Welcome to live coverage of the Amstel Gold spring classic – the first of three races in the Ardennes taking place over the next eight days. I’m Felix Lowe – aka Eurosport blogger Blazin' Saddles – and I'll be taking you through the race 251km race from start to finish. You can also follow me on Twitter, @saddleblaze

Some more outsiders to throw into the ring: Simon Geschke (Argos Shimano), Daniel Martin (Garmin), Tony Gallopin (RadioShack), Nicolas Roche and Roman Kreuziger (Saxo Bank), Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoleil), and Europcar pair Thomas Voeckler and Davide Malacarne. The latter has been in great form this season, although he is apparently suffering from an illness today.

Movistar have quite a few options today, what with Alejandro Valverde, Nairo Quintana, Rui Costa and Andrey Amador all taking to the start. Besides Rodriguez, Katusha have Angel Vicioso as an option. Both BMC and Cannondale have back-up plans should Gilbert or Sagan stumble: the in-form Greg Van Avermaet and Moreno Moser respectively. Lampre have Damiano Cunego as their man, while Gianni Meersman is an outside bet for Omega Pharma. Should Boasson Hagen struggle, Sky have Sergio Henao.

We have five riders out ahead now following that initial attack by Johan Vansummeren. The Garmin rider was joined by Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel), Tim De Troyer (Accent Jobs), Alexandr Pliuschin (IAM) and Van Overberghe (Topsport Vlaanderen). They have five minutes over the peloton, with two riders - Jelle Vanendert (Lotto Belisol) and Klaas Sys (Crelan) in pursuit.

It's not just a two horse race, of course. Although Sagan and Gilbert really do stand out as favourites, there are lots of others to consider. Australia's Simon Gerrans (GreenEdge) loves this kind of hilly terrain, as does Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen and Katusha's Joaquim Rodriguez - although the Spaniard may be more focused on defending his Fleche Wallonne crown on Wednesday. Dutch hopes lie with Blanco's Tom Jelte Slagter, who won the Tour Down Under back in January, and Bauke Mollema.

News from the race is still sparse but we'll be bringing you an update as soon as we get one. There has been some showers though after the earlier sunshine. The riders will have to be careful not only with slippery roads but also with the notorious street furniture of the Netherlands. No one wants to do a Yoann Offredo and hit an exit sign at top speed.

One rider stands out head and shoulders above all others in this, the newest of the spring classics. Dutchman Jan Raas won the race five times between 1977 and 1982. No one comes near his record in this race, with four riders tied on two wins: Eddy Merckx (1973, 1975), Gerrie Knetemann (1974, 1985), Rolf Jarmann (1993, 1998) and Philippe Gilbert (2010, 2011).

After the Flandrian Classics, the cobbles are a thing of the past. The Ardennes - which consist of Amstel Gold, Wednesday's Fleche Wallonne and next Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege - are an entirely different kettle of fish. The Netherlands has a reputation for being flat, but in these parts - the region of Vaalserberg - it's very hilly, and this race features 34 climbs including the Keutenberg, the nation's steepest climb with a max gradient of 22%.

We have an early attack from Garmin-Sharp's Johan Vansummeren, winner of Paris-Roubaix in 2011. The Belgian has about 15 seconds over the peloton.

World champion Philippe Gilbert took the rainbow jersey on a near-identical course as Amstel Gold last September. He also won this race in 2010 and 2011 making him a big favourite today. The Belgian is riding into form with second place last week in the Brabantse Pijl semi-classic, where he was beaten by the prolific Peter Sagan. The Slovak sensation will be the man to beat today given his form and pedigree.

They're off! The defending champion of the Amstal Gold Race is Astana's Enrico Gasparotto, but the new course will not act in his favour because the Italian is not the best of sprinters and so that extra run-in to the finish will be tricky. Also, Gasparotti collided with a van during training last week - so the odds are stacked against him.

Under blue skies and bright sun, the riders have gathered at the start in Maastricht and we're about to get under way. Compare these deliciously spring-like conditions to those of the first monument of the season, Milan-San Remo, last month and it's a whole new world.

This is the 48th edition of the Amstel Gold Race – a puncheur's delight with 34 climbs and multiple ascents of the infamous Cauberg. There has been a route change this year, with the finish now coming 1.8km after the final ascent of the Cauberg in the town of Valkenberg – mirroring last year's world championships road race. It's no surprise that Philippe Gilbert, then, is one of the big favourites alongside that man Peter Sagan.