nathan Haas is on solid form as we saw with his sixth place on Wednesday at Flèche Barbançonne, and Sebastain Langeveld and Tom Slagter both bring invaluable experience to this race. We have a proven leader. We have cards to play. We come in with a lot of motivation, and we're excited for Sunday."

Line-up

Alberto Bettiol
Nathan Haas
Alex Howes
Sebastian Langeveld
Dan Martin
Matej Mohoric
Ramunas Navardauskas
Tom Jelte Slagter