In the late 1980s, international cycling teams like the US’s 7-Eleven and Britain’s ANC-Halfords were still a relatively new presence in European races. This retrospective delves into the 1987 Amstel Gold Race, a classic Dutch cycling event, through the lens of photographer Cor Vos.
The final stages of the 1987 Amstel Gold Race saw a strategic alliance formed by three Dutch riders to prevent Malcolm Elliott of the ANC team from claiming victory on home soil. Joop Zoetemelk (Superconfex), Steven Rooks (PDM), and Teun Van Vliet (Panasonic) collaborated, either to wear down Elliott or to create an opportunity for one of them to win. Ultimately, Joop Zoetemelk triumphed, finishing ahead of Rooks, with Elliott securing third place. Van Vliet finished fourth, followed by his breakaway companion Bruno Cornillet (Z-Peugeot) in fifth. Phil Anderson led the main peloton across the line over a minute and a half behind. Zoetemelk launched his decisive move three kilometers from the finish in Meersen, a tactic reminiscent of his 1985 World Championship victory.
The race’s pivotal moment occurred after 175 of the 242 kilometers, when Gerard Veldscholten (PDM), Nico Verhoeven (Superconfex), and Eddy Planckaert (Panasonic) established a nearly two-minute lead. They were later joined by a nine-man group including Anderson, his Panasonic teammate Allan Peiper, and Zoetemelk. The front group expanded to 25 riders, with Malcolm Elliott among them. Cornillet initiated an attack that split the group, and Elliott found himself with Anderson, Van Vliet, Zoetemelk, and Ludo Peeters (Superconfex). Eric Van Lancker and Theo De Rooy of Panasonic joined them, as did Adrie Van der Poel (PDM), bringing the leading group to 13 riders. With 17 kilometers remaining, Verhoeven attempted an attack but was caught. As they crested the Cauberg climb, Rooks, Van Vliet, Elliott, and Zoetemelk broke clear, with only Cornillet able to follow. Van Vliet then attacked, prompting Elliott to respond, which ultimately set the stage for Zoetemelk’s winning move. Rooks secured second place, finishing 29 seconds behind Zoetemelk, while Elliott took third, four seconds ahead of fourth-placed Van Vliet.
Malcolm Elliott became the first British professional rider sponsored by a British company to achieve a top-three finish in a classic. The ANC-Halfords team also had other finishers: Bernard Chesneau in 12th, Adrian Timmis in 40th, and Chris Lillywhite in 63rd, out of the 70 riders who completed the race in Meersen.
Ed Hood spoke with Malcolm Elliott a few years after the 1987 Amstel Gold Race, where Elliott recalled, “I don’t remember much about the race except for the last 20 or 30 kilometers. Coming onto the Cauberg climb in the closing stages, there was a bit of a lull, then Steven Rooks and Teun Van Vliet went to the front. They didn’t launch a fierce attack, but they increased the tempo and started to open a gap. Joop Zoetemelk moved to join them, and I tucked in behind him, and we bridged the gap.”
Elliott continued, “I must have had good legs because it didn’t feel like we were flying, but we soon had a 30-second gap. Bruno Cornillet came up, and that made five of us up the road. It didn’t feel like we were pushing ourselves to the limit; no one seemed fully committed, but there were small accelerations. We all kept rotating through to maintain momentum. Zoetemelk went to the front – I think Rooks was behind him – he just rode away from us. We all hesitated, looked at each other, and the gap grew: five seconds, then ten, then twenty, and it was too much for one rider to bridge alone.”
“I can’t remember why, but I thought Van Vliet was the rider to watch because I believed he had already expended Rooks and Zoetemelk, so I didn’t anticipate it being the race-winning move. Rooks surprised me and jumped away for second, but I put ten lengths into Van Vliet to take third easily, with Cornillet back in fifth. After the race, I was quite happy with the ride, but you can’t help but think about how things might have unfolded. I had hoped that Dutch rivalries might have played into my hands, but it didn’t work out that way. Just last year, I heard that Rooks and Van Vliet had been arguing coming into the finish that day; one of them had done the other a favor at Het Volk and wanted it repaid, but the other refused because the Amstel is such a significant race in Holland.”
1987 Amstel Gold Race Results:
1. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) Superconfex – 6:12:51
2. Steven Rooks (Ned) PDM – at 0:29
3. Malcolm Elliott (GB) ANC-Halfords – at 0:31
4. Teun Van Vliet (Ned) Panasonic – at 0:35
5. Bruno Cornillet (Fra) Z-Peugeot – at 0:40
6. Phil Anderson (Aus) Panasonic – at 1:31
7. Eddy Planckaert (Bel) Panasonic – at 1:37
8. Nico Verhoeven (Ned) Superconfex
9. Adrie Van der Poel (Ned) PDM
10. Theo De Rooy (Ned) Panasonic
26. Allan Pieper (Aus) Panasonic
40. Adrian Timmis (GB) ANC-Halfords – at 6:44
54. Francesco Moser (It) Chateau d’ax – at 9:47
58. Jonathan Boyer (USA) 7-Eleven – at 12:03
63. Chris Lillywhite (GB) ANC-Halfords
68. Raul Alcala (Mex) 7-Eleven.