This Sunday the Spring Classics move from the pave of Paris-Roubaix to the smooth roads of the Ardennes and the Amstel Gold Race.

It is the newest of the Classics and kicks off the three-races-in-a-week which follows, with La Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. But which riders will have enough in the tank to get over the Amstel’s 31 climbs this year?

The Gold Race is run over 257.4 km of smooth Dutch tarmac with an amazing number of climbs that will break down the field of 184 riders. The most famous ascent is The Cauberg, which is climbed three times, the last for the finish. It's not your regulation climb, but a steep street lined with bars and restaurants where the crowds will watch from every vantage point.

Previous winners include Stefan Schumacher last year, Luxembourg's Fränk Schleck, Italy's Danilo Di Luca and Davide Rebellin, and riders of lore like Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault. But what of this year?

The Dutch will be looking to the local Rabobank team for success, and who would bet against them? The team is chock full of possibles - Oscar Friere, recent winner of Ghent-Wevelgem, Juan Antonio Flecha and the young Thomas Dekker.

But many believe Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) can improve on his seventh last year, and he has form heading into the hillier classics follwing his win in Paris-Camembert Lepetit.

Last year's winner Schumacher will do well to come to close this year but his Gerolsteiner team-mate and 2004 Amstel winner, Italian Rebellin, could well be in with a shout. Rebellin was the last man to win all three of the hilly classics (Amstel, Wallone and L-B-L) in 2004, La Fleche Wallone last year and has form this season following his success in Paris-Nice. "Tintin" is well suited to the hills of the Ardennes.

Of the others, don't rule out Rebellin's fellow countryman Damiano Cunego (Lampre), Kim Kirchen from Team High Road and the Schleck brothers, with Andy helping brother Fränk try to repeat his 2006 success for CSC.

For those wanting to follow Team GB, only David Millar rides this week, though with 31 climbs to chose from, be sure that he'll attack one of them.

Short of a Millar miracle, my money's on Cunego but you're welcome to convince me otherwise!