14 riders to miss Amstel Gold Race

The volcanic eruption in Iceland and the resulting ash cloud has affected the team rosters for the Amstel Gold Race. Eight of the 25 participating teams will not go into full force into the race.

Caisse d’Epargne will ride without Alejandro Valverde, Luis Pasamontes and Luis Leon Sanchez. Other big names that will miss the race are Spaniard Carlos Sastre (Cervelo), winner of the Tour de France 2008, and Sergio Paulinho of Portugal (RadioShack) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky).

Rides who opted to leave early were able to reach Maastricht. American Chris Horner and teamate Tomas Vaitkus underwent a 1400km ride in the in the back of a car to reach the race. Spaniard Haimar Zubeldia traveled with his former Euskaltel teammates to reach the race.

The cloud is not just affecting races in Europe. The Kelly Benefits Strategies team was forced to drop out of the Tour of the Battenkill because they were not able to get a flight to America.

Tags: Alejandro Valverde, amstel gold race, Bradley Wiggins, Caisse d'Epargne, Carlos Sastre, cervelo, Chris Horner, Euskaltel, haimar zubeldia, Sky, tour of the battenkill