Richard Kalapas will return to racing in Sunday's Amstel Gold Race, a little over a month after his fiery crash in the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico on January 10. His EF Education-Easy Post team reported that he "suffered abrasions in the crash at Tirreno-Adriatico, but X-rays showed no signs of fractures or dislocations."

Due to a longer-than-expected recovery, the team will skip the GP Miguel Indurain and Iturria-Basque in order to compete "100%" in the Ardennes Classics, which they have not done since 2021.

"I am very happy to be back," Karapas told El Universo.

"I am always training to be in the best condition to compete in the race and to always have positive results. The crash at Tirreno-Adriatico was a bit more serious than I thought it would be, or than the team and we thought it would be. I was bruised, so we had to stop and start all over again."

The Tour de France is a major goal for the Ecuadorian this year, as Calapaz is scheduled to race the Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Tour de Romandie.

"It seems like a good calendar to me, but I want to work with the team to decide the best way to get to the Tour de France and reach our big goal.

The EF Education - Easy Post Ardennes team will be led by Ben Healy, who has unfinished business in Amstel Gold after finishing second to Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) last year. The Irish national champion hopes to go one better this year in the 255-km race with 33 climbs.

"It's left and right, climb and descend," he said. The race is relentless all day long. The race is relentless all day, even if there isn't a single significant climb."

Healy hopes the team can replicate the scenario of the Pays de l'Oeil, where Marijn van den Bergh won two stages and the overall.

"I don't think we make the race from the start and decide how the race unfolds until the finale," Healy added.

"Hopefully, it's just me, Richard, and Malin, and we'll try to keep the pack small. If Richard is in contention for the win, Mullane can sit back and wait for the sprint.

EF Education Cannondale's Veronica Ewers returns to the Amstel Gold Race Ladies after a tough spring. The American's only race this year was Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, where she finished 46th overall.

"I'm a little nervous; I haven't raced since mid-February, so it's like starting the season all over again. I wasn't feeling very good after Valenciana, and mentally I wasn't in the shape I wanted to be in. But I'm trying to reflect on that and give myself a little bit of breathing room, and I'm really excited to get back to racing and be a part of the team. The good thing about the team right now is that we are not necessarily the favorites to win the championship. We can take risks and give it our all."

"What I always find special about this race is that every berg is filled with people cheering as you enter the final circuit. This is especially true on the Cauberg, the key climb near the finish.

During the pre-season training camp, Ewers said that the Ardennes races, especially La Flèche Wallonne Femme, were one of his main goals for the first half of the season.

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