Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, April 22, 2024

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo

---

Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• April 21 - 28: Tour of Turkey

Upcoming racing:

• April 23 - 28: Tour de Romandie
• April 26 - 28: Vuelta Asturias

Latest completed racing:

• April 21: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• April 15 - 19: Tour of the Alps
• April 17: La Flèche Wallone
• April 14: Amstel Gold Race
• April 14: Tour du Doubs
• April 10: De Brabantse Pijl
• April 7: Paris-Roubaix

---

Liège-Bastogne-Liège reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results:

Here's the report from winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates:

There was another masterpiece by Tadej Pogačar, who won once again by attacking from afar at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

The take-off point was the Redoute, at 34,8 km to go: until this point his teammates had done an amazing job by tiring out the head group by keeping a hard pace (Bax and Ulissi and then an impressive Novak), Pogačar accelerated and only Richard Carapaz (Ef-EasyPost) could follow him, but he had to give up on the flat just after the summit of the hill.

The advantage of the Slovenian rider immediately exceeded 60” of the chasing group with Ben Healy (Ef-Easypost), Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ), Benoit Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R) and Romain Bardet (Team DSM-firmenich).

After the key passage on the Roche aux Faucons, Pogačar’s advantage raised to 2’ on Romain Bardet and more than 2’ on a chasing group, that could do nothing but battle for a place on the podium.

Tadej Pogacar wins a big one. Sirotti photo

The UAE Team Emirates’ captain reached the finish line in Liege with 1’39” on Bardet( 2nd) and 2’02” on the World Champion Van der Poel (3rd), obtaining his 70th victory in his career, 6th Monument in his palmares (twice Liege-Bastogne-Liege, one Tour of Flanders and three Lombardia).

Pogačar, whose next appointment will be his debut in the Giro d’Italia: “I’m full of emotions. It was a miserable day from the start but we kept pushing hard with the team making a good pace and we kept ourselves a little bit warmer. It has been quite emotional for me riding the whole day on the bike, thinking about when, two years ago, I did not participate in the race because my girlfriend Urksa’s mother died and about last year when I crashed. So, the last two years in this race were really difficult for me and I’m happy I could win again this beautiful competition, riding with Urska’s mother in my mind.

"Thanks to the whole team that raced for me today, it was amazing team work, I could not have done it without my team mates.

"Last year I was focused on saving energy, this year I had in my mind to be in safe positions and with the team we rode hard on the climbs until the Redoute where we did exactly what we planned to do and from then it was only suffering to the finish”.

Here's the report from second-place Romain Bardet's Team dsm-firmenich PostNL:

Rounding out an Ardennes campaign that has unfortunately been blighted by bad luck, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL showed resilience and character today, and bounced back with a brilliant performance taking a Monument podium at Liège – Bastogne – Liège with Romain Bardet.

Romain Bardet finishes second. Sirotti photo

After a fight in the early part of the race the team achieved their first goal by being represented in the break, with Enzo Leijnse making the eight rider move. The rest of the squad stayed safe in the bunch and rallied around Bardet and Kevin Vermaerke, riding well as a group as the kilometres ticked down. Initially holding onto a four minute advantage, the gap to the breakaway tumbled and was inside one minute at around 100 kilometre to go, where a crash split the bunch. Bardet and Martijn Tusveld made the front group but unfortunately the rest of the team were caught up. A fast following 30 kilometres saw a big fight between the two main groups but things eventually regrouped, with Bardet and Vermaerke representing Team dsm-firmenich PostNL in the peloton.

Heading into the famous ascent of La Redoute it was clear that Pogacar would make an attack and he just did that, ultimately riding solo to the victory. Behind, Bardet dug deep and made it into an initial selection of around six riders which soon then grew as the pace dropped. Multiple moves followed before Bardet went on the attack himself, going clear as part of a chasing quartet. In the meantime, things swelled behind with Vermaerke’s group returning as they approached the last classified climb. On the ascent Bardet gave it his all and stamped on the pedals, cresting the climb with around a five second advantage on the new group of chasers.

It was a tense battle over the last ten kilometres as the chase group came closer through numerous attacks before they would slow down when things regrouped. Bardet just kept up his own strong tempo, giving everything he could and eventually the proverbial elastic snapped. Pushing it to the line, Bardet afforded himself a smile as he took a brilliant second place with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL; his best ever result in a Monument. Behind, Vermaerke kept fighting too and came home amongst the chasing “peloton” after a tenacious ride all day.

Speaking after the race a reflective Bardet expressed: “In cycling you try hard and spend maybe 90 percent of the time training in the shadows. We know that everyone in the team is working hard and giving their best so I always trust the process. We have to make a lot of sacrifices to be at this level but it I think it is also good to then be able to share in those moments together when we get the results we are aiming for. Today the guys rode really well and we were where we wanted to be. On La Redoute it was about the legs and I followed a counter attack, before giving it my all on Roche-aux-Faucons. I knew it would be difficult in the end to stay away due to the headwind, but we also knew that there weren’t many teams left with numbers to chase. It was mostly then stop and go with the attacks in the peloton, so I just tried to focus on my own efforts and gave everything to the line. I’m really happy with the second place and it is a nice confidence boost ahead of what’s to come.”

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Phil West added: “It was a lovely day out in the Ardennes and a fantastic race for us in the end. We made a good plan to be really proactive in the race, always try and search for the moments to go forward, taking the initiative rather than waiting. With around 100 kilometres to go there was a big crash coming into quite a key moment so it was pretty hectic still. Fortunately, Romain was still in front and Kevin was in the chasing group. In the end we came into La Redoute in the position where we wanted to be, and on the climb it was full-gas. From there, Romain was able to anticipate over the top with Healy and then it was on race craft, being involved and going for it. I think it was really good teamwork from the guys today and it’s nice to execute a race like this and get a good result.”

Fourth-place Maxim Van Gils' Team Lotto Dstny posted this:

In cold conditions an early breakaway of nine riders got established in the last monument of the spring. Just going into the final 100 kilometers, the race got interrupted by a big crash. Logan Currie was involved, fortunately he came out without big injuries. Maxim Van Gils and Andreas Kron were still in the first group.

Ahead of La Redoute, it all came together again and the big battle for the win could start. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) was the first to open the game on La Redoute, he immediately made a gap and went solo. In the back Van Gils put the pace on La Redoute. “It was very hard today and I actually didn’t feel super in the beginning. I was suffering, luckily halfway La Redoute I found back my good feeling, but Tadej was already gone. We were with a big group behind, which didn’t make it easy as everyone was watching each other and there weren’t a lot of helpers left.”

The peloton climbs the Cote De Saint Roch.

Pogacar rode solo to the victory, behind him Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) took the second spot. Van Gils sprinted to a strong fourth place, in the remaining group of favourites. “The team and myself are super happy with the result here and my podium at la Flèche Wallonne. It’s sad that I just missed out on the podium, the sprint was quite long and it was just about that last punch, but I can be proud. This is a special race, a monument and it’s one of my favourite races of the year, I’m happy with this beautiful result.”

And here’s the report from sixth-place Mauri Vansevenant’s Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Mauri Vansevenant took his first Monument top-ten on the back of an extremely solid ride in “La Doyenne”, which brought the Ardennes Week to a conclusion, but not before the weather decided to throw more freezing temperatures, rain and even snow into the riders’ way, thus making them work hard for a good result.

Mauri Vansevenant and Top Pidcock in the town of Stavelot. Sirotti photo

Eleven climbs and more than 4000 vertical meters was what the peloton had to face Sunday, when a breakaway formed minutes after the start. Neo-pro Gil Gelders, riding his first Monument, joined that move and impressed with the huge amount of work he put in there. The group went on to open a five-minute maximum gap which allowed them to stay off the front until 100 kilometers to go, when the catch was made.

A crash that occurred shortly after took William Junior Lecerf out of the race, while another incident – which took place just minutes later – split the peloton into several groups. The peloton numbered around 30 riders, and they quickly put a minute into the chasers, where we had Mauri Vansevenant. Sensing that the story of the race could be quickly written if things continued that way, Mauri got out of the saddle and attacked on Côte de la Haute-Levée. Joined by two other riders, the Belgian received reinforcements a couple of kilometers later, when Pieter Serry dropped back from the front group to help with the pace-setting.

The mammoth effort Pieter produced in those crucial kilometers led to a regrouping and put Mauri on course for his best result in a Monument. As the speed went up on the final hills of the day, the peloton got whittled down to some two dozen men, and from there Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked on La Redoute and soloed to victory.

Vansevenant displayed the Wolfpack mentality and spirit, riding with both his legs and his heart as the chasing group fragmented under the numerous attacks coming from those hoping to get the minor podium placings. The 25-year-old Belgian, fourth at Amstel Gold Race last week, shut down two late accelerations and made sure he kept something in the legs for the final sprint, where a fantastic turn of legs netted him sixth in the center of Liège.

“I am happy with my result. Maybe I could have finished top five, but the sprint was very hectic, so there’s no reason for me to have any regrets. Top ten at this hard and prestigious race is a nice result that makes me proud. It wasn’t easy today, but I did my best and I had a strong Soudal Quick-Step team that supported me in the last part of the race, doing a great effort to help me come back after that crash. Sixth here gives me a lot of confidence, I feel that I have made another important step in my development, and now I can’t wait for the next races”, a delighted Mauri said.

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary