The Holland Hills Classic was a women's elite professional road bicycle race held annually between 2004 and 2016 in Limburg, the Netherlands. The race was categorised as a 1.1 UCI category race, and was organised by the Stichting Holland Ladies Tour, who also organised the Holland Ladies Tour.

Holland Hills Classic
Boels Rental Hills Classic logo
Race details
DateMay
RegionLimburg, The Netherlands
DisciplineRoad race
TypeSingle day race
OrganiserStichting Holland Ladies Tour
Race directorThijs Rondhuis
Web sitewww.hollandhillsclassic.eu Edit this at Wikidata
History
First edition2004 (2004)
Editions13
Final edition2016 (2016)
First winner Mirjam Melchers (NED)
Most wins Marianne Vos (NED) (3 wins)
Final winner Lizzie Armitstead (GBR)[1]

Sponsorship

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For sponsorship reasons the race held the official titles of the Gulpen Hills Classic between 2004 and 2007, the Valkenburg Hills Classic in 2010, the Parkhotel Rooding Classic in 2011, the Parkhotel Valkenburg Hills Classic in 2012 and the Boels Rental Hills Classic from 2013 until 2016.[2]

History

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In its first four years, the race was held in August with the start and finish in Gulpen.[3] From 2008 to 2013, the start and finish were held in Valkenburg aan de Geul[4] and in 2011 the race moved to the spring. From 2014, the start was in Sittard and the finish was on top of the Geulhemmerberg hill in Berg en Terblijt.[5]

In September 2016, shortly after the organisers of the Amstel Gold Race announced their inaugural women's race for 2017 on mainly the same parcours, in the same region and in the same part of the season, the main sponsor Boels Rental and race director Thijs Rondhuis said there would not be a Hills Classic in 2017.[6]

Past winners

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Year First Second Third
2004   Mirjam Melchers (NED)   Leontien van Moorsel (NED)   Arenda Grimberg (NED)
2005   Anita Valen De Vries (NOR)   Trixi Worrack (GER)   Arenda Grimberg (NED)
2006   Theresa Senff (GER)   Marianne Vos (NED)   Suzanne de Goede (NED)
2007   Marianne Vos (NED)   Susanne Ljungskog (SWE)   Andrea Graus (AUT)
2008   Larissa Kleinmann (GER)   Elisabeth Braam (NED)   Vera Koedooder (NED)
2009   Marianne Vos (NED)   Petra Dijkman (NED)   Emma Johansson (SWE)
2010   Grace Verbeke (BEL)   Chantal Blaak (NED)   Iris Slappendel (NED)
2011   Marianne Vos (NED)   Marieke van Wanroij (NED)   Jessie Daams (BEL)
2012   Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)   Marianne Vos (NED)   Sharon Laws (GBR)
2013   Ashleigh Moolman (RSA)   Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)   Lizzie Armitstead (GBR)
2014   Emma Johansson (SWE)   Ellen van Dijk (NED)   Amy Pieters (NED)
2015   Lizzie Armitstead (GBR)   Emma Johansson (SWE)   Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL)
2016   Lizzie Armitstead (GBR)   Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)   Ashleigh Moolman (RSA)

References

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  1. ^ "Results 2016". ProCyclingStats.com. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Parkhotel Valkenburg Hills Classic". CQ ranking.com. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Gulpen Hills Classic". Gulpen-Wittem.nl. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Holland Hills Classic verhuist naar Valkenburg". L1.nl. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Emma Johansson wins Boels Rental Hills Classic 2014". Cyclingfever.com. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Boels trekt stekker uit Hills Classic" (in Dutch). 1Limburg.nl. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
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