La Vuelta Femenina
Sunday 4 - Saturday 10 May
Spain

With the spring Classics complete, attention turns to stage racing, and Grand Tour racing more than anything else. It isn't the men's Giro d'Italia that kicks it off, but instead the women's Vuelta a España - La Vuelta Femenina. It started life as the Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta, but is now very much a stage race in its own right, in its third year proper.

Some of the best riders in the world will be in northern Spain challenging for the red jersey from Sunday, including Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, and Marianne Vos among others.

Here are five things to look out for at the Grand Tour, as well as everything else you need to know about this race.

Five things to look out for at La Vuelta Femenina

TTT ahoy

For the fourth year in a row, the Vuelta Femenina begins with a team time trial, this time an 8km effort around Barcelona. It is unlikely to cause massive splits overall, but it will be interesting to see which teams put a lot of effort into the opening stage. The previous winners are Trek-Segafredo, Jumbo-Visma, and Lidl-Trek, so Trek will certainly be the ones to watch.

Northern Spain only

The seven-stage race cannot cover the entirety of Spain, so instead it is restricted very much to the north of the country - the furthest south the Vuelta goes is Sant Boi de Llobregat, just to the south of Barcelona in Catalunya. It then passes through Aragon and Castile and León before finishing in Asturias in the north west of the country.

Seven stages, not eight

After spending one year as an eight-stage race, the Vuelta Femenina drops back down to seven stages, from Sunday to Saturday, although it is now firmly in its May spot. However, there are a lot of tough stages packed into the week of action, so the woman on the top step of the podium on the Saturday will be deserving, especially given the tough summit finish on stage seven on the Alto de Cotobello.

Dutch dominance

Ever since the Vuelta became a proper stage race with climbs rather than just a one to three-stage event bolted onto the men’s race, it has been dominated by the Dutch. First by Annemiek van Vleuten, who won three in a row, before Demi Vollering took on that mantle last year. The latter will certainly be the favourite once again this year, but with her new FDJ-Suez team. Can another nationality upset the odds?

The longest day

Stage seven is the toughest stage of the race, mainly thanks to the finish at Alto de Cotobello - see boxout - but also due to it being the longest day ever raced at the Vuelta Femenina’s short history. It’s far from the longest stage ever at a women’s Grand Tour - the Tour de France Femmes has twice passed 170km, but it is a milestone in Spain.

Focus on: Alto de Cotobello

Coming at the end of the longest stage, this climb will surely decide the winner of the race, which is fitting as it will be the last thing the riders do.

Will it be more triumph for Vollering, or heartbreak as happened when she won the final stage to Lagos de Covadonga in 2023? It’s 9.8km at 8%, but with ramps up to 10%, so a tasty 800m of elevation in under 10km, not for the faint hearted.

Where can I watch La Vuelta Femenina

It is on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, accessible via a TV package or a Discovery+ subscription. Read more in our how to watch La Vuelta Femenina guide.

Last year's La Vuelta Femenina podium

1. Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime)
2. Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike)
3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)

Riders to watch at La Vuelta Femenina

Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) *****

The Dutchwoman comes as the defending champion, but with a new team - FDJ-Suez - to support her. She has already won a Spanish stage race this season, Valenciana, and has a history of dominating them - she also won the Vuelta a Burgos and Itzulia last season in a golden May. Vollering will be the most-marked rider in the bunch.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) ****

The Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner comes into her first big test, her first women’s Grand Tour since she rode the Giro d’Italia in 2015, when she finished sixth overall and second on youth classification. Now 33, Ferrand-Prévot will be using the Vuelta as another step on the road to Tour de France Femmes glory.

Kristin Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) ***

A stage winner at last year’s race, the Olympic champion is a threat in many different kinds of stages, especially ones she can spring a sprint-beating attack on. She will be part of a strong EF team which has a solid history at the women’s Vuelta, and will hope to do well overall as well.

Liane Lippert (Movistar) ***

Fifth overall at Valenciana earlier this year, Lippert is a puncheur who can really have her say on the harder days, if the high mountains might be a bit too much of a test for her. The 27-year-old will be one of the totems of a Movistar team looking for glory at its home race. If Cat Ferguson rides, watch out for the Brit in the sprints.

Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) ***

Muzic’s second breakout ride came at last year’s Vuelta, when she won stage six ahead of Vollering. Now teammates, the 25-year-old is likely to ride more of a support role, both for Vollering and Juliette Labous. However, on the steep finishes of stages five and seven, Muzic could be given her own chance to claim glory.

The spring Classics are cycling’s greatest spectacle. Up to seven hours of high-octane racing, up and over short, punchy climbs, across bone-jarring cobbles and loose gravel, from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in early March to Liège-Bastogne-Liège in late April.

Winning just one Classic can make a rider’s career. But there are a select few who win, win some more, and keep on winning, becoming their generation’s giant of the Classics. But what makes a Classics legend? What are the key ingredients needed to become a serial winner? How big a part is played by local knowledge? Is it nature, nurture, racecraft, or more to do with the strength of the team?

Take a look at the make-up of the sport’s most iconic cobbled Classics riders and one thing jumps out: most are around 180cm (5ft 11in) tall and weigh around 75kg. There have been a few outliers, of course, such as Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen, who were both taller and heavier, tipping the scales at over 80kg. Meanwhile, lighter-weight Grand Tour superstars barely stand a chance – except if their surname begins ‘Pog’.

Tim Podlogar, an exercise physiologist at the University of Exeter and a consultant to Tudor Pro Cycling Team, explains why lightweight climbers are so rarely in contention in the Classics. “Jonas Vingegaard can’t be a Classics rider because a high absolute power that you can sustain for a long time on flatter terrain is way more important than watts per kilogram.”

On the opposite end of the scale, bulky sprinters don’t fare well either. “The problem with bigger riders is that their high power output requires a high energy demand, and there’s a limit to the amount of energy absorption [from fuelling] during exercise,” Podlogar says.

With the exception of Paris-Roubaix, which doesn’t have any ascent of note, Classics are littered with short, steep climbs. The weight-weenies aren’t able to make their climbing strength count in the same way they can in the mountains of the Tour de France. “Look at what Tadej Pogačar said about Milan-San Remo – he needs a few extra kilos to improve his absolute power so he can push harder on the flats where it’s purely about power,” Podlogar says. And it was borne out: at this year’s San Remo, despite averaging 630 watts for just under nine minutes on the penultimate climn of the Cipressa, Pogačar could not get away from his rivals.

The Cipressa is 5.4km-long with a gradient of 4% – making it one of the longest climbs in all the Classics – but it was not long enough for Pogačar to press home any advantage over Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman is 9kg heavier than Pogačar but seemed quite comfortable as he covered the three-time Tour de France winner’s every move. “Over Classics climbs, a few minutes at most, a rider like Van der Poel can follow a rider like Pogačar because he has the anaerobic capacity to tolerate and sustain [high power] without having to dig into his aerobic capacity,” Podlogar explains. “Higher muscle mass has more fast-twitch fibres, which means having a higher anaerobic capacity, something that suits short, steeper climbs.” In simple terms, Van der Poel doesn’t need to get into oxygen debt.

Another advantage for mid-weight riders is how they’re able to cope better with uneven terrain. “You don’t want to be too light when you hit the cobbles because you’ll bounce around too much from all the kinetic energy,” Podlogar says. “A heavier rider is much more efficient on the cobbles than a lighter rider because they’re able to use the same amount of power for less energy.” There are many riders in the peloton of ideal stature for the Classics – quite tall and around 75kg – but they don’t enjoy the repeated success of Van der Poel and his ilk. So what else do such Classics stars possess?

Generational talent is the answer. “You just need the strongest rider, it’s as simple as that,” says veteran sports director Kim Andersen, now of Lidl-Trek. That view is shared by the rider he guided at various teams, Fabian Cancellara. “You need a Mathieu van der Poel, a Wout Van Aert, a Tadej Pogačar, you need a leader who can dominate and go for results,” says the multi Classics winner. And Edward Planckaert, one of Alpecin-Deceuninck’s go-to domestiques, is clear in his reply when asked if his team would be able continue their current Classics domination without Van der Poel. “No, I really don’t think so,” he says.

Learning the trade

Not even the most gifted riders can do it all by themselves. Cancellara began his career with Mapei-Quick Step, the team of Johan Museeuw, Tom Steels and Paolo Bettini, among others – each of them lecturers in how to win Monuments and triumph in punishing one-day tests. They taught a young Spartacus, as he would come to be known, how to read his rivals’ tactics and intentions, and how to pick his moment, when to stick and when to twist.

What Cancellara took above all from his mentors was how one superstar can lift the performance levels of his helpers. “A strong rider can make a weak team strong,” Cancellara says. “Alone, you can reach a certain level, but when the moment comes to really dominate, you need strong support from the people around you.” Once that moment came, Cancellara was incessant.

“I was always very demanding of myself, and I also requested a lot from those around me,” he continues. “I needed to get the best out of them, for them to give everything. A one-day race is not like a one-week or three-week stage race where you can save a bit of energy.” How did he get the best from his teammates? “The more a rider gave me, the more I gave them,” he says. “Ultimately, you need strong horses in the front who are going to pull. In the first three hours, my job was saving energy, saving my legs, and I needed the other guys around me to do their work and be fully focused.”

The impact of sports directors, often underestimated, tends to be more pronounced at one-day races than in slow-burning Grand Tours. “The DSs design the carpet and roll it out, and then it’s up to you to follow through with it,” Cancellara says, almost poetically. “In the race it’s not only about numbers; the tactics are a constant rolling situation. I was a guy who needed confidence and trust from the car and my colleagues. Even if I knew I was strong, sometimes I would question it, and if I would question too much, things would go wrong. That mental support is crucial.”

Local knowledge is imperative for a classics rider

Cancellara is Swiss, but most of the best Classics riders are Belgian. Local knowledge, knowing the entry to the bergs, when to take the foot off the gas and when to put the hammer down is more significant than in any other type of race. Poor positioning or misunderstanding of a race’s intricacies can very easily spell the end of a rider’s ambitions.

This is why riders complete reconnaissance rides. “You can look on the internet and Google Maps, but if you really want success, you need to go on recons,” says Andersen. “Even if you know Flanders or Liège, you must go and see it again to get a refresher.”

It is also why riders from Belgium and the Netherlands are at an advantage when it comes to the cobbled classics. They will have ridden climbs like the Oude Kwaremont countless times in junior races, and will know every twist and turn in the approach to the key climbs. This means they know where they need to be and when, which means they can save energy over riders who find themselves out of position at key moments

There’s another factor that influences performance: spicy rivalries. Whether it was Eddy Merckx versus Roger De Vlaeminck, Cancellara versus Tom Boonen, or Van der Poel versus Wout van Aert and/or Tadej Pogačar in modern times, facing a foe can be a help or a hindrance, according to Cancellara. “It can give you wings, but it can also put you in the shadows. It depends on the type of rider you are,” he says.

Kings of the classics and their teams

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Alpecin-Deceuninck have been the stand-out team in the spring races, overtaking Soudal-Quick Step as the kings of the Classics. Alpecin haven’t matched that same prolificacy, but five different riders have won 26 spring Classics and semi-Classics for them since 2020.

“I think the reason we’ve been so successful is expectation and nailing the plan,” says Kaden Groves, Alpecin’s preferred third option. “We always have a good plan, everyone in the team knows their role during the day… we create scenarios that pull the race into our favour.”

At the start of the season, Van der Poel said that he would be focusing on the road and Classics in coming years. “If I’m still healthy and still enjoy cycling, why stop?” he added. We don’t yet know who his successor will be – perhaps Britain’s rising star Matthew Brennan – but he’s likely to be a rider of similar build.

“To do well in the Classics, you need to be the right size, and that mostly comes down to genetics,” Podlogar concludes. Alongside genes and the other prerequisites to succeed on the cobbles and up punchy climbs is a little bit of Lady Luck. Just ask Wout van Aert about that.

Best male Classics riders of all time

Eddy Merckx Years active: 1965–1978 | Belgian | 182cm | 74kg
29 wins including: 7x Milan–San Remo, 5x Liège–Bastogne–Liège, 3x Paris–Roubaix

Roger De Vlaeminck 1969–1984 | Belgian | 181cm | 74kg
20 wins including: 4x Paris–Roubaix, 3x Milan–San Remo, 1x Tour of Flanders

Johan Museeuw 1988–2004 | Belgian | 184cm | 71kg
18 wins including: 3x Flanders, 3x Roubaix

Tom Boonen 2001–2017 | Belgian | 192cm | 82kg
21 wins including: 4x Roubaix, 3x Flanders

Fabian Cancellara 2000–2016 | Swiss | 186cm | 80kg
13 wins including: 3x Flanders, 3x Roubaix

Philippe Gilbert 2002–2022 | Belgian | 178cm | 75kg 14 wins including: 4x Amstel Gold, 1x each of Roubaix, Flanders, Liège

Mathieu van der Poel 2014–present | Dutch | 184cm | 75kg 17 wins including: 3x Flanders, 3x Roubaix, 2x San Remo

Rik Van Looy 1953–1970 | Belgian | 178cm | 73kg 19 wins including: 3x Roubaix, 2x Flanders, 4x E3 Saxo Classic

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Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Sunday 27 April
Distance: 252km
Start: 10:50 BST
Finish: 15:10 BST

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes
Sunday 27 April
Distance: 152.9km
Start: 12:45 BST
Finish: 16:40 BST

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2025 takes place on Sunday 27 April in Wallonia, the French speaking part of Belgium. Known as La Doyenne, or the Old Lady, Liège-Bastogne-Liège was first run in 1892 and is the oldest professional cycling race in the world.

Here are five things to look out for at the Monument, as well as everything else you need to know about this year's men's and women's editions.

Five things to look out for at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Wallonia’s time

After what must seem like weeks of Flemish dominance of the bike racing narrative, Liège finally gives the French-speaking part of Belgium something to shout about. The race takes place in the very east of the country, in the hilly Ardennes. It’s more Liège waffles than Flemish frites, and Orval and Chimay over Bolleke and Westvleteren in terms of beer.

Liège finish

Despite the name, for almost 30 years the race finished in Ans, a northern suburb of Liège, at the top of a steep climb; this discouraged solo attacks and encouraged a final, interminable sprint, like a slightly less vicious Flèche Wallonne. However, since 2019, the finish has been in the centre of town, with the final climb coming 13km from the finish - a lone attacker can certainly win now.

Dutch dominance

In the 10 year history of a women’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège - I know, only 10 years?! - there have only been two non-Dutch winners: Lizzie Deignan in 2020, and Grace Brown last year. With Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen among the favourites, this record might continue. What is it about Wallonia that makes the Oranje pedal so hard?

Pogačar v Evenepoel

The last four years of Liège have seen two wins apiece for Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, although intriguingly, both have never finished the same race. On the one occasion they were both on the same start list, 2023, Pogačar crashed out early. Is a genuine duel between the pair too much to ask for?

Battle of the Bulge

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, which was fought around a lot of the route of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, most famously with the Siege of Bastogne. Nazi Germany counter-attacked through American lines in the Ardennes, with the offensive ultimately coming to nothing, but costing many lives.

Focus on: La Redoute

At just over 30km from the finish, the Côte de la Redoute might not always be where the race is won, but it is where the winning group is formed.

The 2km climb at an average of 8.8% might not sound too extreme, but it comes 220km into the men's race, and 119km into the women's.

Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar have used it as a launch pad for victory, either attacking on it, or just after it. With many riders already out of contention by this point, It acts as the perfect place to shred what remains of the peloton.

Where can I watch Liège-Bastogne-Liège?

It is on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, accessible via a TV package or a Discovery+ subscription. Peacock has the rights in the US, SBS On Demand has free coverage in Australia, and you can watch your usual services while abroad with a VPN such as NordVPN.

Last year's Liège-Bastogne-Liège podiums

Men's

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)
2. Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL)
3. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Women’s

1. Grace Brown (UAE Team ADQ)
2. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)
3. Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime)

Riders to watch at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

A third Liège-Bastogne-Liège would take the world champion to joint-fourth on the all-time list for wins at La Doyenne, not bad for a man aged just 26, it would also mean a ninth Monument. Pogačar will be the out and out favourite for the men’s race - how far out will the attack come this time?

Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez)

The Dutchwoman didn’t race between San Remo Women and the Amstel Gold Race, instead spending time training at altitude ahead of the busy part of her season. Two years ago she won all three of the Ardennes Classics, and one more Liège would take her to three and the outright record.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

We all know about Lotte Kopecky’s punch and power, but does the world champion have the climbing prowess to win a Monument as hilly as Liège? She has only raced it once, finishing 38th last year, but if she is the Tour de France Femmes contender she claims to be, then she will need to start performing on climbs like these.

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)

A two-time winner just like Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel could make history by being the first reigning male Olympic champion to win Liège. Normally, he would be one of the two favourites, but little is known about his condition after he was knocked off his bike and seriously injured late last year. He is certainly one to watch.

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

The defending Tour de France Femmes champion has always been near the front at Liège, never finishing outside the top 20 in eight attempts, but has only once finished on the podium - her debut. The Pole is yet to win a race this year, and a year on from her drought-breaking Flèche Wallonne victory, it’s time for another statement performance.

The spring Classics stay hilly with La Flèche Wallonne and La Flèche Wallonne Femmes on Wednesday 23 April, an event that is usually lumped in with the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège to make the Ardennes Classics. This is the one with the Mur de Huy.

Below, Cycling Weekly has compiled everything you need to know about broadcasters and live streams, so you can watch La Flèche Wallonne wherever you are in the world.

Quick guide to watching La Flèche Wallonne

• UK: TNT Sports / Discovery+ (£30.99/mon)
• US: Peacock ($7.99/mon)
• Canada: Flobikes (CA$39.99/mon)
• Australia: SBS (free)
• Free live stream: SBS On Demand (Australia) / Sporza, Auvio (Belgium) / NPO Start (Netherlands) / FranceTV (France)
• Anywhere: Watch your usual stream from abroad with NordVPN

How to watch La Flèche Wallonne in the UK

In the UK, La Flèche Wallonne, like pretty much all pro cycling, will be shown on TV on TNT Sports and online on Discovery+ on Wednesday. Both platforms are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and require a subscription.

The men's Flèche Wallonne is live on TNT Sports 1 from 11:30am BST, with the broadcast running until 4pm, when it's followed by the women's race on the same channel from 4pm to 5:15pm.

Discovery+ costs £30.99 a month since the price rise one month ago. TNT Sports is also £30.99 a month, but is cheaper with certain TV packages.

How to watch La Flèche Wallonne in the US and Canada

For North American viewers, this year's coverage of La Flèche Wallonne is on Peacock, or FloBikes, depending on where you are.

In the USA, Peacock is your destination, with Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège also on the NBC-owned streaming platform. Plans start from $7.99 a month.

In Canada, streaming service FloBikes is in charge of broadcasting La Flèche Wallonne. Subscriptions cost CA$39.99 a month.

Both broadcasters are covering both the men's and women's races, with Peacock offering slightly earlier start times – 6am EDT for the men's race compared to 6:45am EDT on Flobikes, and 10am EDT for the women's race compared to 10:55am on Flobikes.

Can I watch La Flèche Wallonne for free?

Fans in Australia can watch La Flèche Wallonne for free, as can those in a number of countries in cycling's European heartlands.

In Australia, La Flèche Wallonne is part of public broadcaster SBS's portfolio of races, with live streaming available on their free platform, SBS On Demand.

Details on all the free options, wherever you are, in the table below.

How to watch La Flèche Wallonne while abroad

Most streaming platforms have geo-restrictions these days, which means they only work in certain countries. But being locked out of the races is a thing of the past thanks to a VPN, so you can continue to watch La Flèche Wallonne while on the move.

A Virtual Private Network is a piece of internet security software that can alter your device's location, so you can unblock your usual streaming services, even when you're abroad.

Want to know more? We have an explainer on the benefits, costs, and considerations...
– Should I use a VPN to watch cycling?

What time is La Flèche Wallonne on?

The men's La Flèche Wallonne starts at 11:30 BST / 06:30 EDT, and is expected to finish about 15:30 BST / 10:30 EDT.

The women's La Flèche Wallonne starts at 13:00 BST / 08:00 EDT, and is expected to finish about 17:00 BST / 12:00 EDT.

UK coverage of La Flèche Wallonne begins at 11:45 BST on TNT Sports and Discovery+.

In North America, Peacock's coverage starts at 06:00 EDT, while Flobikes' coverage starts at 06:45 EDT.

In Australia, La Flèche Wallonne coverage starts at 20:45 AEST and runs into the early hours of Thursday morning.

See also: Cycling TV and streaming guide

What to expect at La Flèche Wallonne

La Flèche Wallonne is part of the triptych of three Ardennes one-day races alongside the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It is, of course, dominated by the Mur de Huy, the vicious climb in Wallonia. The men tackle it thrice over 205.1km, before the men do it twice in 140.7km.

The Mur is 1.3km at 9.8% and it is so steep that the race is almost always decided on the final time up it, a hill climb time trial after a lot of hard riding. The men's race starts in Ciney before it heads into a loop around Huy while the women's race goes straight out from Huy before heading back.

Recent editions have been won by Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma and Marta Cavalli after Anna van der Breggen won seven in a row. The men's race was similarly dominated by Alejandro Valverde and Julian Alaphilippe, but has been won by Dylan Teuns, Tadej Pogačar and Stevie Williams recently.

Favourites include Vollering, Pogačar, Elisa Longo Borghini, Tom Pidcock, Lotte Kopecky and Remco Evenepoel.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Known for her solo attacks, Olympic gold medallist Kristen Faulkner has set herself the goal of becoming a “more unpredictable rider”, working to improve her sprinting ahead of the 2025 season.

Since turning pro five years ago, the US national champion has made it her party trick to ride away from the bunch. It’s how she won a stage of the Giro d’Italia Donne, one at the Vuelta Femenina, and, most famously, the Olympic road title last summer.

Now, the 32-year-old wants to morph into a more versatile racer, in a bid to keep her opponents guessing.

“I’ve always been a really weak sprinter, which is why I’ve always gone away solo,” the EF Education-Oatly rider told Cycling Weekly. “This winter, I’ve worked a lot on my sprint, and that’s because I want to be able to sprint from a reduced bunch and race that way.

“Until now, I’ve won races solo, and the way that I can win races going forward is to be a lot less predictable.”

Faulkner’s crowning career moment so far came at last year’s Paris Olympics, where she attacked with 3km to go in the road race, winning from a leading group of four. After the event, she explained that she believed breaking free gave her her only chance of winning, pitted against faster finishers in Marianne Vos and Lotte Kopecky.

Does she expect her opponents to hunt down her attacks more closely this year? “I think a lot of the times people tried to catch me, and they couldn’t,” Faulkner said. “At the Olympics, they tried. I don’t think they gave me the leeway. But at the same time, I think people will be watching me more in moments where an attack is possible.

“One example was at the Tour de France immediately after the Olympics. Blanka Vas placed fourth at the Olympics – the only one in our group who didn’t earn a medal, and at the Tour de France, on one of the stages, we were going into the finale with a small group, and I tried to attack and she was right on my wheel. In the post-race interview, she said: ‘She got away from me once, I’m not going to let her get away from me again.’

“I think I’ll probably see that a bit more, where people are on my wheel in moments where I could attack.”

“As I look forward to the next few years, one of my goals is: how do I become a more unpredictable rider? Maybe people are watching my wheel all the way to the finish line, and I sprint. I think that’s an exciting challenge for me.”

Having suffered a concussion in a training crash in December, Faulkner has only raced once this year, placing 50th at Milan-San Remo.

She returns to racing this week at the Ardennes Classics, first at Friday’s De Brabantse Pijl, then at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège the following weekend.

In preparation for her season, the Alaskan spent two and a half weeks in Spain’s Sierra Nevada at an altitude camp, the first of her pro career.

“I’m still coming back to form,” she said. “Hopefully this little bit of time at altitude will help speed things up a bit, but now everyone’s at altitude, I don’t know, actually. So many teams are here that maybe it’s just the big equaliser.”

What are her career ambitions going forwards? “I want to win a stage at the Tour de France. I’ve won a stage at the Vuelta, I’ve won a stage at the Giro, but I need to complete the triplet and win a stage at the Tour," she said.

“I’d like to, at some point in the next few years, win Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo – those are my two favourite races on the calendar – and I’d like to get on the podium for the World Championships in the time trial. I’d also like to win another two gold medals at the LA Olympics.”

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026: Key details

Both Tadej Pogačar and Demi Vollering lived up to the hype, winning the men's and women's races this year. Pogačar however was tested by 19-year-old French rider Paul Seixas who won La Fleche Wallonne just a few days previous and stayed with the world champion all the way to the final climb. Pogačar's win was his fourth at Liège, and his 13th monument win. He is now just six away from drawing level with Eddy Merckx's tally.

It is one of cycling's five Monuments, and the last before Grand Tour racing begins in May at the Giro d'Italia. Organised by ASO, it is also the showpiece event in the three races commonly known as the Ardennes Classics that includes Amstel Gold in the Netherlands and La Flèche Wallonne, also in Belgium.

The men's race starts an finishes in Liège which sits in the east of Belgium, on the river Meuse. The route takes the riders out of the city due south towards Bastogne before returning back to Liège.

In total, the route is 256km long with 11 classified climbs - most of which are packed into the second half of the route - but with many more that aren't classified. The most famous is the Côte de La Redoute, the third from final climb that often sees a favourite make their move.

That is followed by the Côte des Forges and the final climb of Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

In the women’s race - first run in 2017 - the riders start in Bastogne before taking on a 156km course which ends in Liège. En route the women will tackle many of the same major climbs, including both La Redoute and the final ascent, la Roche-aux-Faucons.

Eddy Merckx holds the record for the most victories, with five, while Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar - last year's winner - have shared the last five titles. The Dutch trio of Demi Vollering, Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen have all won the women's edition twice.

Check out our how to watch guide for the 2026 event.

Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2026 - men's route

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026 - women's route

Key Information: Route and start list I Television Coverage

Liège–Bastogne–Liège previous winners

2025: Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates-XRG
2024: Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates
2023: Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Soudal–Quick-Step
2022: Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
2021: Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates
2020: Primož Roglič (SLO) Team Jumbo-Visma
2019: Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Astana
2018: Bob Jungels (LUX) Quick-Step Floors
2017: Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Movistar Team
2016: Wout Poels (NED) Team Sky
2015: Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Movistar Team
2014: Simon Gerrans (AUS) Orica–GreenEDGE
2013: Dan Martin (IRL) Garmin–Sharp
2012: Maxim Iglinsky (KAZ) Astana
2011: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma–Lotto
2010: Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) Astana
2009: Andy Schleck (LUX) Team Saxo Bank
2008: Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne
2007: Danilo Di Luca (ITA) Liquigas
2006: Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne–Illes Balears
2005: Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) T-Mobile Team
2004: Davide Rebellin (ITA) Gerolsteiner
2003: Tyler Hamilton (USA) Team CSC
2002: Paolo Bettini (ITA) Mapei–Quick-Step
2001: Oscar Camenzind (SUI) Lampre–Daikin

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes previous winners

2025: Kim Le Court (MAU) AG Insurance-Soudal
2024: Grace Brown (AUS) FDJ-Suez
2023: Demi Vollering (NED) SD Worx
2022: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Movistar
2021: Demi Vollering (NED) SD Worx
2020: Lizzie Deignan (GBR) Trek-Segafredo
2019: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Mitchelton-Scott
2018: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels Dolmans
2017: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels Dolmans

Official Race links

Liège-Bastogne-Liège official website
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes official website
Official race Twitter channel

If Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig’s fourth place at Strade Bianche was just a form finder, then the peloton might be in for a shock in next month’s Ardennes Classics. 

The Danish national champion raced aggressively on Tuscany's gravel roads, before holding off world champion Annemiek van Vleuten as she crested the steeply pitched Via Santa Caterina. 

It was a strong showing, her best ever at the race, but speaking to Cycling Weekly, Uttrup Ludwig explained that her main ambitions for 2023 are still to come. “My two biggest goals are the Ardennes and the Tour de France,” she said. “They’re the two highlights.” 

Asked what it is she likes about the Ardennes Classics, which count the trio of Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the FDJ Suez rider said: “I don’t know, they just fit very well to my profile. I love the short and steep climbs because I'm a punchy rider. I just love the atmosphere, the people out cheering. 

“They’re just such good races, especially Flèche. That’s on top of the list of just awesome finishes. They’re epic races.” 

Last year, after coming sixth at the Tour of Flanders, Uttrup Ludwig was forced to sit out of all three events with Covid-19. “It was so sad,” she said, mimicking a crying noise. “I was very gutted to be home sick, but on the other hand, the team did so well. So that was at least some comfort in a very dark time.” 

FDJ Suez’s success in the Ardennes last season came thanks to Marta Cavalli and Grace Brown. The former, who will be Uttrup Ludwig’s co-leader at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift this July, claimed her first WorldTour victories at Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne, while the Australian placed second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. 

This year, Cavalli’s early season campaign has been thrown into doubt after it was revealed she is still recovering from a concussion suffered at last year’s Tour de France Femmes. 

“We still have a super good roster,” outlined Uttrup Ludwig. “Obviously it’s always nice to have Marta there and have super strong cards in the final. On the other hand, I also think we have strong cards in Grace.”

As for herself, the Danish road champion said she feels no pressure to step up. She's aiming for podiums - "top results" - and believes the team's easy-going nature works to her advantage.  

“The team have always been very, very nice to me and I’ve never felt pressure to perform," she said. 

“Also, to be honest, I think I’m getting old,” the 27-year-old laughed. “I think, with age, I’m taking it more calm than maybe I was a few years ago. That comes with age and being more experienced. I’m pretty calm.” 

Uttrup Ludwig's experience is likely to be key to unlocking her second season goal, the Tour de France Femmes. Last year, the Dane finished seventh in the general classification, taking an imposing stage win on day three, but hopes to improve on her overall result this time round.

"Annemiek last year showed that she was clearly the strongest," she said. "To try and beat her and to beat a team like, say, SD Worx, who also have strong cards, I think we need to use our force, our strong cards." 

This July's edition is likely to be decided by two key stages: a summit finish atop the Col du Tourmalet and a final day time trial in Pau. 

Asked about the Pyrenean climb, Uttrup Ludwig said: "I've never done it before. I still need to do a recon of that and the time trial, but I'm excited. I think it's going to be hard, but I'll be preparing."

Before that, though, she'll face the Ardennes. To date, the Dane’s best result across the trio has come at Flèche Wallonne, where she finished a close runner-up in 2020. The following year, she went on to take top tens at Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Ardennes week opens this year with Amstel Gold on 16 April. The Tour de France Femmes will begin on 23 July in Clermont-Ferrand. 

Marta Cavalli produced a brilliant final sprint to take her second victory of the Ardennes Classics season. The former Italian champion was able to mark an aggressive Annemiek van Vleuten on the Mur de Huy, overtaking the Dutchwoman with 50m to go.

Despite having two riders in a small group at the bottom of the climb, SD Worx could only manage third place, Demi Vollering crossing the line a few seconds back.

Sitting on the back of two Movistar team-mates, Van Vleuten seemed to hold the box hand at the bottom of the climb. But as soon as they led her onto the narrow section at the start of the steepest slopes she was alone. 

The Dutch rider led nearly all the way, opening a small gap on the steepest section on the bends, just over 300m from the line. But a patient Cavalli closed the gap, sat on, and could not be shaken despite Van Vleuten’s best efforts.

It was a consummate performance from Cavalli’s FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope squad. With no one in the day’s breakaways they used Brodie Chapman, herself fresh from a race win at GP de Chambéry, and French champion Evita Muzic to control, chase and place Cavalli perfectly for the penultimate climb, where the final selection was made.

With three wins in just 11 days, the French squad will be riding the crest of a wave ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège this Sunday, where a repeat is possible.

How it happened

One of the oldest top tier races on the women’s calendar, Flèche Wallonne has been around since 1998, and two women have dominated. Between 2007 and ’13 Marianne Vos won five editions, but the undisputed queen of the Mur de Huy is Anna van der Breggen, who until today won every edition since 2015.

However, while she was in Wallonia on Wednesday, the Dutchwoman’s presence was as sports director for SD Worx, and with Vos not riding for Jumbo-Visma after contracting COVID, this year’s edition would bring a new winner.

Another change for 2022 was the route. At 133.4km it may not be the longest - that honour goes to 2016 when the race was 137km - but for the first time the peloton would race up the fabled Mur de Huy on three occasions.

Along with three ascents of the Côte de Cherave and two of the Côte d’Ereffe the race, which started and finished in Huy, would tackle eight classified climbs over two laps of a 31.2km closing circuit, which followed an opening 71km loop.

The race began in active fashion, a number of groups getting a small gap before being dragged back by a reluctant peloton, and no one was able to get up the road.

Only after 25km did three women get away; Katia Ragusa (Liv Xstra), Anastasia Carbonari (Valcar Travel and Service) and Kylie Waterrus (Lotto-Soudal) building a lead of 50 seconds before a counterattack from the peloton. The leading trio were eventually joined by Pauline Allin (Arkea), Silvia Zinardi (BePink), with Federica Piergiovanni making it two Valcar riders in the leading group.

Their lead approached two minutes, though as the race closed in on a return to Huy for the start of the circuits, that was closer to one minute, and with Waterrus dropped, the break crested the Mur for the first time with a lead of only 45 seconds.

Though that increased once over the top, the die was cast. 

On the first ascent of the circuit’s opening climb, the Côte d’Ereffe DSM prefaced the action by sending young French rider, Léa Curinier up the road in pursuit. But the 20-year-old didn’t last long, the action kicking off behind, and a group bridging to leaders.

Brit Anna Shackley (SD Worx), Anouska Koster (Jumbo-Visma), Alena Amialiusik and Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM), Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo), Jelena Erić (Movistar), Esme Peperkamp (DSM), Krista Doebel-Hickok (EF Education-Tibco-SVB), Amanda Spratt (BikeExchage-Jayco) and Yara Kastelijn (Plantur-Pura) joined the leading group. And, though the early escapees fell back on the Côte de Cherave, the new break was strong enough to go to the line. If they were allowed.

As they climbed the Mur for the penultimate time with a lead of 2-40 it seemed as though not only would the race have a new winner, but also a new winning formula. However, with FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope working on the front of the bunch, the leaders lost one minute on the long drag after the finishing line.

By the time the leaders reached the foot of the Côte d’Ereffe their advantage had reduced to just 1-06, Movistar sporadically assisting the pursuit. Then with 15km to go Erić dropped back to help, though FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, fresh from Marta Cavalli’s Amstel Gold win, persisted.

Kastelijn led onto the Côte de Cherave for the final time, though by then the peloton were within touching distance, the break drifting back into their clutches. Koster was the last to be caught, just short of the top, a group of 10 swallowing the former Dutch champion. With three representatives among the 11 leaders, SD Worx had superiority on the run to the bottom of the Mur de Huy, and their former New Zealand champion attacked hard as they rode along the banks of the Meuse river, the group swelling once more.

Eventually a group of 17 women reached the bottom of the climb well clear of any challengers, Movistar in charge, now with three leading the group onto the steepest section, though Annemiek van Vleuten was soon alone for the traditional slow motion sprint finish.

Result

La Flèche Wallonne Féminine 2022: Huy - Huy (133.4km)

1. Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, in 3-38-37
2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar, at same time
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx, at 10 sec
4. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) SD Worx, at 17 sec
5. Mavi García (Esp) UAE Team ADQ, at 21 sec
6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 30 sec
7. Liane Lippert (Ger) DSM, at 33 sec
8. Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA) EF Education-Tibco-SVB, at 37 sec
9. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Plantur-Pura, at 40 sec
10. Ane Santesteban (Esp) BikeExchange-Jayco, at 42 sec

Defending champion in the women's race Puck Pieterse (Fenix Deceuninck) returns to southern Belgium this week, but Tadej Pogačar does not. Instead deciding to focus on winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège for a fourth time. The second of three Ardennes Classics, La Flèche Wallonne and La Flèche Wallonne Féminine will take place on Wednesday April 22, 2026, sandwiched inbetween Amstel Gold Race and Liège.

Flèche Wallonne is the shortest of the three races and often comes down to a sprint up the final section of the Mur de Huy. This translates as the Wall of Huy in English, and is one of the steepest climbs used in a European UCI event. As such the race suits a specific type of rider, and it's not uncommon to see that rider win year after year through the prime of their career.

Anna van der Breggen did this in the women's race, winning it seven times between 2014 and 2021 while Alejandro Valverde and Julian Alaphilippe have both won on multiple occasions. Neither is it uncommon for one rider to win all three Ardennes Classics in a week, as Demi Vollering did in 2023

>> How to watch La Fleche Wallonne races on TV

La Flèche Wallonne 2026 route

The route of Flèche Wallonne has changed little in modern times, as both races are decided on the final climb of the Mur de Huy. It is no surprise to see that continue into 2026. the 1.2 kilometre climb has an average gradient of 10.3% but gets steeper towards the top, hitting 18.8% at it's steepest before levelling off in the final hundred metres.

The men's race tackles it three times in the second half of the race while the women's race climbs it twice in the final third. On each occasion the peloton hit the bottom of the climb straight off the descent of the Côte de Cherave.

The severity of the Mur de Huy is so great that the climb all but nullifies the action until the final few minutes of the race. While breaks will go up the road, the favourites know the best way to win Flèche is to wait until the final minute to launch their attack. It's a tried and tested method that has worked for years.

La Flèche Wallonne: Riders to watch

While the men's race lacks a little star quality, with last year's winner Tadej Pogačar staying away, and many other Grand Tour favourites deciding not to ride, the women's race is stacked with all the major names, save Lotte Kopecky. Here's our list of riders to watch in both races.

Demi Vollering: Rarely off the podium in 2026 and in a team that has taken over the number one spot from SD Worx Protime, the Dutchwoman will start as favourite. As she does for most races. One of the best climbers in the peloton, she'll need to distance the slightly faster finishers before the final 100 metres of the race.

Mattais Skjelmose: Second at Amstel Gold to Remco Evenepoel at the weekend, the Dane will lead LIdl - Trek. Second in 2023 when he had an excellent Ardennes campaign, he's failed to finish for the past two years.

Puck Pieterse: The young Dutchwoman surprised many last year, not by winning, but by winning with such a clear margin. She backed up last year's win with a second place at Liege just a few days later and after placing sixth at Strade Bianche and third at Flanders, it'll be a surprise if she's not on the podium.

Paul Seixas: The new French hope could bag his first spring classic this year if form is anything to go by. First and second on GC in the two stage races he's ridden this year along with four stage wins, he was second to Pogačar at Strade after winning Faun-Ardèche Classic. If he wins, his star will continue to rise rapidly across France.

Kasia Niewiadoma: If there's an hill in a race finale, the Polish champ will be in the mix. Following a horror crash in Milan - San Remo, Niewiadoma came back with an impressive second place at Amstel Gold. Outsprinting Vollering as the pair chased down winner Paula Blasi.

Benoit Cosnefroy: With his boss not taking part, this is the Frenchman's chance. Third at Amstel Gold, winning the sprint behind Evenepole and Skjelmose shows he's in form while his second and fourth place in previous editions is proof he knows how to approach the Mur when it matters.

La Flèche Wallonne previous winners

2025: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates XRG
2024: Stevie Williams (GBr) Israel-Premier Tech
2023: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates
2022: Dylan Teuns (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech
2021: Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step
2020: Marc Hirschi (Sui) Team Sunweb
2019: Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck–Quick-Step
2018: Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors
2017: Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team
2016: Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team
2015: Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team
2014: Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team
2013: Daniel Moreno (Esp) Team Katusha
2012: Joaquim Rodríguez (Esp) Team Katusha
2011: Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma–Lotto
2010: Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team

La Flèche Wallonne Féminine previous winners

2025: Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
2024: Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM
2023: Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx
2022: Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ-Suez Futuroscope
2021: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx
2020: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans
2019: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans
2018: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans
2017: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans
2016: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Rabobank-Liv
2015: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Rabobank-Liv
2014: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Fra) Rabobank-Liv
2013: Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabo Women Cycling Team
2012: Evelyn Stevens (USA) Specialized-Lululemon
2011: Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
2010: Emma Pooley (GBr) Cervelo Test Team

Ag2r Citroën 2/10

With last year’s breakthrough star Benoît Cosnefroy lacking form and Bob Jungels missing the campaign due to a head injury, Ag2r Citroën will be disappointed with how their week went. Greg van Avermaet put in some spirited attacks and Aurelien Paret-Peintre rode solidly, but they failed to register a top fifteen finish.

Astana Premier Tech 3/10

Now 36 years old, Jakob Fuglsang’s spell as a top-rate Ardennes Classics contender may be coming to an end. He wasn’t too far from making the final selection at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but didn’t quite have the legs on Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons and had to settle for twelfth; the team’s best finish aside from the ever-consistent Alex Aranburu’s eleventh at Amstel Gold.

Bahrain Victorious 6/10

As is often the case with Bahrain-Victorious, the team had lots of solid performers providing plenty of strength-in-depth, but no one star to rally behind. Sonny Colbrelli, Jack Haig, Mark Padun, Wout Poels and Dylan Teuns all made an impression with either notable attacks or reasonably high finishes, but Matej Mohorič was their best performer with top tens at both Amstel Gold and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

BikeExchange 6/10

Esteban Chaves and Michael Matthews made for a complimentary pairing, with the latter attacking on the climbs and the former holding out for sprints. While it was delightful to watch a rejuvenated Chaves perform well, Matthews must be growing increasingly frustrated by his long run without a major Classic win — although fourth at Amstel Gold should be recognised as a good result for him.

Bora-Hansgrohe 7/10

After making such a great start at Amstel Gold, where Max Schachmann finished third following a strong attack earlier from youngster Ide Schelling, Bora-Hansgrohe might have hoped for more from the following two Ardennes Classics. But Schachmann continues to show what a great talent he is, by being the only man able to go with Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock at Amstel Gold.

Cofidis 4/10

Where would Cofidis be without Guillaume Martin? The Frenchman has for a couple of years now been the team’s standout performer and rode consistently to register two sixteenth-place and one fifteenth-place finish. Not exactly earth-shattering, but decent for a team struggling at the bottom of the WorldTour.

Deceuninck - Quick-Step 9/10

Julian Alaphilippe put together the best run-on Ardennes Classics results of his career so far, the highlight being a third career victory at Flèche-Wallonne. He was again oh-so-close to landing the one he really wants, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but unlike last year won’t have to lament his own folly. Elsewhere in the team, 21-year-old Mauri Vansevenant looks set to become a star.

DSM 4/10

Without their departed star Marc Hirschi, DSM were nowhere near as prominent as they were at last year’s Ardennes Classics. Tiesj Benoot rode well at Liège-Bastogne-Liège though to finish seventh, while the team's emphasis on young talent continues to bear fruit as German Marco Brenner finished 24th at Flèche Wallonne at the tender age of eighteen.

EF Education-Nippo 2/10

A team that once starred in the Ardennes Classics with the likes of Dan Martin and Michael Woods is no longer built for such races. Sergio Higuita tried admirably but is better suited to longer and bigger climbs, while the form that saw Michael Valgren win Amstel Gold back in 2018 continues to elude him.

Groupama-FDJ 7/10

Third place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège made David Gaudu the revelation of the week. Although we’ve known about the 24-year-old’s talent for a while now, and was clearly in form having taken seventh at Fleche-Wallonne, he was nevertheless the surprise man in the final selection at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He could be a top contender in the Ardennes Classics for years to come.

Ineos Grenadiers 7/10

What a rollercoaster week this was for Ineos Grenadiers. First, Pidcock’s Amstel Gold runner-up finish in one of the closest-ever photo finishes; then the disappointment at seeing him crash at Flèche-Wallonne, then missing Liège-Bastogne-Liège; before finally the excitement at tearing the race up on La Redoute at Liège, only for all their riders to fade away in the finale.

Although their performance in the latter suggests they still haven’t cracked the formula for distributing their efforts in the Classics the same way they have for Grand Tours, they can still be pleased with being one of the week’s main protagonists, and Pidcock was really impressive.

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux  5/10

Rising to WorldTour level has proven to be a very difficult experience for this Belgian team, but they made the most of their limited resources to concentrate on animating breakaways in the Ardennes. Loic Vliegen was their star, getting into the day’s break in all three races, and being the last man to survive from them at both Amstel Gold and Liege-Bastogne-Liege — a sterling effort that resulted in him brought to a standstill by cramp in the latter.

Israel Start-Up Nation 7/10

Although star puncheur Dan Martin chose not to ride the Ardennes Classics for the first time in his career, Michael Woods stepped up to deliver what was arguably the best Ardennes campaign of his career. The Canadian sprinted for fourth on the Mur de Huy and was the first rider to the top of Côte de la Roche-Aux-Faucons at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but needed more of a gap in order not to succumb to the others’ superior sprints.

Jumbo-Visma 9/10

Furthering Jumbo-Visma’s case to now be considered the best team in the world across all disciplines, Wout van Aert added Amstel Gold to his ever-growing palmarès, while Primož Roglič almost held on to win Flèche Wallonne. Roglič’s lack of legs at Liège-Bastogne-Liège was the only disappointment.

Lotto-Soudal 4/10

This Ardennes week drew a sharp contrast to ten years ago, when Philippe Gilbert became only the second man in history to win all three races. This year, Gilbert was hampered by a crash suffered in training, while co-leader Tim Wellens produced the kind of early attacks that indicated he didn’t back himself to match the favourites on the key climbs.

Movistar 7/10

There’s just no stopping Alejandro Valverde, who achieved three top-five finishes in what was his best Ardennes campaign since 2017.  He’d have dearly liked what would have been a record-equalling fifth Liège-Bastogne-Liège victory on his 41st birthday, but Movistar will be grateful that their stalwart continues to deliver while the rest of the squad struggles.

Qhubeka-Assos 2/10

Unfortunately, Qhubeka-Assos did little of note this week. Simon Clarke was part of a promising escape group that went clear early on at Amstel Gold, but apart from that, we saw little of their white jerseys.

Trek-Segafredo 5/10

The absence of Giulio Ciccone and the injured Vincenzo Nibali meant that of the three Trek-Segafredo riders who impressed so much in the Italian Classics last summer, only Bauke Mollema was present. The Dutchman did pretty well, finishing eighth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and eleventh at Flèche Wallonne, but the team could have used more cards to play.

UAE Team Emirates 9/10

After the frustration of missing out at Flèche Wallonne due to a Covid positive, UAE Team Emirates returned with a vengeance at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where Davide Formolo and Marc Hirschi rode superbly on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, and helped set Tadej Pogačar up the victory. That the victory was such a team effort was a promising sign that the team is beginning to provide the support a rider of Pogačar’s stature demands.

"No, no, no," says Julian Alaphilippe when the world champion is asked if he was surprised by Tadej Pogačar's sprint at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

"I think it was smart to stay behind, it was a perfect moment to launch the sprint for him.

"He came with more speed, more power. It's a really beautiful victory for him, congrats, and I'm happy to be on the podium."

Proof that you can be a top competitor and a nice guy, the current world champion stretching that supposed paradox to its limit given that this is the second time he's been pipped on the line by a Slovenian at the oldest Monument. This time, at least, Alaphilippe didn't celebrate an eon before the finish line.

"Yes for sure I'd prefer to win but I think I can be happy," the Frenchman continued. "It was a really hard race, my team did a great job, I was focused on doing a good sprint but in the end Tadej was stronger so he deserves the victory, and it's nice to be on the podium... [but] second place," he laughs, perhaps already reminiscing as to what could have been.

>>> Tadej Pogačar says he’s ‘living the cycling dream’ following Liège-Bastogne-Liège victory

"It hasn't really sunk in, it's too early to say, I came with the ambition to win, I wanted the best result possible...I tried to handle it as best possible and it was really hard up the final climb. Everybody worked together really well up until the last kilometre when it slowed down. Tadej played it really smartly, coming from behind. I have no regrets."

Liège was one of Alaphilippe's main goals of the year, the one he really wants, but he'll have ample opportunity in the years to come. For now, he can relax after a profitable spring campaign, before re-focusing for the summer's French Grand Tour, where the rainbow bands will surely only spur on his usual exploits.

"I don't know if [Liège] will be the main goal next year but it was a big goal for me this year," Alaphilippe said. "I think I did well to be on the podium behind the winner of the Tour de France, it's not so bad."

One piece of advice Tadej Pogačar has been wise enough to never follow is to act his age.

As Alejandro Valverde, celebrating his 41st birthday, unfurled his sprint in the finishing straight after 258km of undulating Belgian terrain, the 22-year-old showed cunning experience beyond his years to stay locked on Julian Alaphilippe's wheel. Laser-focused on the job at hand.

The sprint of Movistar's elder statesmen soon faded, Michael Woods and David Gaudu already having blinked first on the run-in to the line, the Canadian launching a doomed late attack before the Frenchman thought about going solo, the duo clearly not trusting their legs to be the fastest of the quintet who'd made it to the line in the front group.

Soon the rainbow bands of the world champion emerged, Alaphilippe thrashing at his pedals as he came around the side, Pogačar glued to his wheel. It looked as if the world champion had done enough, but the UAE Team Emirates rider clawed his way back, overhauling the Frenchman and his hands instinctively reaching for his head in shock as the realisation dawned that he'd crossed the line first.

>>> Five talking points from Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2021

"I'm without words, I really love this race and to win here like this against those names is incredible," Pogačar said, he was only three years old when Valverde made his professional cycling debut.

"I knew Alaphilippe was going longer and I stayed behind him, I was just lucky in the end, it's just unbelievable."

Pogačar was asked in the flash interview whether he is now the pre-eminent rider of the peloton, having followed up his Tour de France win with victory at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, now claiming his debut Monument.

"I don't know about that," came Pogačar's characteristically humble response, "but I'm living the cycling dream."

There was a sense that Pogačar and his team had arrived on the start line in Liège with the bit between their teeth, having been stopped from taking part in Wednesday's Flèche Wallonne after returning 'false positive' coronavirus tests.

"We had really good riders for that race, it would have been a really good opportunity," Pogačar lamented, UAE Team Emirates instead taking the opportunity to recon nearly the entire Liège course, a choice that in hindsight has clearly paid off. "We were really motivated for today so we're really happy we could do it like this."

Next up for Pogačar, the three-fold plan is simple.

"Rest, take some time with the family, and then start to prepare for the Tour de France."

Demi Vollering took the highest-profile win of her three-year professional career at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, winning a five-woman sprint.

The group had gone clear on the day's final climb, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, with Vollering's team-mate, world champion Anna van der Breggen, riding on the front for the entire 13km run-in, allowing her compatriot to save her legs.

Annemiek van Vleuten launched her sprint with 300m to go, but Vollering came past her, the Movistar rider finishing second with Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) taking third place.

The 24-year-old was set up by a consummate performance from her SDWorx squad who dominated the race from start to finish. Niamh Fisher-Black off the front early in the race and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio leading the way over La Redoute.

Then, Van der Breggen pushed hard onto the Roche-aux-Faucons, dropping the sprinters, before leading all the way into the final 300m.

All this meant Vollering was under pressure in the final, and after close calls in small group sprints at Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold last week, she came good.

The race is one the Dutch rider enjoys. Third place in 2019 behind Van Vleuten was her breakout performance, and the podium tears from two years ago when she realised her potential re-emerged during Sunday's post-race interview when she finally proved it.

How it happened

While the men’s version of Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest of the Monuments, the women’s version only began in 2017 and has been dominated by the Dutch. Anna van der Breggen won the first two editions finishing in the Liègeois suburb of Ans, and Annemiek van Vleuten took the first city centre finish in 2019.

After finishing second behind then team-mate Van der Breggen in the inaugural edition, last year Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) broke their stranglehold with a solo victory. However, illness prevented the Brit from defending her crown and neither second-placed Grace Brown (BikeExchange) or Deignan’s third-placed teammate Ellen van Dijk could take part, the latter recovering from Covid-19. Not only that, but the entire DSM and Parkhotel-Valkenburg squads were also forced to withdraw.

As such a young race the route is still evolving, and at 140.9km this year’s edition is the longest yet, and with the extra distance come extra climbs, the addition of the Côte de Desnié and des Forges taking the total to seven. However, the Belgian provinces of Liège and Luxembourg, the latter hosting the start in Bastogne, are notoriously lumpy and there was barely a flat kilometre.

A few kilometres Claire Faber (Andy Schleck-CP NVST Immo Losch) and Silvia Zanardi (BePink) attacked the 127 rider bunch, and by the time 20km were behind them had a lead of one minute.

Though their lead dropped to only 30 seconds as they passed through the outdoor resort town of Houffalize, it eventually increased to three minutes. But as they crested the day’s first climb, the Côte de Wanne, a small group of counter attackers were closing in.

That ten woman group contained some big names, and with more than 80km remaining, the peloton was never likely to allow them space, and when they crossed the Côte de la Haute Levée only SDWorx’s Niamh Fisher-Black remained off the front. 

On the Col du Rosier, with 58km remaining, she was joined by six others, though when they were caught just ahead of the Côte de Desnié the New Zealander went once again, the peloton thinning out behind as she built a lead of around 25 seconds.

As the town of Remouchamps and the race’s signature climb, La Redoute approached the pace lifted, and as the gradient kicked up Fisher-Black was caught, only for her team-mate Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio to lead a group of three women off the front.

Initially joined by Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Katrine Aalerud (Movistar), on the steepest slopes they were unable to hold the wheel and the South African forged on alone.

But by the time she reached the top Moolman-Pasio has been joined by Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo), Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) was unable to bridge the gap and was consumed by a group of big guns battling for position behind.

Entering the closing 30km the trio had a lead of 25 seconds with two climbs to go, while Annemiek van Vleuten’s Movistar, Kasia Niewiadoma’s Canyon-SRAM and Vos’s Jumbo-Visma monitored the head of the chasing group.

But over the penultimate climb, the Côte des Forges cooperation among the leaders waned and the gap closed, the three women caught as they entered the final 20km, with only the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons remaining.

Here, with a large group still at the front as the gradient kicked up, and only 14km to go, Anna Van der Breggen (SDWorx) led the way, slowly lifting the pace in an attempt to drop get sprinters, and especially Vos.

Sure enough, just at the top of the climb the former world champion finally cracked and was distanced and five women had a gap with only 13km to go.

Vos was not done though and worked with Uttrup Ludwig to get back on, though as they did so Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) attacked, and five women entered the final 13km to fight for victory. 

Van Vleuten, Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) and the SDWorx pair of Van der Breggen and Demi Vollering gradually built a lead of 40 seconds as they began the final five kilometres, while Vos and Uttrup Ludwig struggled behind. And such as the rainbow jersey’s strength on the front, no one was able to attack, a five-woman sprint inevitable.

Result

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, Bastogne - Liège (140.9km)

1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SDWorx in 3-54-31

2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar

3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

4. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, all at same time

5. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) SDWorx, at 2 second

6. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 1-27

7. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) SDWorx

8. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, both at same time

9. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-59

10. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Bike Exchange, at same time

Tom Pidcock will not race Liège-Bastogne-Liège this Sunday having not recovered in time from his crash at Flèche Wallonne earlier in the week.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider had been brought down with 30km remaining on Wednesday, chasing back on with help from Tao Geoghegan Hart and rejoining the peloton after 6km adrift.

The 19-year-old gathered himself before riding to an impressive sixth place, 11 seconds behind winner Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step).

"Feel like I’ve been hit by a bus today," Pidcock said after the crash. "I’ve forgotten how hard roads are in comparison to mud."

>>> Julian Alaphilippe: ‘The big goal has always been Liège-Bastogne-Liège’

Instead of racing Liège, what would have been his third Monument appearance during his debut pro season, Pidcock will take a few days to rest before setting his sights on his first mountain bike race of the season next weekend in Switzerland.

Coming in to replace the Brit is Irishman Eddie Dunbar, who will accompany a super-strong Ineos line-up including the likes of Giro d'Italia winners Richard Carapaz and Geoghegan Hart, Adam Yates and former world champion Michał Kwiatkowski.

"One change to our Liege lineup, with Eddie Dunbar replacing Tom Pidcock. Tom has not quite fully recovered from his crash at Flèche on Wednesday," Ineos Grenadiers said. "He'll now have a few days of rest before turning his attention to the first MTB race of his season next weekend in Switzerland."

Ineos will face stiff competition from the likes of Julian Alaphilippe and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), the pair finishing six seconds clear of the rest up the Mur de Huy in first and second place at Flèche Wallonne.

UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogačar and Marc Hirschi will be present this time around, however, having missed Flèche due to 'false positive' coronavirus tests.

Fortunately, the team's entire entourage returned negative tests the morning before the race and have been cleared to take the start line in Liège.

Tadej Pogačar and Marc Hirschi have been giving the all-clear to race Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday after the entire UAE Team Emirates entourage returned negative Covid-19 tests.

The Tour de France champion was left frustrated after he was forced to miss Flèche Wallonne, following 'false positive' coronavirus tests.

Rider Diego Ulissi and another staff member had returned positive tests, then returning negative results in subsequent tests but the rules of Belgian authorities forbidding them from taking the start line.

"We all have [tested] negative and we don’t start Flèche Wallone. We had false-positives yesterday but were three times negative afterwards," Pogačar said on Wednesday, proceeding to go out for a monster recon of nearly the entire Liège route, a 'watch out' to his rivals should he be allowed back on the start line for the final Monument of the spring.

A nervy wait ensued but on Saturday morning UAE Team Emirates confirmed that all PCR tests had come back negative and the WorldTour outfit would be on the start line in Liège.

>>> Julian Alaphilippe: ‘The big goal has always been Liège-Bastogne-Liège’

"On Friday all riders & staff undertook a Covid-19 PCR test along with every other team as per the race protocol," the team said.

"Happy to report all these tests produced negative results and the team has received confirmation from the race Covid Committee that we are all clear to race tomorrow at Liège-Bastogne-Liège."

As well as Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates line-up with last year's runner-up, Marc Hirschi, who was unable to defend his Flèche title and will be seeking a first victory for his new team.

After Liège, Hirschi is expected to line-up up at two home stage races, the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse, before the French Grand Tour, while Pogačar will use the Dauphiné to prepare for his defence of the yellow jersey.

The last time Julian Alaphilippe held court with the media in person, without Covid restrictions or via a webcam, was in January last year - a lifetime ago.

He was buoyant, chatting about the collection of toy lions from the Tour de France he'd picked up and distributed amongst colleagues and friends, providing self-deprecating replies to questions probing whether he truly believed he could have taken the yellow jersey to Paris that year. Alaphilippe's 2019 was a season that most riders could hardly dream of, and the Deceuninck - Quick-Step man was pretty sure it would be impossible for 2020 to be better.

While we can assume he wasn't foreseeing the coronavirus pandemic (surely his talents don't extend to soothsaying) he hardly had a bad year, emerging as the first Frenchman to take the rainbow bands in more than 20 years.

2020 may not stack up to 2019 in terms of a standalone vintage, but you can hardly complain at having more, good wine. And Alaphilippe's cup is close to overflowing in that department, having kicked on in 2021, overcoming Primož Roglič to take Flèche Wallonne, wagging his finger across the finish line, saying he had proved to people he still retains the mental strength to compete in the big ones, signifying his disappointment that the only win he'd managed since the start of the year had been a stage Tirreno-Adriatico.

>>> Remco Evenepoel won’t receive Covid-19 vaccination before Giro d’Italia in case of side effects

It is 14 months since that January debrief of 2019 and Alaphilippe is now sitting in another apathetic hotel room. He seems less merry, sober after a couple of years spent on an unstoppable rise to the top, now acclimatised to being a star.

It's understandable, of course. If you think you hate Zoom calls imagine how taxing it is for a man who, while remaining faultlessly polite and thoughtful throughout, subtly gives the impression that sitting still for more than a couple of minutes amounts to a purgatorial act.

"Our final Ardennes video conference, I never thought we'd make it," says the Deceuninck - Quick-Step press officer as the camera flicks on and the hotel room becomes a fishbowl.

The relief, at least for those on the outside looking in, is that Alaphilippe has not lost his hunger for racing, even if the demands external to riding continue to grow. The price of his success.

"The big goal has always been Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a race that is close to my heart," Alaphilippe says, having missed out on competing in the final last year after colliding with a motorbike in the closing kilometres.

"After the Tour of Flanders I was tired," he continued, having finished in 42nd place as team-mate Kasper Asgreen rode to victory. "I took a rest and then completed a good training block. I didn't do any altitude training, but I did a lot of long training sessions with a lot of short slopes. Exactly as we can expect in Liège. After my victory in the Flèche Wallonne, I will start without stress, but I also want to show my rainbow jersey on Sunday."

While the likes of UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogačar and Marc Hirschi will hope to cause problems for the world champion, it is Jumbo-Visma's Primož Roglič, runner-up at Flèche, who Alaphilippe marks as the rider he needs to watch closely.

"For me, he is now the man to beat, the big favorite," Alaphilippe estimates. "He won last year and is now also very strong. His attack on the Mur de Huy was punishing and Roglič was also impressive in the Tour of the Basque Country. We should definitely keep an eye on him, although he's not alone. In any case, I am happy with my fitness and I look forward to Sunday.

"It’s a good kind of pressure," Alaphilippe added of the expectation he carries into every big race these days. "That pressure is there because when you set yourself big objectives, you always want to do well in them."

With everything going well on the road, the turgid torture of press conference after press conference over for the time being, as well as the imminent arrival of his first child, a new contract will now see the 28-year-old remain with Deceuninck - Quick-Step into his thirties.

"It’s always good for the head to be more serene and not have to think about the transfer market," Alaphilippe said of the new deal.

Patrick Lefevere has said team-mates gravitate towards him both as a leader and someone who does their bit for others, and this celestial pull extends past the peloton, a charmer who entertains both on and off the bike.

While on the road he may have collided with the younger generation effortless ascending the peloton, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert eclipsing him in the early season Italian races, it's a mark of the Frenchman's talent that despite not having a 'van' in his name everything still seems to be coming up Alaphilippe.

Roglič v Alaphilippe

Two riders clearly stand out as the favourites to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, and, fittingly for the third Monument of the season, they are two of the biggest stars in the contemporary peloton — Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma).

They were the pair who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field at Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, where the former pipped the latter to victory while the rest of the field languished further down the Mur de Huy. They now look set to continue their rivalry at La Doyenne, where Roglič famously sneaked up on Alaphilippe in the final of last year’s race to claim victory after Alaphilippe had prematurely celebrated.

Alaphilippe is more accustomed to the Classics, and has already ridden Liège-Bastogne-Liège five times (finishing in the top-five on three occasions), but since winning the race on debut last year, Roglič appears to have acquired a taste for the Ardennes Classics. He might not be as familiar with these roads as Alaphilippe is, but the Frenchman has sometimes cracked in the race’s brutal finale, while the extra difficulty in comparison to the other Ardennes Classics ought to suit the purer climber Roglič.

Their expected showdown will also be a renewal of the Deceuninck-Quick-Step/Jumbo-Visma rivalry that has raged all spring. Deceuninck-Quick-Step have so far had the edge, with their collective talents sharing four of the WorldTour-ranked cobbled Classics of the season between them, while limiting Jumbo-Visma’s star Wout van Aert to just the one.

So far it’s been one each in the Ardennes Classics, with Van Aert taking Amstel Gold and Alaphilippe taking Flèche Wallonne, making Liège-Bastogne-Liège something of a tie-breaker and, as the only Monument in the Ardennes, the biggest scalp of them all.

Legends of the Ardennes bid farewell

This year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège could be the last time we see not one but two of the greatest puncheurs in the sport's history ride an Ardennes Classic.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx) has already confirmed that this will be her last season before retiring, having won two of the four women’s editions since the race’s inception in 2017, she is currently the record holder for the most number of wins at this young race; having won Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, she’s a hot favourite to add a third title this year.

Although she’s appeared very matter-of-fact about her imminent retirement so far, completing another Ardennes double with victory on Sunday would surely mean a lot to this legend of the sport.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) has been less clear about his plans for retirement, but has said before that this will be his last season. If so, this will be his last chance to add a fifth Liège-Bastogne-Liège title that would see him equal Moreno Argentin as the joint-record holder for the most number of victories here — a title he already holds outright for the other Ardennes Classic, Flèche Wallonne.

That might have seemed far-fetched this time a year ago, but the Spaniard — who will be celebrating his 41st birthday on race day — has come roaring back into form this spring, so could well do it.

Grand Tour specialists make an appearance

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is not like the other spring Classics. As well as being longer than most (at 259km, this year only Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders exceed its length), the climbs are also comparatively longer and less punchy, making La Doyenne a very different challenge to everything that’s come before it.

Consequently, there is crossover here between the familiar puncheurs who have competed in the earlier Classics, particularly the Ardennes, and Grand Tour specialists who don't generally ride one-day races.

>>> Tadej Pogačar logs mammoth Liège recon after being forced out of Flèche Wallonne

The most intriguing of the Grand Tour specialists down to ride this year is Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). The Slovenian rode last year’s rearranged race, and managed to make the final selection to finish third, carrying the form that saw him win the Tour de France just two weeks earlier.

His UAE Team Emirates team are anxiously waiting to be given the go-ahead to ride after a Covid positive in their camp prevented them from riding Flèche Wallonne, but if they are present and Pogačar does ride, it will be fascinating to see if he can launch the kind of attacks we’re used to seeing him make in the high mountains over the hills of the Ardennes.

Ineos Grenadiers have also tailored their roster to include more climbing specialists. Their star of the Ardennes so far, Tom Pidcock, has chosen not to ride, so instead the climbers will take precedence; that includes Adam Yates, who has been on fire this year and has a good track record at La Doyenne having finished fourth and eighth in two of his last three appearances here; and former Giro winner Richard Carapaz, who impressed at both Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne, and could even be an outside bet for victory now if he’s given more freedom to ride for himself.

The usual suspects go for victory in the women’s race

All the best riders in women’s cycling will be present at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and will be plotting a way to beat Anna van der Breggen following her return to fitness at Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday.

Trek-Segafredo succeeded in doing so masterfully last year, when they instigated an early break that caught their rivals off guard, allowing Lizzie Deignan to take victory. Deignan doesn’t appear to have the legs to do something like that this year, but the team will be hoping they can engineer a similar situation for the on-form Elisa Longo Borghini and Ruth Winder.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) will, as ever, be one of the top favourites, and will prefer the parcours of Liège-Bastogne-Liège after she was hindered by the climbs of both Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne not being hard enough.

Her former Mitchelton-Scott team-mate Grace Brown was one of the star performers of last year’s race, where she threatened to catch Deignan with a superb counter-attack, and has gone from strength-to-strength this season. Based on last year’s ride, this is a race that suits her, so she could be poised to take what would be the biggest win of her career so far.

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) has been one of the peloton’s top performers in recent weeks, and should thrive in the selective course; less so Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), who missed the selection at Flèche Wallonne and would prefer the less likely scenario of a sprint finish, but it would be foolish to ever write off such a legend of the sport.

And should Van der Breggen be on an off-day, or SD Worx chose an alternative strategy, both Demi Vollering (who has finished second twice these past two weeks) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio will be waiting in the wings.

A strong field of diverse contenders for the men’s race

As well as Roglič, Alaphilippe, and Pogačar, the other two riders who made the final selection in last year’s race, Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) are also expected to ride this year. Hirschi’s presence is, like Pogačar’s, dependent on whether UAE Team Emirates are able to ride, and even if they are, the young Swiss rider has not shown his best form so far this year. Mohorič, by contrast, is in decent shape, and has a tendency to perform well in these longer Classics — but he’ll need to pull-off a surprise attack if he’s to actually win the race.

Flèche Wallonne is usually a good indication of who will go well at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, so look out for fourth-place finisher Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) and fifth-place finisher Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic), both of whom have good records at Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Woods, in fact, has never finished outside of the top ten in any of his previous four appearances).

Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) certainly cannot be discounted, and is due a big Classics victory having podiumed previously at Amstel Gold Race and Strade Bianche, as well as Liège-Bastogne-Liège two years ago.

The 2019 winner Jakob Fuglsang (Astana-Premier Tech) could yet be a contender, but will need to improve drastically on his performances at Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne, where he finished far down in 38th and 17th respectively. Perhaps we should instead look out for younger riders like David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), who carried his stage-winning form from Tour of the Basque Country to finish seventh at Flèche Wallonne.

In the past six editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Ineos have had a rider in the top 10 each time, and with the line-up they're taking to the 2021 edition, a top 10 will likely be the lowest of their ambitions for the final Monument of the spring.

A star-studded line-up featuring two Grand Tour winners as well as two of the fastest ten men at Wednesday's Flèche Wallonne will represent the British squad hoping to win its first Monument since Kwiatkowski's 2017 Milan - San Remo.

Tom Pidcock would have presented the team's best chance but has pulled out after not recovering from his Flèche Wallonne cash in time, instead replaced by the Irishman Eddie Dunbar.

Runner-up at Amstel Gold, sixth at Flèche, and before that his first pro victory at De Brabtanse Pijl. The Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz has also proved to be an excellent foil for the Ineos Grenadiers this spring, and he could certainly provide the team their second Liège victory after Wout Poels won in 2016.

>>> Remco Evenepoel won’t receive Covid-19 vaccination before Giro d’Italia in case of side effects

Tao Geoghegan Hart will also line-up for only his fifth race of the season so far, saying he's been struggling recently, while Adam Yates will have another chance to carry his three impressive stage race performances into one-day form, having finished 20th at Flèche Wallonne.

Michał Kwiatkowski managed eighth at the altered Amstel Gold Race and is another name who can make the difference at the business end of the race, while Luke Rowe will likely perform road captain duties. Michał Golas is the final name on the list, his job being to provide domestique duties.

Ineos will face the stiffest competition on Sunday from Deceuninck - Quick-Step and UAE Team Emirates, the Belgian team boasting Julian Alaphilippe, João Almeida and Mauri Vansevenant while Tadej Pogačar and Marc Hirschi provide formidable opposition amongst the ranks of the latter. Jumbo-Visma's Primož Roglič is another pre-race favourite, having finished second behind Alaphilippe at Flèche.

Tadej Pogačar posted a six-hour recon of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège route on Strava yesterday after he and the rest of his UAE Team Emirates squad were not allowed to ride La Flèche Wallonne due to 'false positive' Covid-19 tests.

Pogačar would have been hoping to be up there with his main rival Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and eventual winner Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) battling it out for the race win at Flèche Wallonne, but instead, he made use of the time to have a look at the roads of the third Monument of the season.

>>> ‘This one really feels good’: Julian Alaphilippe relieved after taking ‘important’ victory at La Flèche Wallonne 2021

UAE Team Emirates decided to make the most of the time and took a look at the roads that will be used for this year's Liège-Bastogne-Liège in an epic 209.3km ride that covered almost the entire route of Sunday's race.

Pogačar was clearly going for it as well as he set various personal bests including on the Côte de Stockeu, which features 179km into the 259.5km race. The Slovenian wasn't quite able to take a PR on the race's final climb, the Roche aux Faucons, but still rode just 16 seconds slower than the KOM time he set in last year's race. Pogačar rode the average 11 per cent climb of just over a kilometre at around 20kmh. For the entire ride he averaged 34.3kph for the 6-06-22 duration.

UAE Team Emirates also had last year's second place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Marc Hirschi on the recon as well as former world champion Rui Costa, Davide Formolo, Jan Polanc and Vegard Stake Laengen.

The ride started just outside the town of Hotton halfway along the route towards Bastogne out of Liège before following the race route and stopping at the three green zones that will be along the route. Pogačar posted the team's stops and a couple of shots from his ride on his Instagram story where they looked to be taking it easy.

The 2020 Tour de France champion tweeted his frustration about not racing Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday: "We all have negative and we don’t start Flèche Wallone.

We had false-positive yesterday but came three times negative afterwards."

Pogačar will have good memories of Liège-Bastogne-Liège after his third place in last year's race just after the Tour de France in the rejigged season. He finished behind Hirschi and fellow countryman Roglič after Alaphilippe was disqualified due to a dangerous sprint.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège takes place this Sunday (April 25) and covers 259.1km taking in 11 categorised climbs along the way. The favourites are expected to be the likes of Pogačar, Roglič, Alaphilippe, Hirschi as well as young British hope Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).

Julian Alaphilippe said that "this one really feels good" after taking his third victory at La Flèche Wallonne ahead of Slovenian star Primož Roglič atop of the Mur de Huy.

Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) was hardly seen throughout the race until the build-up to the final climb where he was guided to the front by his team. The world champion came into the race thinking he may not have had the form to take the win, but put on an impressive display to chase down and pass Roglič on the final climb.

Speaking after the race he said: "I wanted to show people I was strong in the head. I haven’t won a lot since the beginning of the season, it was important to me to raise my arms again.

>>> Primož Roglič: ‘I was just finished, if I had more I would have gone faster’

"I wanted so much to win again on such a hard race. I’m proud of my team-mates, they did a wonderful job to put me in the best position.

"Mikkel Honoré dropped me in perfect conditions at the bottom of the Mur de Huy. Then, the legs do the talking. I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy with Roglič, Valverde and everyone in my wheel. This one really feels good, with the jersey."

After struggling to find wins in the first part of his season, it seems that Alaphilippe has refound that explosive spark that sees him take so many victories again.

Before this race, the world champion had only managed the one victory at Tirreno-Adriatico where he held off a very fast finishing Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in an uphill sprint finish.

Aside from that, results have been scarce with a solid second overall at the Tour de la Provence being one of the other highlights for the French star.

This win has clearly meant a lot to him and will give him confidence as he goes forward into Liège-Bastogne-Liège and his other goals this season.

Alaphilippe had a lot to do with 400 metres to go on the Mur de Huy as Roglič opened up his attack to the line very early. Fortunately for the world champion, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) decided to try and follow Roglič's move which allowed Alaphilippe to move up.

Valverde then kicked off the front at the 300 metres to go mark, Alaphilippe kicked with him and then set off after Roglič, swiftly making up ground and catching him with just 75 metres to go. Roglič tried to kick again but Alaphilippe had to pace to take the win in the rainbow bands.

Alaphilippe joined Anna van der Breggen as the men's and women's race winners, meaning both world champions took the victory. Van der Breggen winning for the seventh and final time in her career.

Movistar star veteran Valverde seemed happy after the race, despite being unable to follow Alaphilippe: "I had great legs", he said. "For sure I’m in a great condition. I’ve been feeling good since the Volta a Catalunya and I’ve shown it again today.

"I’m really happy to be so close to the best, Primož [Roglič] and Julian [Alaphilippe]. I had great legs but I had to make a big effort to get back because I was in a bad position entering the Mur.

"I’ve been second, I’ve won five times, I had to be third too! I don’t know [if it’s the last time I race the Flèche Wallonne]. I feel great and I don’t know if I’ll continue. On Sunday, we have Liège, and positioning is not so important there, we’ll see how it goes."

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is indeed the next race on the horizon for the riders going for victory today on the Mur de Huy with UAE Team Emirates expected to return to the fold after having to miss La Flèche Wallonne due to positive Covid-19 tests, which Tadej Pogačar called "false positives".

'La Doyenne' is set to take place this Sunday (April 25) and will likely see very similar faces battling for victory yet again.

Alaphilippe back to his best on the Mur de Huy

Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) won his first Classic of the season at Flèche Wallonne with a trademark punchy sprint on the Mur de Huy.

The world champion had played down his chances before the race, claiming that he wasn’t in the best form, and indeed his results this spring haven’t been quite up to the level we’ve grown to expect from him. Since making a good start with second at Strade Bianche in March, he had only made the top 10 of one Classic — Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, where he was sixth.

>>> Julian Alaphilippe counters Primož Roglič with huge attack to win Flèche Wallonne 2021

But this was a vintage Alaphilippe performance, as he used his peerless uphill sprint to win on the Mur de Huy.

In hindsight, maybe he should have been a clearer favourite heading into the race. Although their pre-race form meant the likes of Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) were being hyped for victory, Alaphilippe has a superb record in this race. This is his third win here in a row (a run only interrupted by his absence last year), and before that winning run began in 2018 he’d finished second behind Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) on both his previous appearances.

If Valverde was once the master of the Mur de Huy, now that crown has clearly passed to Alaphilippe. With three career victories here now in the bag, he’s just two away from equalling the Spaniard’s record — and given how he’s mastered this race, has a good chance of doing so in the coming years.

Van der Breggen reigns supreme yet again

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx) once again reigned supreme on the Mur de Huy to claim her seventh successive victory at La Flèche Wallonne.

Despite her history, her win this year never felt like an inevitability, and she agreed with her interviewer at the end that this might have been the most difficult of her seven victories.

Before the race there were questions about her fitness, after the effects of illness appeared to hold her back at Amstel Gold.

>>> Anna van der Breggen says ‘it’s a strange feeling sitting here for the last time

The way she managed to cover Annemiek van Vleuten’s attack on the Chemin des Gueuses, where the nine-woman selection who made it to the foot of the Mur de Huy was formed, confirmed that she had fully recovered, but new doubts about her chances arose as she was placed at a tactical disadvantage. Demi Vollering was the only team-mate left with her, and was forced to chase the threatening Ruth Wilder (Trek-Segafredo), who remained out front having attacked earlier with Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) and Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM).

Even on the Mur de Huy, she was put under a great deal of pressure by Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), who pushed her all the way to the top. But Van der Breggen was just about the strongest in the eventual sprint between the two, to continue her extraordinary run

“Next year I won’t bother the girls anymore” she joked at the finish, referring to the fact that this will be her last Flèche Wallonne before retirement. Her rivals will surely be relieved with no longer having to work out how to beat her in this race.

Does Roglič pay for lack of experience?

Two things are often said about sprinting on the Mur de Huy: firstly, that experience gives you a big edge over the less experienced; and secondly, that it’s always better to wait than to make your move too early.

Both those statements appeared to be confirmed by what happened to Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) today. This was his debut at Flèche Wallonne, and he put in an explosive attack around 350m from the finish, quickly opening up a gap of several bike-lengths over the rest of the peloton.

>>> Primož Roglič: ‘I was just finished, if I had more I would have gone faster’

There was no doubting the explosiveness of the attack, but the timing was surely questionable. Behind, Alaphilippe bided his time, edging closer and closer to the Slovenian’s wheel before coming around him before the line.

When asked at the finish about his timing, Roglič was adamant that he lost as a result of having inferior legs to Alaphilippe, rather than a tactical error. ”I was just there, and thought: why not? If I had a little stronger legs, I would win.”

Yet while it’s true that he was still better than everyone else apart from Alaphilippe — beating the most experienced rider of all, Alejandro Valverde, into third — you do wonder whether Roglič will open his sprint quite so early the next time he rides Flèche Wallonne.

Niewiadoma is the nearly-woman yet again

This has been a spring of frustrating near-misses for Kasia Niewiadoma, and once again today she just fell short of what would have been her first win in almost two years.

At both Dwars door Vlaanderen and Amstel Gold Race, she was one of the two strongest riders, but on each occasion failed to win. In the former, her fellow escapee Van Vleuten was stronger than her in the sprint at the line, and in the latter, she and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) were caught before the line having gone clear from the rest on the Cauberg.

Continuing that pattern, she was along with Van der Breggen one of the two strongest riders at Flèche Wallonne, and once again couldn’t quite claim victory.

Still, she gave a great fight. Rather than sit on Van der Breggen’s wheel up the Mur de Huy, Niewiadoma moved forward so that she was shoulder-to-shoulder with the Dutchwoman, as if to prove that she was not intimidated by the six-time winner’s seemingly unbeatable record here.

She remained at her side until the bend at 200m to the finish, when she made another statement by starting her sprint first. But ultimately Van der Breggen was the strongest, and came past her wheel again on the finishing straight.

It was a great effort by the Pole, who finished well ahead of Borghini in third to seal second, which is her highest career finish at Flèche Wallonne. She’ll desperately be hoping for a victory soon though — and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday looks well within her grasp.

Another year, another Mur de Huy sprint

There was to be no breaking of the formula that Flèche Wallonne has followed for many years now, but there was still plenty of action and drama before the familiar final sprint up the Mur de Huy.

The women’s race in particular featured plenty of tactical intrigue. Unsurprisingly, it was Annemiek van Vleuten who lit the race up on the Chemin des Gueuses climb, bringing just eighth other riders with her. By reducing the peloton to such a small size, no single team was able to control proceedings, leading to several attacks on the run-in to the Mur de Huy, with even eventual race-winner Van der Breggen trying her own move 9km from the finish.

Ultimately, though, no attacks were successful, after SD Worx decided to put Demi Vollering on the front of the group in order to commit to setting up a sprint for Van der Breggen, in the process catching lone leader Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo), who herself added an extra dimension to the race by surviving so long from an early break.

There was less intrigue in the men’s race, but still plenty of attacks to keep us entertained, with Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) in an especially animated mood to try going clear on multiple occasions, and early escapee Maurits Lammertink (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) surviving until just before the Mur de Huy.

And there was drama out the back of the peloton too, as Tom Pidcock crashed during the latter stages of the race. With some help from his team, the young Brit managed to rejoin the peloton, but the incident and the effort made might have hindered him in the finale, where a sixth-place finish was lower than what he had hoped for given his recent run of podium finishes.

World champion Anna van der Breggen won an exciting edition of Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, taking a record seventh victory.

The SD Worx rider crossed the line around five seconds ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma who had aggressively taken the race to the Dutch rider, but was unable to match the rainbow jersey. Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) was third.

The race was animated by a late attack from Longo Borghini's team-mate, US champion Ruth Winder. Yorkshire born Winder had entered the final five kilometres with a lead of 30 seconds on a group of only nine chasers. This included Van der Breggen's team-mate, Demi Vollering who brought the gap down to just four seconds as the road ramped up on the Mur de Huy.

Van der Breggen took to the front with Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) on her wheel, the Polish rider moving up on the steepest section, the two women riding shoulder to shoulder. The Polish rider tried to attack with just over 150m to go, but Van der Breggen never let her go, coming round and finally dropping her rival with around 75m remaining.

Van der Breggen's domination on the Mur de Huy has seen challengers come and go, but though some have come close, no one has been able to match her. That will change next year as the Dutchwoman retires form racing to take on a sports director role with SD Worx.

How it happened

Running since 1998, Flèche Wallonne is the oldest one-day race on the Women’s WorldTour calendar and is always keenly contested, though Wednesday’s 130.2km was exceptionally exciting.

The race covered eight climbs, an opening loop of 98km taking the peloton out onto the constantly rolling Ardennes countryside before the first of two ascents of the brutal Mur de Huy and its 19 per cent slopes, where the finish line came.

After an aggressive opening 20km, with plenty of attacks, two women were finally allowed to make a move off the front; Polish champion Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT) and Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg) got away, building a lead of 45 seconds.

Behind them Camilla Alessio (BePink) and Carolin Schiff (Andy Schleck-CP NVST-Immo Losch) tried to bridge, but were soon caught. However, the leaders were never allowed too much leeway, and just after the first of eight climbs, the Côte de Thon, they were caught, Trek-Segafredo taking over at the head of the race.

It was the American team’s Lucinda Brand who led an attack shortly afterwards, the Dutch rider escaping with Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) and Jumbo-Visma’s British rider, Anna Henderson, the trio building a lead of 1-20. However, as the race approached Huy for the first pass of the finish line their advantage began to drop, especially when SD Worx’s Niamh Fisher-Black attempted to close them down.

However, when the New Zealander was caught the gap began to increase, though they only had 30 seconds lead when they crested the Mur, the thinning peloton behind them an indication of the speed.

With Fisher-Black having failed to bridge, over the top of the climb it was down to SD Worx to chase the breakaway, in pursuit of world champion Anna van der Breggen’s hopes of a seventh consecutive victory.

Inside the final 20km on the Côte d’Ereffe, as Henderson faded from the break, the gap plummeted, and they were caught before Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) made a dig off the front. Though the South African didn’t get far, US champion Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo) attacked and entered the final 15km with a lead of 30 seconds.

Onto the penultimate climb the Côte de Chemin des Gueuses, Winder, led by 30 seconds but it seemed like she would be caught when Annemiek van Vleuten attacked and the lead reduced to only six seconds. But with the nine chasing women looking to each other Winder’s advantage expanded again despite a series of attacks from nearly all involved.

In the end only a concerted effort from Vollering brought the American within range, though she still managed to finish seventh.

Result

La Flèche Wallonne Femmes 2021: Huy - Huy (130.2km)

1. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) SDWorx, in 3-28-27

2. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM at 2 sec

3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segaredo at 6 sec

4. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at same time

5. Mavi Garcia (Esp) Alé-BTC Ljubljana at 22 sec

6. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 28 sec

7. Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 31 sec

8. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope at 32 sec

9. Amanda Spratt (Aus) BikeExchange at 35 sec

10. Demi Vollering (Ned) SDWorx, all same time at 42 sec.

Old guard take on the new talent

La Flèche Wallonne is a race that rewards experience. It plays out in more of less the same way every year, with a sprint on the staggeringly steep Muur de Huy deciding every men’s edition for almost the last two decades, and therefore the more times a rider has raced it, the more likely they are to have mastered its secrets and know how to pace themselves.

>>> La Flèche Wallonne 2021: all you need to know

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) knew the race and the climb inside out by his ninth appearance in 2014, at which point he became virtually unbeatable and went on a four-year winning run. His successor, Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step), had two runner-up finishes as he acclimated to the race, before defeating Valverde in 2018, and he too defended his title the following year.

Given Valverde’s return to form, and the fact that Alaphillipe will ride this year’s edition having skipped the race last season, both these two riders will be among the top favourites for another victory this time out, but they will face competition from less experienced riders who nevertheless look perfectly suited to Flèche Wallonne

Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) will make his debut on the back of second-place at Amstel Gold Race and victory at Brabantse Pijl; as will Primož Roglič, who looked in sprightly form at Amstel Gold before a badly-timed puncture, and will lead Jumbo-Visma now Wout van Aert has finished his spring campaign. And then there’s Tadej Pogačar, who finished ninth on just his second appearance last year, and could be a serious contender should UAE Team Emirates decide to back him over defending champion Marc Hirschi.

Whether their form will be enough to make up for their lack of experience will be one of the intriguing factors of the race.

Van der Breggen’s hunt for a magnificent seven

In recent years, no other rider has dominated a single WorldTour race as much as Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx) has at Flèche Wallonne. She’s won a remarkable six editions on the trot, a run that stretches back to before many of the other biggest events in women’s cycling existed, and will be hoping to extend that record to seven on Wednesday.

However, there are signs she may struggle to do so. Prior to Amstel Gold, it was reported that the Dutchwoman was suffering with a cold, and her performance on Sunday — when she missed the selections and finished over eight minutes down in 53rd place — suggests that she was indeed under the weather.

If she can’t fully recover in time for Wednesday, SD Worx may opt to back another rider — perhaps Demi Vollering, who came agonisingly close to winning both Amstel Gold Race and Brabantse Pijl, and performed well on the Mur de Huy last year to finish third.

But given that this will be Van der Breggen’s last Flèche Wallonne before retiring, she’ll no doubt be determined to chase one last victory in a race in which she has been so dominant.

Can underperforming contenders ride into form in time?

As things stand, the men who have dominated on the Mur de Huy during recent editions of Flèche Wallonne look as though they may be short of the form needed to again push for victory this time around.

Marc Hirschi, who won on debut last year, has made a slow start to life at new team UAE Team Emirates, and, though he has shown some signs of improvement, remains well short of the form he brought into last year’s race.

>>> Marc Hirschi: Changing team doesn't make a big difference, you still have to ride your bike fast

Similarly, the man second to him that day, Benoît Cosnefroy (Ag2r Citroën), only started his season during the last week in March, and was well off the pace at Itzulia Basque Country, but did manage to finish eighth at Brabantse Pijl.

Whereas these two riders’ lack of form is only temporary, we may have to start asking whether Astana-Premier Tech’s 36-year-old Jakob Fuglsang’s current struggle to find form is a sign of a more permanent decline. The Dane finished a career-high second-place here just two years ago, but was off the pace at Amstel Gold and hasn’t made the top five of any race this season.

Finally, one eye-catching name on the start list is Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal), who returns to racing following a self-imposed 24-day rest from the physical and mental demands of professional cycling. It would be a big ask to expect him to compete for victory, but the mere sight of the champion of 10 years ago back on his bike and racing again will be great to see.

Other contenders for the crown

As predictable as a race that Flèche Wallonne can often seem to be, there’s still a long list of riders who should be considered as potential winners.

If he can maintain his current form, Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) could certainly claim the top prize. The German was the only rider capable of staying with Pidcock and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) at Amstel Gold Race, and has in recent years been steadily improving at Flèche- Wallonne with eighth in 2018 and fifth in 2019.

The likes of Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation), Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) may not have featured quite so prominently at Amstel Gold, but all finished in the chasing group behind, and have the past pedigree to go well on the Mur de Huy.

Should Pidcock have a bad day, Ineos Grenadiers also boast multiple back-up options, with climbers Adam Yates and Tao Geoghegan Hart joining Richard Carapaz and Michał Kwiatkowski, both of whom were so impressive at Amstel Gold.

Outside bets include Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe), who has been a revelation this past week by finishing fourth at Brabantse Pijl and going out on the attack at Amstel Gold, and 21-year-old Mauri Vansevenant (Deceuninck-Quick-Step), who made a name for himself in last year’s edition by surviving far longer than could reasonably be expected having attacked at the start of the race, and impressed at Amstel Gold by doggedly fighting on despite suffering a crash.

And look out also for British teenager Ben Tulett (Alpecin-Fenix), who caught the eye with an attack late on at Amstel Gold, and finished a very impressive 17th place.

Can an attack before the Mur de Huy succeed?

The brutal difficulty of the finishing climb of Mur de Huy has meant that, however many tweaks the organisers make to the route (two new climbs have been added for this year’s men’s edition), attacks made before it are generally doomed to failure.

The women’s race has not been quite as formulaic as the men’s, however, which could encourage some of the bigger names in that race to try their luck with earlier attacks. As recently as 2017, in fact, a breakaway prior to the Mur de Huy was successful, when Van der Breggen went clear with her then-team-mate Lizzie Deignan, and Kasia Niewiadoma.

Having picked up the only Flèche Wallonne podium finish of her career that year, Niewiadoma may want to try something similar this year, although she may be growing increasingly frustrated after her impressive recent attacks at Amstel Gold and Dwars door Vlaanderen both came to nothing.

Should Van der Breggen not be in full health, SD Worx may also mix up their strategy, with 2018 runner-up Ashleigh Moolman Pasio being a good card to play. And given how aggressively Trek-Segafredo tend to ride, and how little success anyone has had going up against SD Worx in a sprint on the Mur de Huy, their star riders like Elisa Longo Borghini and Lizzie Deignan may be forming a plan for how to get away before the final climb.

And then of course there’s Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), who has the power to single-handedly shape how the race unfolds should she decide to attempt an early attack.

Ineos Grenadiers have released their team for the upcoming Flèche Wallonne 2021 which takes place on Wednesday (April 21).

The team come into the race after showing exceptional form at Amstel Gold Race where they narrowly missed out on victory with Tom Pidcock in an exceptionally tight photo finish against Jumbo-Visma's Wout van Aert.

While Van Aert is taking the opportunity to rest, Pidcock continues his Ardennes Classics campaign at Flèche Wallone where he will likely be the main focus for the team after his stellar form at Amstel Gold as well as his win at Brabantse Pijl last week.

>>> La Flèche Wallonne 2021: all you need to know

But he is not the only rider in the team who has a realistic chance of winning as Ineos Grenadiers have brought a formidable line-up to battle on the Mur de Huy.

Adam Yates returns to the race for the first time since 2019, and makes his first Classics appearance for his new team of Ineos. The rider from Greater Manchester comes into this race with some excellent results after taking second behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) at the UAE Tour as well as winning the overall at the Volta a Catalunya.

Another potential leader for the team is Ecuadorian star climber Richard Carapaz, who has shown this season that he has superb form but he has not had the luck to go with it, with numerous crashes at races like the Tour of the Basque Country ruining his chances of being involved in the fight for victory.

Carapaz was one of the Ineos riders involved in the closing stages of Amstel Gold, playing a vital role in getting Pidcock up the road. Another rider in the mix at Amstel Gold was Michał Kwiatkowski, who looks to be back to close to his best at the Dutch race, going on a solo attack moments before Pidcock took off with Van Aert and Schachmann.

Kwiatkowski will be another important cog in the game plan for Ineos at Flèche Wallone as he could be used on the final climb or even go solo early.

Last year's Giro d'Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart is another strong name down to ride with this his third appearance at Flèche Wallonne. Geoghegan Hart has gone for the Ardennes over trying to go one better at the Tour of the Alps where he finished second back in 2019.

The two riders completing the lineup are vital riders too. Eddie Dunbar played the role of following all the early attacks at Amstel Gold where he looked strong. The Irishman suits the Ardennes down to the ground as a very punchy climber.

Luke Rowe is the final man on the list, the Welshman is likely the first name on the teamsheet as he is one of the best in the world at keeping leaders safe and in the right position at the right time.

Ineos Grenadiers squad for Flèche Wallonne 2021

Tom Pidcock (GBr)

Richard Carapaz (Ecu)

Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol)

Adam Yates (GBr)

Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr)

Eddie Dunbar (Irl)

Luke Rowe (GBr)

Tom Pidcock has said the photo finish of the 2021 Amstel Gold Race has created more questions than answers, after Wout van Aert beat him by the smallest of margins, and that photo finishes should be "100 per cent accurate".

After a breathtaking finale, which saw the two cyclocross stars go off the front of the group of favourites alongside Max Schachmann, then sprinting for the line as the chase closed in behind, Pidcock and Van Aert were left to wait for what seemed like an eternity while the official result was verified.

An official from the UCI showed television cameras the photo finish on his phone, with Van Aert's wheel ahead of Pidcock's, just before the broadcast cut off, the official result then coming through on Twitter a few minutes later.

While Pidcock said after the finish that he regrets not starting his sprint earlier, as he believed he was faster than Van Aert in the final, the young Brit has now had his say on the photo finish in a tweet that has since been deleted.

>>> Amstel Gold Race: Tom Pidcock says he should have started sprint earlier as he was faster than Wout van Aert

"There’s been a lot of speculation on Twitter. A photo finish is used to verify a result. However yesterday’s photo seems to have created more questions than have been answered," Pidcock said in the deleted tweet. "This isn’t correct, photo finishes should be 100 per cent accurate and should be in the future."

Different photo angles alleging to show different outcomes were poured over on Twitter following the race, understandable when the actual winning margin was just 0.004 seconds, but no investigation or concerns over the legitimacy of the photo finish have been raised.

Others pointed out that Pidcock had left his bottle in the cage, maybe having missed a specified litter zone and not wanting to risk disqualification by discarding it outside of the area. While Pidcock said he wished he hadn't given Van Aert a gap in the final, could the bottle have made the 0.004 seconds of difference?

Pidcock will next race at Flèche Wallonne, while Van Aert won't line up again until the Critérium du Dauphiné ahead of the Tour de France.

Van Aert edges one of closest finishes in recent memory

In what was an exciting, open Amstel Gold, featuring constant attacks for the final couple of hours without one rider emerging as a clear favourite throughout, the tension even carried over until after the finish line as we awaited confirmation for who had won in what was one of the closest photo finishes in recent memory.

In an uncanny repeat of what happened just four days ago at Brabantse Pijl, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) were again first and second in a three-man sprint, only this time it was unclear which of the two had come out on top.

Van Aert celebrated not long after crossing the line, after apparently being informed that he had won, but that result remained officially unconfirmed, leading to a prolonged period of tension.

Eventually — and not before the TV footage showed a commissaire zooming in on his smartphone on an image of the photo finish under inspection — Van Aert was confirmed as the victory, avoiding by the nearest of margins what would have been another frustrating near-miss.

Van Aert has been in truly astonishing form all spring, making the top six in all but one of the six Classics he’s taken part in, but you felt he needed another win to add to the one he earned at Gent-Wevelgem to really make his campaign a success.

With that second classic win now in the bag, he can now take some much-deserved time off from racing, before we see him again in the summer for the Critérium du Dauphine and Tour de France.

Jumbo-Visma do the double again

Just as they did at Gent-Wevelgem last month, Jumbo-Visma won the double of both the women’s and men’s Amstel Gold, again courtesy of the same two star riders — Marianne Vos and Wout van Aert.

Whereas the women’s team rode a relatively passive race, relying instead on Vos’ discretion and other teams’ work to bring back the race for a sprint, the men’s team was one of the main protagonists, either infiltrating attacks or leading the chase behind.

Key to their success was Primož Roglič. So far this spring Van Aert has been left to do a lot of work by himself in the Classics, and has sometimes appeared to pay for his efforts in the finale of races, where he has lost out in sprints you’d usually expect him to win.

This time, however, he had about as strong a rider as anyone could hope to have working for them, and indeed Roglič did a superb job of covering attacks so that Van Aert did not have to. A puncture on the final ascent of the Cauberg brought an unfortunate end to his race, but by then his work had already been done.

A well-rested Van Aert was quickest in the final three-man sprint, and able to defeat the very man who got the better of him just four days earlier at Brabantse Pijl — and in such a close finish, the energy saved from having Roglič to help him earlier likely made the decisive difference.

Vos again uses sprint to win her first Amstel Gold

Eight and a half years after claiming victory at the 2012 World Championships in Valkenburg, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) returned to the Limburg region of the Netherlands to tick yet another achievement off in her career by winning Amstel Gold for the first time.

Although this victory does not follow quite such a frustrating run of near misses as that Worlds victory (she had won silver medal in each of the previous five editions), her previous failure to win her home classic since it was first introduced in 2017 had been a cause for frustration.

The contrasting manner in which both these victories came about reveal just how much she has evolved as a rider in that time. In 2012 she was at the peak of her powers and won with what was then a trademark explosive attack on the Cauberg that no-one was able to respond to.

She’s not capable of producing quite so much power these days but has still retained her lethal finishing kick, with which, along with her considerable racing nous, she continues to win prolifically — including Amstel Gold today.

After staying calm while multiple attacks were made in the finale, Vos was top favourite for the sprint once everything came back for a small group sprint in the final few hundred meters. Demi Vollering (SD Worx) pushed her close, but Vos’ sprint was once again superior to all her rivals.

The result means she’s now added two new Classics to her palmarès, having also won Gent-Wevelgem for the first time last month. Could she add another at Liège-Bastogne-Liège next week? That race will be harder and less likely to end in a sprint, but riding like this it’s certainly a possibility.

Pidcock leads a fine Ineos Grenadiers performance

Tom Pidcock has certainly lived up to the hype this spring, and today came within the smallest margin imaginable from winning one of the biggest races on the calendar.

Despite having been a feature in the Classics since late February, when he earned a podium finish at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, rather than tiring the 21-year-old has reached an even higher level of form. He performed brilliantly on Wednesday to claim his first-ever pro win on the road at Brabantse Pijl, and backed up that performance on a harder race with a more illustrious start-list to again make the final three-man selection with Van Aert and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe).

He was part of an Ineos Grenadiers line-up who turned out to be the strongest team on the day. After the final ascent of the Cauberg, as the bell rang to indicate the beginning of the last lap they placed three riders (Richard Carapaz, Michal Kwiatkowski and Pidcock) in the small lead group of just seven riders. They used their numerical advantage well, too, with first Kwiatkowski going on the attack, then Pidcock countering as soon as the Pole was caught.

It might not have ended in victory, but it was an excellent performance from a team that has always struggled to replicate their stage race success in the Classics. At this rate, both Pidcock and the team as a whole stand a great chance of winning one of the upcoming Ardennes Classics later in the coming week.

A revised route doesn’t dilute the thrilling racing

Any fears that the revisions to the route forced by coronavirus precautions, which saw both races limited to multiple circuits of the same 17km route, would reduce the excitement factor of Amstel Gold were thankfully refuted.

The finale of the women’s race was a thrilling roller-coaster of fluctuating fortunes. First Grace Brown (BikeExchange) appeared as though she might be on the verge of one of her trademark solo wins; then, after Brown faded and was caught, Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) and defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM) looked as though they have pulled out enough of an advantage over the rest on the Cauberg; until Borghini refused to work with the Pole, allowing the chasers to come back and contest a sprint.

Borghini’s decision not to work with Niewiadoma (presumably based on the assumption that she was bound to lose a two-up sprint between the pair) certainly added to the late drama, and an exasperated Niewiadoma could be heard pleading with her to help contribute.

There wasn’t any such disharmony between the trio that went clear in the finale of the men’s race, but the action prior to their escape had been just as thrilling. From about 70km to go the attacks started, and kept on coming as no group of riders were able to stay clear.

Only on the final ascent of the Cauberg were the selections finally made, and from here the final 18km were a thrill-a-minute, ending in a finishing sprint that will live long in the memory.

Wout van Aert has beaten Tom Pidcock in a photo finish at a scintillating Amstel Gold Race 2021.

It was a nervy wait after the finish for both riders, the Belgian pumping his fist initially as he slowed down after the finish line, Pidcock and Van Aert sharing a word as they came to a halt, TV replays then seeming to favour the young Brit before Van Aert pumped his fist once more and began to cycle off towards the podium.

Pidcock remained stationary after the finish line, wiping himself down, unsure whether to be frustrated or elated with the result still not officially confirmed.

Soon a UCI official appeared, showing a photo on his phone of the photo finish, with Van Aert's wheel ahead of Pidcock's, a graphic then showing a provisional result with Van Aert first.

Max Schachmann was left in no doubt, however, finishing third behind the cyclocross stars, after the trio had broken away from the group of favourites late on, evading the large chase group behind who were closing in quickly on the finishing straight.

After Alejandro Valverde had led that charge, the Movistar man finished fifth, Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) winning the sprint from the group behind, with Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) taking sixth.

How it happened

After being cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Amstel Gold Race was back for 2021, with an altered, shortened circuit, but still including climbs such as the Belmelerberg and the Cauberg.

Marianne Vos had already crossed the line to win the women's race before the men had rolled out of Valkenburg, with Tom Dumoulin amongst the local residents present at the start to wave them off, fans banned from the rest of the circuit due to the Covid restrictions in place.

Not long after the peloton departed the neutral zone 10 riders got themselves off the front, including DSM's Chad Haga, Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) and Stan Dewulf (AG2R-Citroën), and by the time they got over the Cauberg, still with over 200km to go, they had a 30-second advantage before the bunch soon relaxed and their gap yawned out to around five minutes.

Jumbo-Visma and Movistar shared patrolling duties during the first few laps, and with 120km to go the squads of the favourites were content with the break still plying their trade out front with a four-minute gap.

Søren Kragh Andersen (DSM) was looking uncomfortable at the back of the peloton, while Ineos and Alpecin-Fenix joined the efforts at the front of the bunch, and up the eighth ascent of the Cauberg the Dane was dropped, along with Trek-Segafredo's Jasper Stuyven.

The breakaway's lead started to fall as the attention of the peloton behind picked up, the likes of Primož Roglič and Michał Kwiatkowski moving up, before Robert Power (Qhubeka-Assos) hit out with just over 70km to go, and odd move that didn't last long, before his team-mate Sean Bennett also tried as they hit the Cauberg once more.

Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Victorious) then hit out, dragging a group of nine off the front including Jumbo-Visma's Jonas Vingegaard, Ineos' Eddie Dunbar also getting across.

They were soon brought back, though, and the pace was really beginning to pick up as the peloton began to shed riders on the Geulhemmerberg. Dunbar then forced the pace once more as the peloton split into two, before Van Aert and Richard Carapaz snuck into a group trying to forge clear off the front, but they were soon brought back in, and the breakaway now under two minutes up the road.

The attacks were coming in earnest now, Dylan van Baarle hitting out, followed by Tratnik once more and then Sam Oomen (Jumbo-Visma).

Mauri Vansevenant (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) was then forced to chase back following a mechanical issue, as his team-mate Florian Sénéchal and Tratnik attacked, joined by Vingegaard and Michael Woods (EF - Nippo).

Max Schachmann, Bob Jungels and Mauri Vansevenant then hit the deck, a touch of wheels in the peloton, Jungels looking worse for wear, clutching his head, as the other two remounted.

Luke Rowe was forced to chase for Ineos, bringing it back together, before Mohorič tried and failed to go solo as it ticked under 50km to go.

Finally, a poursuivant group clipped off the front of the peloton, Van Baarle. Senechal (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) among those who set off in search of the day's breakaway, they soon made it across the gap.

Onto the Cauberg once more and Primož Roglič led with Pidcock in his wheel, such was the pace now that all of the escapees were brought to heel except for Bernard, Dewulf and Maurits Lammertink (Intermarché - Wanty Gobert).

Ide Schelling and Loic Vliegen couldn't resist joining the scraps of the breakaway, before Schelling pushed on alone up the Bemelerberg, the peloton hovering a few seconds behind.

The Bora-Hansgrohe rider was brought back at the start of the final ascent of the Cauberg, with under 20km remaining, Trek-Segafredo's Nicola Conci then hitting out, followed by Wout van Aert with Alaphilippe on his wheel.

Roglič had suffered a mechanical at the worst time, ground to a halt on the climb, as Max Schachmann, Michael Matthews and three Ineos riders in Pidcock, Kwiatkowski and Richard Carapaz joined Van Aert up the road, as Alaphilippe found himself in the second group alongside Valverde and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), the peloton fragmented now.

Valverde then made it across the gap, Kwiatkowski attacking and the Movistar riding closing him down, before Schachmann took over to bring the Pole back on the Geulhemmerberg.

Pidcock then countered, and only Van Aert and Schachmann could follow. After initially hesitating, Van Aert dedicated himself to the move, the trio soon taking out an advantage of 20 seconds heading into the final 10km.

Relaying well, Pidcock led over the Bemelerberg for the final time, and into the last 5km they still had 15 seconds. Fuglsang attacked from behind to try and bridge the gap with 3km to go, before Schachmann tried his luck with 1.8km to the line, the German knowing he had the weakest sprint of the three.

Under the flamme rouge and the trio tried to shift each other to the front, the chase group coming up quickly. With Van Aert in the front and Pidcock only interested in the Belgian, Schachmann could sense it was his chance to launch from third wheel but Van Aert could sense it, opening his sprint from the front with Pidcock coming alongside.

The young Brit pushed him all the way to the line, and the photo finish couldn't have been closer, but the winner was eventually confirmed to be Van Aert.

Result

Amstel Gold Race 2021, Valkenburg to Berg en Terblijt (218.6km)

1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma, 5-03-27

2. Tom Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers

3. Max Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, both at same time

4. Michael Matthews (Aus) BikeExchange, at two seconds

5. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar

6. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step

7. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Alpecin-Fenix

8. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain-Victorious

9. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers

10. Tosh van der Sande (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, all at same time

Ardennes specialists return to Classics racing

To the confusion of cycling novices, and irritation of sticklers for correct geography, the Amstel Gold Race continues to be known as the first of the three Ardennes Classics. What that label lacks in geographical accuracy though it makes up for in sporting sense, as these three races go great together as a trilogy, each one rewarding similar attributes, but distinct enough to pose its own unique test.

>>> Amstel Gold Race 2021: Everything you need to know

The main thing that binds them together are their numerous hills and their total absence of cobblestones, and consequently this week of racing attracts a different kind of rider than those who have battled it on the Flemish pavé throughout the rest of the spring. While many of the cobbled specialists have ended their spring campaign, for other puncheurs, who have so far concentrated on stage races, theirs is just about to begin.

Given his form in the Ardennes last year, when he won Flèche Wallonne and came second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Marc Hirschi’s (UAE Team Emirates) return will be the most anticipated, but his quiet rides at Volta a Catalunya and the Tour of the Basque Country indicate he may not have ridden into form quickly enough to be a top contender for Amstel Gold.

Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) will be more optimistic, having won Paris-Nice last month, and will be hoping to carry that form into the Ardennes Classics, races that might suit him better than any other on the calendar.

And then there’s veteran Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana-Premier Tech), both of whom look likely to still be top contenders at the age of 40 and 36 respectively. Against the odds, Valverde appears to be back to something like his best, and therefore a genuine candidate to win a race that has always eluded him; Fuglsang hasn’t been in such great form, but has in recent years been the star of the hilly classics.

Well-balanced route attracts class variety of Classics specialists

Although the 2021 Amstel Gold has, unlike last year’s edition, been cleared to go ahead, Covid-19 concerns mean that it has been redesigned as a 17km circuit tackled 13 times by the men, featuring the Cauberg, Geulhemmerberg, and Bemelerberg.

Despite the changes, the ending remains the same as it has since 2017, with the Cauberg again being the third-to-last climb, rather than its traditional position at the last climb.

This ending has proved to be an inspired innovation, as it managed to both help produce thrilling racing (most memorably the 2019 edition that saw Mathieu van der Poel win in such unlikely circumstances), while also encouraging other Classics specialists who had previously been turned off by the race’s former uphill finish to add it to their calendar.

As a result, several of the riders who have featured in the cobbled Classics throughout the spring will again be on the start list on Sunday, for one last race before bringing their spring classics campaign to an end.

Greg Van Avermaet (Ag2r Citroën), Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Start-Up Nation), and Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) will all be hoping to make the most of their last chance to win a Classic this spring, having all come close in previous races; after looking strong and finishing third at Brabantse Pijl on Sunday, Trentin may be the most confident.

Then there are those especially ambitious riders who intend to follow up the cobbled Classics by riding all three of the Ardennes Classics.

Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) is one, and clearly still has great form following victory at Brabantse Pijl; Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) and Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) both limited their appearances in the Flemish Classics in order to ensure they still have form for this week, and we ought to start seeing the best of Julian Alaphilippe now he becomes Deceuninck-Quick-Step’s undisputed chief rider in his favourite kind of terrain.

Van Aert and Roglič team up for Jumbo-Visma

Wout van Aert has been among the main protagonists in virtually all of the major Classics this spring, but he may feel he needs at least one more win to really make his campaign an unqualified success.

Sixth at the Tour of Flanders, fourth at Strade Bianche, third at Milan-San Remo, and second on Wednesday at Brabantse Pijl all testify to his remarkable consistency, but so far Ghent-Wevelgem remains his only one day win of the season, which feels like a low return for someone with the form he’s in.

Amstel Gold will be his last chance to add a second victory before he takes some well-earned time off from racing, and it’s a Classic that should suit him just about as well as any other.

He’ll be boosted by the presence of Jumbo-Visma team-mate Primož Roglič, who ride together for the first time this season to form one of the peloton’s most formidable duos. Given his own superb form at the Tour of the Basque Country, Roglič is himself a potential winner, but may feel obliged to repay a team-mate who did such sterling work in his service at the Tour de France last year.

The following Ardennes Classic may be where the Slovenian takes over leadership duties, but at Amstel Gold his assistance might be all it takes for Van Aert to upgrade from another near miss to claiming victory.

Dutch legends hoping for home win

Whereas the women’s Ardennes Classics used to comprise only of La Flèche Wallonne, ever since Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège were added to the calendar in 2017, it’s become one of the most prestigious and important weeks of the season.

As the biggest race based in the Netherlands, Amstel Gold means a lot to the peloton’s large contingent of quality Dutch riders — and two home riders in particular will be desperate to add it to their illustrious palmarès before retiring.

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) has a more complete palmarès than any woman in history, but Amstel Gold remains missing from it. She came close in 2019, winning the sprint for third behind Kasia Niewiadoma and Annemiek van Vleuten, but if she’s to win she may need to launch her own attack rather than rely on her finishing sprint, even if that tactic has recently brought her much success in less selective parcours.

Her compatriot Van Vleuten (Movistar) lost the sprint to Niewiadoma that day in 2019, in what was her second near-miss after making the key selection in 2017. The 38-year-old is the in-form rider right now in the women’s peloton, however, having won Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders back-to-back, and will therefore be the rider to beat on Sunday.

Although the need for social distancing means that local fans will not be able to flock to the Cauberg to cheer them on, a victory for either would still mean a lot for Dutch cycling fans.

An open women’s race with several potential winners

This year’s Women’s WorldTour has so far been an open affair without a single rider or team dominating; all five races so far have been won by five different riders from five different teams.

Nevertheless, SD Worx will be difficult to beat on Sunday. In Anna van der Breggen and Chantel van den Broek-Blaak they boast two of the previous three winners of the Amstel Gold, while Demi Vollering has come into form these past few weeks and provides a formidable third option.

The race’s defending champion, however, belongs to Canyon-SRAM, whose leader Kasia Nieuwiadoma launched an explosive attack on the Cauberg in 2019 to seal what remains one of the biggest results of her career. She has since lacked that same killer instinct, adding just one more win to her palmarès in the two years since, but may rediscover it in a race she is so well suited to.

As ever, Trek-Segafredo have strength in numbers, with the usual duo of Elisa Longo Borghini and Lizzie Deignan being boosted by the coming into form of American champion Ruth Winder, who edged Demi Vollering in a photo finish at Brabantse Pijl.

But it might be BikeExchange who emerge as the team to most trouble SD Worx. Grace Brown has already enjoyed a fantastic spring, claiming an unlikely victory from a surprise attack at the Classic Brugge-De Panne as well as claiming a podium spot at the Tour of Flanders, and is well-suited to the Ardennes Classics. Along with team-mate Amanda Spratt, she’ll be difficult to contain on such a hilly route.

Three recent winners of the Ardennes Classics have warned the Big Five that they are not “unbeatable” and that they too should not be discounted in the upcoming trio of races.

With just a fortnight to go until the start of the hillier Belgian and Dutch Classics, all the attention is once again focused on the successes of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Julian Alaphilippe, Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič.

>>> Who are the bookies's favourites to win the Tour of Flanders 2021?

But ahead of Amstel Gold, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, riders who have proven victorious in the races in the not-so-distant past have warned their rivals that they too will be in contention to win.

Winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège three seasons ago, Bob Jungels told Cycling Weekly: “One day races are really quite hard to predict because it comes down to one man in the end so it’s not that they are unbeatable.

“We saw it in Milan-San Remo: sometimes if you anticipate or try something else it helps.

“Like Jasper [Stuyven] has said before he won San Remo, nobody is unbeatable. Sometimes you have to find a way to help yourself.”

Michael Valgren won the 2018 edition of Amstel Gold, and after building form and condition at the Volta a Catalunya, he said that he was confident of denying victory to the five.

“These are five guys that everybody looks to, so we have to take advantage of that,” the Danish EF Education-Nippo rider said.

“I think obviously they are some of the best riders we have ever seen, I am pretty sure of saying that, but that means they can only be disappointed when they don’t win.

“They are exceptional riders and we put too much pressure on them but that’s a good thing for us. I think I can do well there.”

Ag2r Citroën’s Jungels, who is currently nursing a sore back but “is very sure I will be in shape for the Ardennes”, agreed that the lack of talk around him can only play in his favour.

“It’s sometimes good to have pressure from the outside, but with these guys who everyone is talking about, there’s not really anyone talking about me and others,” he added. “They have a certain class, of course, but I hope to be back in the front line.”

Daryl Impey of Israel-Start Up Nation has finished fifth five times at Amstel Gold and he said: “There’s plenty ways to skin a cat. Sometimes the favourites mark themselves out and it will give guys like myself the opportunity.”

Just last autumn, Marc Hirschi won La Flèche Wallonne, and after starting his 2021 season later due to a minor hip injury, the UAE Team Emirates 22-year-old is backing himself for further glory.

“Catalunya, for sure, was a pretty hard well but I will be in good shape for the Basque Country [his next race],” he said.

“When my shape is better and my legs are good, for sure I will try something. It’s hard to tell [how he will be for the Ardennes] but I’m confident I’m going to be in good shape.”

The five oldest, longest and most prestigious one-day races in men's professional cycling are grouped together under the heading 'Monuments'.

Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia all boast a rich heritage dating back over 100 years and are the races that every rider wants to have in their palmares.

Only the Grand Tours - the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España - and the UCI world championships command as much kudos. The women's calendar now hosts four of these races, with only the organisers of Il Lombardia not promoting a women's race.

Each of the five races has its own special character that marks it out among the long list of races in the UCI calendar. Such are their significance, that riders will tend to target them specifically, making one or more their main aim for the season. In recent years it was believed that the growing specialism in the pro peloton meant the cobbled classics like Paris Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders no longer suited a rider who could win the hillier races Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia.

Tadej Pogačar has blown this thinking out of the water however and he only needs to win Paris Roubaix to become the fourth rider to have won all five. The last rider to complete the set was Roger de Vlaeminck, the greatest classics rider of his generation. the Belgian won the Tour of Flanders in 1977 to complete the set. Before him Eddy Merckx and Rik van Looy had also won all five.

If Pogačar does with Paris-Roubaix in 2026 - having already won Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders this spring, he will become the first rider to be the reigning champion in all five Monuments.

All five are part of the UCI's top-tier WorldTour race calendar, and as such they command a full field of the biggest teams and leading riders.

*Has won all five monuments

Milan-San Remo

Country: Italy
Time of year: Late March
Length: 299km
First edition: 1907
Also known as: La Primavera, The Sprinters' Classic
Rider with most wins: Eddy Merckx (seven wins)
Typically suits: Sprinters and classics riders
Famous for: The final climb of the Poggio and the route along the coast of northern Italy
Women's equivalent since: 1999 (then paused between 2006-2025)

As the first Monument of every season, Milan-San Remo always generates a huge amount of interest and excitement. The route is long, and does not feature the relentless hills and/or cobbled sections of other Monuments. This has often led to the race being contested by a reduced bunch sprint and has been won by pure sprinters like Jasper Philipsen and Mark Cavendish in the past.

There are however five climbs in the race, all that play their part. The first is the Passo del Turchino, the highest point of the race at over 500 metres. It's slopes are gentle however, and all it does is to serve as a marker for the halfway point. After this, the riders start to strip off and take more care over their position in the field.

Then come the Tre Capi; Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta. Three tiny climbs that come in quick succession and mark the beginning of the final stages of the race. At 276km the bunch hits the Cipressa the twin climbs of the Cipressa where sprinters have to hang on then next comes the Poggio.

This tight, twisty climb isn't hard or long enough to favour pure climbers - more powerful riders can sustain their effort on it's slopes - but always causes splits. The question is then whether or not the leaders can hold onto their advantage down the descent and along the flat final two kilometres to the Via Roma and the finish. The descent can prove decisive, as it did for Matej Mohoric's win in 2022, and always provides a thrilling finale.

Last three winners
2026: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
2025: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
2024: Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck

Tour of Flanders

Country: Belgium
Date: First Sunday in April
Approx length: 263.7km
First edition: 1913
Also known as: De Ronde, Ronde van Vlaanderen
Rider with most wins: Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar, Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Johan Museeuw, Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman (all three wins)
Typically suits: Classics riders
Famous for: Cobbled climbs, Belgian fans, beers and frites
Women's equivalent since: 2004

The Tour of Flanders is the youngest of the five Monuments and one of two in Belgium. Taking place entirely in the northern (Flemish) part of the country it is known for the cobbled and tarmac Bergs that litter the second half of the route.

Many of these climbs are on small, narrow roads with tight turns into them, making positioning in the bunch one of the most important factors of the race. The riders at the front of the peloton can sweep round a tight corner and maintain their momentum onto a climb while riders caught further back may be forced into a standstill as the 170 rider peloton struggles to fit through a four metre wide corner.

The route was altered significantly in 2012 when the organisers removed the formerly iconic last two climbs of the Kapelmuur and Bosberg to concentrate the race on a finishing circuit around Oudenaarde. The circuit features the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg which come in quick succession before the finish in Oudenaarde.

Last three winners
2026: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
2025: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
2024: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck

Paris-Roubaix

Country: France
Date: Second Sunday in April
Approx length: 255km
First edition: 1896
Also known as: Hell of the North, Queen of the Classics, La Pascale
Rider with most wins: Roger De Vlaeminck, Tom Boonen (four wins)
Typically suits: Classics riders
Famous for: Cobbled climbs, Belgian fans, beers and frites
Women's equivalent since: 2021

Paris-Roubaix is arguably the biggest bike race outside the Tour de France, and has an evergreen appeal due to it's parcours. The Queen of the Classics takes the peloton over multiple sectors of cobbles (pavé in French) many of which would be unridable to most cyclists.

There are 30 sections in total (they count down from 30) starting with Troisvilles A Inchy with 162.5km still to go. Each section varies in distance and is graded on a five star system for their severity. The hardest of which is unquestionably the 2.3km Trouée d'Arenberg (The Arenberg Trench), section number 19 that comes after 163km of racing.

The two other five star sections are Mons-en-Pévèle - sector 11 at 48.6km to go, and Carrefour de l'Arbre - Sector 4 at 17.1km to go.

No matter the weather, there's always a challenge: rain makes the cobbles slippery and muddy; dry weather means the air is full of dust. The race finishes in Roubaix on the famous outdoor velodrome, where a front group of riders is often forced to sprint for the victory as they loop the track. There's simply no race like it.

Last three winners
2026: Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike
2025: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
2024: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Country: Belgium
Date: Late Sunday in April
Approx Length: 259.5km
First edition: 1892
Also known as: La Doyenne
Rider with most wins: Eddy Merckx (five wins)
Typically suits: Grand Tour riders and climbers
Famous for: Multiple long climbs
Women's equivalent since: 2017

The climb-filled Liège-Bastogne-Liège takes on the leg-sapping ascents of the Ardennes in Southern Belgium. It's a race that is often contested by climbers and Grand Tour riders as much as Classics riders. It's also the oldest of the Monuments, having been first run in 1892.

The majority of the race's climbs are packed into the final 100km, providing a relentless barrage of climbing that barely allows any respite for tired riders. Despite its position as the final spring Classic, it can still be affected by bad weather to add to the riders' misery.

Last three winners
2026: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates XRG
2025: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
2024: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates

Il Lombardia

Country: Italy
Date: Second Saturday in October 09
Length: 247km
First edition: 1892
Also known as: Giro di Lombardia, Tour of Lombardy, Race of the Falling Leaves
Rider with most wins: Fausto Coppi, Tadej Pogačar (five wins)
Typically suits: Climbers
Known for: Steep climbs and a first showing of the world champs bands
Women's equivalent since: No women's equivalent

The only Monument to take place in the autumn rather than spring, Il Lombardia or the Tour of Lombardy is very different than its northern European cousins. The picturesque route takes riders around Lake Como in a testing war of attrition.

Like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Il Lombardia has a reputation for being a climber's Classic, taking in longer ascents than the power climbs of the Tour of Flanders. It's often the final outing for Grand Tour riders seeking to take one final victory before the season ends.

Last three winners
2025: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
2024: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
2023: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates

Julian Alaphilippe has chosen not to defend his Flèche Wallonne title, and will instead likely debut his rainbow jersey at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Frenchman has said Flèche Wallonne, which takes place on Wednesday September 30, comes "too soon" after his road race exploits in Imola. Instead, he will look to line up for the first time as world champion days later on Sunday October 4 for Liège. The Monument has evaded Alaphilippe so far in his career and he's previously highlighted it as a key victory he wants to achieve this season.

"Wednesday is going to be too tight. I want to enjoy my victory and recover first," Alaphilippe told French radio station RMC. "I don't think I'll be riding Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday. It comes just a little too soon in terms of physical and emotional recovery. Defending my title may not be the best choice."

Tim Declerq will start in place of Alaphilippe, Deceuninck - Quick-Step have confirmed, and Alaphilippe will spend the week coming to terms with his achievement, the Frenchman visibly emotional on the podium after returning the rainbow jersey to France after a 23-year wait.

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Deceuninck - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere said Alaphilippe had asked him after winning in Imola if he was proud of him.

"He was crying and asked 'are you proud of me?' He always asks me that if he wins," Lefevere told Sporza. "I am overjoyed. I have never seen so many men crying as I did today. The whole staff was here and there were also many emotional Italians amongst them.

"I love that rainbow jersey. In the end, we will get out of this s**t season that has been turned upside down by the coronavirus. Despite everything, we will soon be able to ride the Classics with the world champion in the team. That is a wonderful feeling."

"Of course it would be nice to start in the rainbow jersey, but I always race to win," Alaphilippe continued. "I would rather recover from the emotions, enjoy the jersey and then be on top form on Sunday in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and everything that follows afterwards."

After Liège, Alaphilippe is set to line up at two more high profile races he is yet to win. The Amstel Gold Race follows the weekend after La Doyenne on October 10th, with the Tour of Flanders then on the 18th.

Seven riders have already beaten Philippe Gilbert's Strava KoM on La Redoute, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège climb.

Having won the Belgian one-day Classic in 2011, Gilbert recently returned to the route while out filming for a documentary and spontaneously deciding to try and take the Strava KoM.

The Lotto-Soudal rider lopped 17 seconds off the previous best time, riding the 1.5km ascent with an average gradient of 10 per cent in four minutes 25 seconds.

20-year-old Dutch rider Gijs Leemreize who rides for Jumbo-Visma's Development Team has since gone on to set the fastest KoM time twice. In the immediate aftermath of Gilbert's ride, Leemreize went three seconds quicker than the Belgian, setting a new best time of 4-22.

Then, on Sunday June 21, 20-year-old Mathijs Loman went seven seconds faster, with a time of 4-15, the Dutch youngster having been a Zwift Academy finalist last year.

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A few days later on Friday, members of the UCI ProTeam Bingoal - Wallonie Bruxelles headed out, with Dimitri Peyskens, Eliot Lietaer and Arken Livyns all posting times better than Gilbert's and placing themselves in the top 10 with wattages above 500w. Their team-mate Laurens Huys stormed ahead, however, setting a new best time of 4-09, averaging 22.3km/h and a heart rate of 193bpm.

Not to be outdone, Leemreize also returned to the climb that day, matching Huys' time with a 497w effort.

Ag2r La Mondiale's Lawrence Naesen has also had a go, setting a time of 4-23, and the attempts are unlikely to stop as riders recon and prepare for the one-day Classics that will take place this autumn.

Annemiek van Vleuten currently holds the QoM with a time of 5-13, set during the 2019 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which she won.

Mathieu van der Poel will not defend his Amstel Gold Race title in 2020, according to his father.

The Corendon-Circus rider took the biggest win of his road career so far at the Ardennes classic, ambushing Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) on the finishing straight to snatch victory.

>>> Jumbo-Visma to jump up team rich list after budget increase for 2020 season

With a stacked 2020 schedule ahead of him, Van der Poel will race a shortened road season as he sets his sights on the Tokyo Olympics in the summer.

In an interview with Helden, Adrie van der Poel confirmed his son will stop racing on the road following Paris-Roubaix on April 12th in order to re-focus on mountain biking, the event the young Dutchman will be targeting a gold medal in at the Games in Japan.

"Next season Mathieu will organise his season through to the Games differently than he did this year," Adrie van der Poel said. "After Paris-Roubaix he won't ride any more classics, which includes the Amstel Gold Race."

Van der Poel is expected to race Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan - San Remo in the early season, with the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix being the two one-day races where he will seriously target victory.

Corendon-Circus have said Van der Poel's exact plans could change however, although Amstel is definitely off the table as the team decided to pass on a wildcard invitation to the race earlier this month.

Following the Yorkshire Road World Championships, where the 24-year-old blew up spectacularly in the final kilometres as Denmark's Mads Pedersen claimed the rainbow bands, he soon bounced back upon his return to cyclocross.

Van der Poel won his third European cyclocross title in a row as he works towards defending his CX rainbow jersey in the new year.

In sadder news, Mathieu van der Poel's grandfather, Tour de France legend Raymond Poulidor, passed away last week, with the cycling world paying tribute.

The 83-year-old had been suffering from heart issues and was been admitted to hospital in October after reportedly feeling unweel since his summer VIP job at the Tour de France.

Whilst Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) finally took a win after a long spring of near misses, another rider who was hoping to turn his Classics campaign around at Liège-Bastogne-Liège was Greg Van Avermaet (CCC), who only signed up to race La Doyenne at the last minute to try and salvage his early season.

Things didn't go to plan for the Belgian, however, who failed to replicate Fuglsang's heroic save as his back wheel slipped with 5km remaining, as he crashed in almost exactly the same spot, eventually finishing seven minutes back.

>>> Five talking points from Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019

Explaining what happened after crossing the finish line, Van Avermaet said: "We were working hard to come back to the leading group in front of us and we were all working well together but unfortunately on the last corner Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) crashed in front of me and I couldn’t avoid it.

"There was nothing I could do and from that point on my race was done. At first, I thought it was a bigger crash but after a couple of minutes I got back on my bike to try and see how I felt, and some of the initial stiffness went away which was good."

This bad luck underlines an unfortunate early season for Van Avermaet, who has struggled to produce the kind of performance people have come to expect from the Olympic champion. His spring record shows only one top-10 finish in a Monument this spring at the Tour of Flanders with his best races being podium places at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 BinckBank Classic.

"Of course, it’s a disappointing end to my Classics season," said the 33-year-old.

"I was expecting more from this race and I was happy with how I was feeling but in the end, we didn’t get the result I think the team deserved.

"We did a good job together. The guys were great at bringing [Alessandro] De Marchi and me into position for every climb and we were able to cover almost every move, so I think we can take some positives away from that. It is just a pity about the crash."

CCC sports director, Valerio Piva, was confident that Van Avermaet was on for a top-10 finish had he not crashed.

"Greg’s group was almost catching the small group in front and I think, if the crashed hadn’t happened, there was definitely a chance for a top 10 finish or better," Piva said.

"The crash happened on the descent towards the finish, at the point where we also saw Fuglsang almost go down. We knew we needed to pay attention there but unfortunately around three or four riders went down with him on that corner.

"It is, of course, a pity and disappointing because he was looking good and the team was really present in all of the moves. I am happy with how the team rode. It is a shame that at the end of a race like this, one which had a lot of dangerous moments in the rain, that it was at the last moment that Greg crashed."

Luckily, Van Avermaet's crash has not caused him any serious injuries, with the rider set to take the start line in Doncaster on Thursday May 2 for the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire.

His team doctor, Dr Michel Cerfontaine, said: "Fortunately, after an initial examination, it looks like all of Greg’s injuries are superficial. He came down heavily on his right side and has some bruising. He also suffered abrasions on his right hip and knee as well as a cut on the right elbow. We don’t expect him to have to make any changes to his race program at this time and after a few days everything should be fully healed."

Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) won his first ever Monument after claiming victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019.

The Dane finally broke the curse Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) seemed to hold over him, as the Frenchman had beaten him to the win at both La Flèche Wallonne and Strade Bianche, as well as being his co-conspirator in the Amstel Gold Race when the pair gifted the victory to Mathieu van der Poel.

Rumours had begun circulating that words had been exchanged between the pair during La Doyenne, and when asked in the post-race press conference Fuglsang said: "Before we took the speedy downhill to La Redoute, I was in the wheel of Luis León Sánchez and he was in the wheel of his guys. I looked over at him to see if I could get any sign of how he was feeling and he looked back and said to me 'I hope you win today'.

"I looked back and said 'thank you and good luck', I think he probably knew then that he wasn't at his best or the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons was going to be too hard for him."

When asked about how it felt to finally take his first Monument in the thirteenth year of his professional career, Fuglsang said: "It's an amazing feeling and a super way to finish off these three Classics. It's been a big goal for me this week and to crown it off with a victory today in such a race, it's just amazing.

"I dont know why it took so long," the Dane said, "the first few years I had to grow up first, but no this season it seems like everything has come together and everything is going well and we have a really strong team.

"They led me out perfect for the Roche-aux-Faucons and yeah everything seemed to click. It took some time [to claim a Monument win] but I hope I have another few good years in me."

The day nearly ended very differently for the 34-year-old, as his back wheel kicked out as he descended with 5km left to race. Fuglsang explained what happened, saying: "After we did a recon of the parcours I had in my mind that the descent was more or less straight and the corners you could take full speed.

"But that's one thing when it's dry and another thing when it's wet. I of course didn't want to let anyone come back on me so it was all or nothing. Then in one moment when I cut the corner the rear wheel slipped and somehow I managed to save it, but yeah it was a scary moment."

Bastogne is in the Belgian province of Luxembourg, where Fuglsang used to live and train with the Schleck brothers, the Dane being a former team-mate of Andy Schleck when the pair raced for Saxo-Bank/Leopard-Trek. Andy Schleck, who hails from Luxembourg, won the race ten years ago in 2009. Last year's winner, Bob Jungels (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), is also a Luxembourger.

When asked about the Luxembourg connection, Fuglsang said: "Of course, the way that Andy won back when I was with him in 2009 was an inspiration for me, and for me as the same kind of rider as Andy, I haven't reached the same results in my career, but he was also not necessarily a fast guy in the sprint, but when they can succeed you can think it's actually possible.

"In the past it was actually further to the finish line, and they had to go from further out to succeed. So I made up my mind that my finish line has to be the top of Roche-aux-Faucons because if I'm in a group there I'm probably not going to win this one and I probably want to win this one and I want to get the maximum out of it.

"That's why I went all in once I looked back and saw that Michael Woods (EF Education First) was dropped and David Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) was three metres back, I was like 'it's now and never' to the top, and I had to die or win, to give it my all."

When pressed about the change to the finish, Fuglsang said: "Maybe I didn't like it before the race but after I do like it."

Jakob Fuglsang won his first ever Monument with victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019, after a spring of podium places usually because he's been thwarted by Julian Alaphilippe.

However, as Alaphilippe and his Deceuninck- Quick-Step team faded towards the business end of La Doyenne, Fuglsang attacked and broke away, eventually solo-ing the last 12km to the line, finishing 27 seconds faster than the next man on the road.

It wasn't all plain sailing, though, as with 5km remaining and Fuglsang crouched low over his handlebars on a descent, his back wheel kicked out and the Dane seemed to defy the laws of physics by remaining upright.

After the race, Fuglsang said it was "a scary moment but [provided] a bit of adrenaline for the last part".

Fuglsang's heart-in-mouth moment wasn't the only incident of the day. With 18km to go, just before the peloton hit the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons, Astana were pulling on the front and as they rounded a corner Ion Izagirre flew off into the trees.

Greg Van Avermaet missed out yet again, in what has been a disappointing spring campaign for the Belgian, with his CCC team revealing after the race that the Olympic champion had crashed on the approach into the finish.

Robert Gesink (Jumbo-Visma) was an early casualty in the race, abandoning after a crash on the descent. His team revealing the Dutchman had suffered not only a broken collarbone but also a fractured pelvis. Gesink previously suffered a broken vertebra in a crash on stage eight of the 2017 Tour de France.

Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second behind Fuglsang, with his team-mate Maximilian Schachmann completing the podium. Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) finished fourth, with Mikel Landa (Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Wout Poels (Team Sky) also featuring in the top 10.

In the women’s race, Annemiek van Vleuten returned to winning ways, claiming the victory after attacking at the bottom of the Côte de la Redoute.

Bad day for former winners Dan Martin and Alejandro Valverde

There are two names that stand out from recent editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège – Dan Martin and Alejandro Valverde.

Both former winners, Martin (UAE Team Emirates) and Valverde (Movistar) have become regular features of the Liège podium, making them ever-present front-runners in the Belgian Monument.

But the 2019 edition of the race proved to be a disappointment for these two favourites, as both men abandoned well before the final.

>>> Jakob Fuglsang wins first ever Monument with victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Valverde, four-time winner of Liège, stepped off with more than 100km left to race.

His Movistar team said the 39-year-old had been suffering from “various physical problems” in the last few days, forcing him to abandon.

Valverde last won in 2017 and was looking to match the record held by Eddy Merckx with a fifth career Liège win.

Martin, winner in 2013, abandoned earlier in the race while passing through the first feed-zone as the Irishman was still recovering from an illness picked up at the Tour of the Basque Country.

The loss of Martin and Valverde only added to the unpredictable feeling of the day's racing, especially when twinned with the altered final.

New finish sets up unpredictable end

Liège has often been criticised for its formulaic nature, with the race often decided in a climber's sprint on the final rise to the line.

For 2019 the organisers opted for a flatter finish, moving the line to Liège for the first time in almost 30 years.

Removing the famous Côte de Saint-Nicolas created a fast final 10km with a 3km flat run to the line.

These changes added an element of unpredictability as the race approached the final, with the possibility of a bunch sprint emerging with 20km to race.

But as the race exploded on the final climb, and riders were splintered across the course, it became clear that Liège remains a Monument for the climbers.

Strong showing from Grand Tour contenders

Liège is a battleground for Grand Tour contenders looking to take Monument victory over the Ardennes hills.

The 2019 edition was no different, as an elite selection of stage racers lined up for 256km of relentless climbing.

Grand Tour winners Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) raced shoulder-to-shoulder with three-week rivals like Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale), Mikel Landa (Movistar) and Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) with the aim of Classics glory ahead of their bigger goals.

Nibali, Landa and Yates all showed promising form in the sharp end of the race, proving themselves among the strongest in the peloton as the race hit the final climb, the Côte de la Roche-Aux-Faucons.

Yates was the best of the general classification riders finishing fourth, with Landa in sixth and Nibali in seventh.

Landa looks to be returning to his best after suffering injury early this season, with the Spaniard looking ahead to the Giro d’Italia where he will face Nibali.

Yates will return to the Tour de France this year, meaning he still has plenty of racing left before his main target of the season.

Dumoulin finished an underwhelming 50th - possibly a worrying omen as the Dutchman is set to start the Giro d'Italia next month.

Jakob Fuglsang takes revenge after Classics near-misses

It had been a spring of frustration for Jakob Fuglsang, who was the perpetual bridesmaid in his one-day campaign.

The Dane missed out on Strade Bianche to Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), then finished third in Amstel Gold Race behind winner Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) and Alaphilippe in second.

>>> Annemiek van Vleuten resumes normal service with dominant win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

When Fuglsang (Astana) finished Flèche Wallonne in second again behind Alaphilippe, it looked as though he might be destined to trail the Frenchman in the Classics.

But as he dropped his rivals in the final of Liège, Fuglsang's consistency paid dividends as the 34-year-old rode solo and took the first Monument of his career.

Fatigue sets in for Quick-Step as Astana take the reins

All eyes were fixed on Deceuninck – Quick-Step and Astana heading into Liège.

Both are among the most successful teams in professional cycling this season, with Quick-Step dominating the one-day races while Astana took control of the early-season stage races.

Alaphilippe was the clear favourite heading into the final Monument of the spring, having won three of his five Classics this season.

But as the race entered the final kilometres it became clear Alaphilippe was not at his best, struggling to follow the wheels as Fuglsang went clear at the head of the race.

Astana had put numbers at the front of the bunch to set up the Fuglsang victory, while Quick-Step lost the race-defining control that had seen them win nine Classics before Liège.

Quick-Step are still the most successful team this season, leading the UCI’s team rankings, but with Fuglsang’s victory Astana proved they can take the fight to the Belgian behemoths.

Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) has claimed his first ever Monument with victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019, attacking with 15km to go and holding on despite nearly crashing with 5km left to race.

The Dane had finished second to Alaphilippe twice at La Flèche Wallonne and Strade Bianche, whilst the pair also threw away victory at the Amstel Gold Race, so Fuglsang crossed the line with relief, pumping his fist at finally climbing up to the top step of the podium this spring.

Fuglsang made the decisive move on the final climb, the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons, as Alaphilippe and other contenders struggled after a tough day of racing in rainy conditions.

Michael Woods (EF Education First) and Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) had gone on the attack with Fuglsang, before he proved too strong for them and pulled clear with 13km to go and soloing to the line.

Davide Formolo rolled across in second place 27 seconds later, his first Monument podium appearance, with his Bora-Hangrohe team-mate Maximilian Schachmann following after another 30 seconds had elapsed.

Adam Yates finished fourth, with Mikel Landa (Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Wout Poels (Team Sky) also featuring in the top 10.

Philippe Gilbert was dropped on the penultimate climb of the Cote des Forges as Alaphilippe and Deceuninck - Quick-Step then struggled to show themselves at the front of the peloton as Astana took control.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) were two early casualties, both abandoning the race due to ill health.

In the women's race, Annemiek van Vleuten returned to winning ways, claiming the victory after attacking at the bottom of the Côte de la Redoute.

How it happened

As ever, the route was punctuated by short, sharp climbs, with nine featuring inside the last 100km of the 256km route, meaning only the strongest riders would make it to the business end of the oldest Monument.

However, this year's course provided a major shake up, with a new flat and fast finish opening the race up for more riders to potentially challenge for the win.

Attacks came as soon as the riders rolled out of the 6.8km neutral zone, with the day's breakaway soon establishing itself, made up of eight riders: Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie), Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo), Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama-FDJ), Jeremy Maison (Arkéa-Samsic), Andrea Pasqualon (Wanty-Gobert), Kevin Deltombe (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Mathjis Paasschens (Wallonie Bruxelles), Kenny De Haes (Wallonie Bruxelles).  The break gained their maximum gap of the day of nearly nine minutes after 40km of racing.

The conditions on the road were far from ideal, with rain falling from the time the riders left Liège. After reaching Bastogne and the feed zone, Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) abandoned the race. The Irishman was recovering from illness at the Vuelta al País Vasco and had been riding in support of team-mate Diego Ulissi after not feeling well enough to try and repeat his victory of 2013.

Next to abandon was four-time winner Alejandro Valverde, who climbed off at around the 100km mark, his Movistar team tweeting soon afterwards to explain the Spaniard had been suffering from various physical problems over the last few days. Robert Gesink (Jumbo-Visma) also withdrew after crashing on a descent and being taken away in an ambulance.

Deceuninck - Quick-Step began pulling so hard on the front that the peloton began to split, bringing the breakaway's gap under five minutes, with Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) then attacking the breakaway, splintering the group, and going solo.

With 66km to go Bernard was caught and the peloton splits had not succeeded as the race all came back together.

A couple of kilometres later, Tanel Kangert (EF Education First) attacked, with Omar Fraile (Astana) going with him. The pair were soon joined by a number of other strong riders, including the Belgian youngster Bjorg Lambrecht (Lotto-Soudal).

This forced Deceuninck - Quick-Step to chase once again, with Kangert eventually going clear off the front as they rode on to the Côte de la Redoute.

As the peloton also followed on to La Redoute, where a Japanese chef living in Luxembourg had chalked "Phil" on to the road hundreds of times, his Belgian hero Philippe Gilbert began to drop, with Patrick Konrad then attacking the peloton on the next Cote des Forges and distancing the Paris-Roubaix winner.

Patrick Konrad soon joined Kangert, who had been left dangling out front with a 10 second gap for a number of kilometres, as Alaphilippe hung around the back of a strung out peloton as Astana came to the front, with no blue Deceuninck - Quick-Step jerseys to be seen anywhere.

Ion Izagirre flew off the road into the trees as Astana closed the gap to under 10 seconds with 17km to go, as the peloton started to get twitchy as the final climb, the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons approached.

Tim Wellens and Daryl Impey brought Kangert and Konrad back in, before Wellens attacked again and was followed by Michael Woods (EF Education First) having a go. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) quickly  closed the gap with an attack, with Alaphilippe and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain Merida) being put in trouble.

Fuglsang, Woods and David Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) formed a three-man leading group, until Woods and Formolo were dropped by Fuglsang, who sped off to hunt down a first ever Monument victory.

A serious poursuivant group formed behind Formolo and Woods, featuring Nibali, Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) and Mikel Landa (Movistar) but Fuglsang held a gap of 23 seconds over the next seven kilometres.

Inside five kilometres to go, with Fuglsang crouched over his handlebars on a descent, his back wheel slipped out, but the Dane somehow managing to stay upright as he closed in on the finish and his first ever Monument.

Result

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019: Liège to Liège (256km)

1 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, in 6-37-37

2 Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 27 seconds

3 Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 57s

4 Adam Yates (Gbr) Mitchelton-Scott

5 Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First

6 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ

7 Mikel Landa (Esp) Movistar, all at same time

8 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 1-00

9 Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain-Merida, at 1-05

10 Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky, at 1-26

World time trial champion Annemiek van Vleuten resumed her normal position on the top step of the podium by winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019.

After finishing second in both the other recent Ardennes races, the Dutchwoman won her second Women’s WorldTour race of the year following her Strade Bianche success in March.

Both victories were similar in style, long solo efforts winning the day. At La Doyenne she attacked at the bottom of the Côte de la Redoute, riding solo to the line for over 30km, eventually winning by a margin 1-39.

She was initially followed on La Redoute by Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) and Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) but they were soon caught and a small chasing group formed. This didn't last long when Deignan attacked again on the approach to the final of five climbs, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

Deignan was joined by two others, but that trio was unable to catch Van Vleuten and they were subsequently caught by a small group.

In the end the Brit finished seventh, with Floortje Mackaij (Sunweb) sprinting to second and Demi Vollering (Parkhotel-Valkenburg) making it an all Dutch podium in third.

How it happened

A vast contrast to the other Ardennes Classics this year, as rain and cold temperatures greeted the peloton as they rolled out of Bastogne for the 138.5km race.

An early high pace was set, with some lacking the resolve to tackle the weather and the course’s five climbs and dropping out of the back early. With such a high pace none of the attempted breakaways were able to get clear in the opening kilometres.

After 35km there was a slowing in the break and Urska Bravec (BTC City Ljubljana) took advantage of this, escaping the peloton and gaining a lead of 30 seconds.

However, as the race approached the the Côte de Wanne, the first of the day’s climbs, Mithcleton-Scott took to the front and she was caught.

The Côte de Wanne split the bunch, with around 50 riders leading the race over the top, though some were able to get back on the descent before the second climb, the Côte de Brume.

For the second climb in succession Maria Novolodskya (Coegas-Mettler-Look) crested first with Leah Kirchmann hot on her heels, the pair escaping the bunch and forming the day’s breakaway.

Behind them a main bunch of around 40 riders formed, though were happy to give the leading duo their head for a while, and they built a lead of 1.30 with 58km to go.

As the race approached its closing stages on the Côte de la Vecquée, Boels-Dolmans unsuccessfully tried forced a selection, the resulting 10-rider group were caught as they passed the top of the climb, but the leaders’ advantage had been slashed.  

Though the pace eased once again and a group of 80 came together on the long descent, this allowed the gap to grow at the front of the race. It was only on the approach to the penultimate climb, La Redoute, that the leaders were finally caught, and the moment they were Van Vleuten launched her winning attack.

Result

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes: Bastogne - Liège (138.5km)

1 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott in 3-42-10

2 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Sunweb at 1-39

3 Demi Vollering (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 1-43

4 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Alé-Cipollini

5 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Sunweb

6 Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM

7 Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo

8 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-SRAM

9 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

10 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Bigla all at same time

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) has abandoned Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019.

The Spaniard climbed off with just over 100km to go, just as the race was livening up with Deceuninck - Quick-Step splitting the peloton as they chased down the day's breakaway.

His Movistar team tweeted saying he had been "suffering from various physical problems in the last few days and will not be able to reach the finish. We'll give you more information when we have it."

Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) also abandoned earlier in the race as the bunch passed through the feed zone. The Irishman had reportedly been recovering from illness at the Vuelta al País Vasco and was riding in support of team-mate Diego Ulissi.

Four-time La Doyenne winner Valverde was looking to claim a record-equalling fifth win, despite a change to the finish which saw a flat run-in that would have impacted his chances.

There is currently under 100km left to race with the day's breakaway, that features Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie), only 2-24 up the road.

A new flat, faster finish

Liège-Bastogne-Liège's steep climbs offer up plenty of opportunities for attacks, with Bob Jungels going clear last year just after the Côte de Roche-aux-Faucons and solo-ing the final 20km to the finish line.

However, this year there has been a major shake-up to the parcours. After all, races don't get as old as La Doyenne without maintaining a balance between tradition and innovation.

For the 2019 edition the finish line has been moved from the Liègeois suburb of Ans to Liège itself, with the final stretch now a flat sprint instead of the previous punchy last kilometre uphill.

This will favour riders suited to faster, flatter finishes, with Valverde slipping from being a nailed on favourite last year to an outside bet in 2019, despite the fact he'll line up sporting the world champion's rainbow jersey.

>>> Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019: all you need to know

The latter half of the 256km will ensure the bunch is whittled down to a group of contenders, with nine climbs inside the final 100km meaning only the strongest will be in with a chance of winning the oldest Monument.

The women's race will also feature this new finish after five climbs on the 138.5km long course.

Will the new finish thwart Alejandro Valverde's attempt to equal Merckx's record?

The Spaniard, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Wednesday, has won the race on four previous occasions and will be hoping to equal Eddy Merckx's record of five Liège wins.

The flattening of the finish will certainly not help Valverde, but write him off at your peril. Who could have predicted he would take the rainbow jersey in Innsbruck last year, as Bala continues to defy those who claim his age will stop him from winning.

Can anyone stop Deceuninck - Quick-Step?

You'd think if a team didn't take a reigning champion back to the race they won 12 months earlier they would be up against it to bring home a repeat performance.

Not Deceuninck - Quick-Step, though, who despite leaving 2018's winner Bob Jungels at home boast race favourite Julian Alaphilippe as well as 2019 Paris-Roubaix winner and all-round Classics superstar Philippe Gilbert amongst their seven-man roster.

Julian Alaphilippe is the clear favourite to emerge victorious in Liège, after a stunning spring campaign which began with a win in Milan-San Remo and most recently included victory at La Flèche Wallonne. In between, he's won Strade Bianche and taken a podium at Brabantse Pijl.

If Alaphilippe isn't up to it, Gilbert will be looking to repeat his 2011 win (more on that later) having taken the win inside the Roubaix velodrome earlier this month through sheer strength and cunning. The Belgian has now won four out of the five Monuments and is always a threat when he lines up for a one-day race.

In terms of their main competition, Jakob Fuglsang has maintained a side-hustle whilst contracted to Astana of being Julian Alaphilippe's shadow, finishing second to the Frenchman twice as well as the duo forged a two-pronged disaster performance in the Amstel Gold Race.

Last chance saloon for riders who've disappointed this spring

Should Deceuninck - Quick-Step not take home the win, there are a number of riders desperate to turn around their early season performance. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) will not take the start line in Liège, but there are others who will and carry with them underwhelming spring Classics campaigns.

Greg Van Avermaet (CCC) is the obvious pick of a rider who has gone without a win this spring. He was supposed to finish his Classics season at the Amstel Gold Race but has said his condition is good enough for him to continue through to the final Ardennes Classic.

This decision will have likely been aided by the fact Van Avermaet has only one top 10 finish, at the Tour of Flanders, from his outings at the spring Monuments this year. Even in the other Classics, the Belgian could only muster a third place finish at E3 Harelbeke and was runner-up at Omloop Het Nieuwslbad.

Michał Kwiatkowski will also be looking to take home the last ever victory for Team Sky in their current incarnation, after Tao Geoghegan Hart and Pavel Sivakovski finished the team's stage race career in style at the Tour of the Alps.

Michael Matthews has also flirted with the top 10 on multiple occassions this spring, and Dan Martin will be hungry for another win to add to his 2013 title.

Only one Belgian winner since the turn of the millenium

Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) recently became the first Dutch winner of his homeland's Amstel Gold Race since Erik Dekker in 2001.

Apart from Philippe Gilbert's victory in 2011, you have to go back to 1999 for the last Belgian winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, when Frank Vandenbroucke won.

Looking past Gilbert, a number of his countrymen could potentially turn around their nation's luck in this race. There's Greg Van Avermaet, and also Tim Wellens, who after last year's Brabantse Pijl win finished third this year, as well as securing a bronze in Omloop Het Nieuwslbad.

The 22-year-old Bjorg Lambrecht (Lotto-Soudal) has also shown promise, with fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes in La Flèche Wallone, Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race respectively. He'll be hoping for another top 10 finish as he continues to gain experience in top-level races.

In the women's race, which began two years ago, there has only ever been one winner, Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dolmans), who will be hard to beat after picking up the win in the women's Flèche Wallonne 2019.

Belgium are still looking for their first ever podium in the race, with Lizzie Deignan, Amanda Spratt, Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Annemiek van Vleuten the riders who clame close to stopping the Dutchwoman in previous editions.

The 2019 spring Classics season is nearly over after many exhilarating races including Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) winning in the Roubaix velodrome and Mathieu van der Poel's (Corendon-Circus) astonishing victory in the Amstel Gold Race.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the last chance for many to finish on the top step of the podium, if they've so far had a fruitless spring, before we move into a summer packed with Grand Tours and stage racing.

>>> Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019: all you need to know

Fou former winners take the start line:Philippe Gilbert, road race world champion Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Team Sky's Wout Poels and Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates).

The race takes place on Sunday April 28 2019,  and one of the main questions is can anyone stop Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step)? Here are the odds of the Frenchman to take the win as well as the other contenders vying to claim the victory for themselves.

Alaphilippe has become accustomed to having the shortest odds in a bike race after a formidable spring Classics campaign. He picked up wins at Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche and La Flèche Wallonne, as well as achieving top five finishes at the Amstel Gold Race and Brabantse Pijl. With odds of 9/4 the bookies seem fairly certain, would you bet against him?

One rider who will be determined to break the Alaphilippe winning streak is Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), having lost out to him a number of times this spring. The Dane finished second behind Alaphilippe at both Strade Bianche and La Flèche Wallonne, and whilst he beat him to the last place on the podium at the Amstel Gold Race, the pair conspired to throw away a guaranteed one-two finish after a game of cat and mouse that gave Mathieu van der Poel the win. Fuglsang is second favourite at 4/1 and will be desperate to finally take a win after a number of close calls.

Next up is Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), offered at 12/1. The German has had an impressive spring, with two top five finishes in the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne, as well as numerous stage wins in the Tour of the Basque Country and the Volta a Catalunya.

Team Sky's Michał Kwiatkowski animated La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, but was ultimately found out by Alaphilippe and Fuglsang as they made their way up the Mur de Huy for the final time. He's clearly in good form, though, with a third place finish in Milan-San Remo and the points classification in Paris-Nice. With odds of 12/1, the Pole will be looking to add a second Monument win to his 2017 Milan-San Remo title.

Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) has two top 10 finishes in the Tour of Flanders and La Flèche Wallonne this year, staying true to his spring Classics palmarès that's littered with single figure finishes and the odd podium. He's valued at 14/1 to finally come out on top.

Road race world champion Alejandro Valverde failed to contest the win at La Flèche Wallonne despite winning it five times previously, and will line up at Liège-Bastogne-Liège as a four-time winner, one victory behind record holder Eddy Merckx. Two top 10 finishes in Milan-San Remo and Tour of Flanders mean the Spaniard is offered at 16/1 to take the win.

Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) says he "just needs a bit of luck" to claim his first Monument at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Brit finished 8th the last time he took the start in 2017 and despite crashing out of La Flèche Wallonne has an outside chance of victory. He's priced at 18/1.

Bahrain Merida's Vincenzo Nibali stretched his legs last week at the Tour of the Alps, attacking on nearly every stage as he gears up for another summer of Grand Tour racing. He followed up last year's Milan-San Remo victory with an eighth place finish this year, and alongside his two Giro di Lombardia victories will be looking to add a third Monument to his collection.

A third place in last year's Liège-Bastogne-Liège will give Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) hope that he can offer an improved performance this year, having also just missed out on the rainbow jersey in the Autumn, taking second place in Innsbruck at the road race world championships. Will the Frenchman finally climb to the top step of the podium? He's an outside bet at 30/1.

Tom Dumoulin's best performance at La Doyenne was last year's 15th place, having never got close to threatening for the win before that. Alongside Michael Matthews, he will lead Team Sunweb as the German outfit look to take their first victory this spring.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019 odds (Winner – Oddschecker)

Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step 9/4

Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana 4/1

Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 12/1

Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 12/1

Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb 14/1

Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar 16/1

Adam Yates (Gbr) Mitchelton-Scott 18/1

Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 20/1

Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale 30/1

Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 30/1

All odds correct at time of publication

Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) says he has "good legs" and now "just needs a bit of luck" in order to claim victory in Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The 26-year-old crashed out of La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, a race he had said he was "high in confidence" for. His 2019 season so far has seen him achieve two overall second place finishes at Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta a Catalunya as well as picking up a stage win in the Tour of the Basque Country.

La Doyenne's 256km course features 11 categorised climbs, throwing up yet another attritional day of spring racing in Belgium.

In a change to last year's race, the final now finishes in the centre of Liège, leaving a 15km flat stretch of road up to the line.

Yates' best finish in the race was eighth in 2017 but is amongst the favourites for the win. Speaking ahead of the race, he said: "After crashing out of La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday and not being able to have a go at the finish I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to Liège on Sunday.

"I’ve got good legs, I’ve had a few wins this first part of the season and so I’m hoping to finish off this spring with a strong result in Liège.

"My best result in the past was eighth place so it will be good to have a real good go this year. The finish has changed this year and it’s not necessarily to my advantage with a long flat final but let’s see. Anything can happen in these long monuments and the form is there, I just need a bit of luck now."

His Mitchelton-Scott team have fared well in the race over the years, with former rider Simon Gerrans winning for the team in 2014 as well as Michael Albasini taking second place in 2016.

Team director Matt White said: "The old finish was pretty predictable, the best guys won, there was no hiding, it was an uphill drag to the finish and super hard after six and a half hours of racing. This year the Faucon climb is the last, it is a tough climb that goes up in a couple of ramps and the best guys, best climbers will try to escape there.

"The big question is if a group can get across to them. So we may see a group of four of five coming to the line together, or for the first in a long, long time a 20-up sprint for the win of Liège which hasn’t been seen in this generation.

"It is suppose to be bad weather too with rain and between four to ten degrees. It can be really brutal in these conditions, it’s more than 4000 metres of climbing and long descents so the guys get cold. I think it is the toughest one-day race on the calendar in terms of climbing and especially in bad conditions, there is no soft winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège."

Mathieu van der Poel is not what you might call a Strava addict. In fact, before now the last ride he uploaded was his Dutch national championships win from June 2018.

On Wednesday though, the 24-year-old uploaded his file from his stunning win at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday. Even he must have been impressed with the numbers.

First off, over the 260km, 6-26-20 ride, Van der Poel averaged 337 watts weighted for the day. He spent most of the day in zone two and zone three heart rate, but did spend over 47 minutes at threshold, much of that probably coming in the last 10km when he was chasing down the breakaway riders. Van der Poel's best 20-minute effort for the day was 378w (5.17w/kg) with a max power of 1,400w during his final sprint.

Before we get to that incredible finish though, Van der Poel's first real action in the race came with 43km to go when he made a daring and powerful attack on the climb of the Gulperberg, a circa 500m climb that averages around five per cent gradient (according to Strava) but hits up to 18 per cent in places.

While that attack was short lived, the Dutchman got fourth place overall on the segment after averaging 761w for its duration, hitting over 1,200w at an average speed of 26.5kmh. He was clearly trying hard, hitting a maximum heart rate of 190bpm.

It's the final 16km we're really interested in though, around the distance of the final lap from the top of the final ascent of Cauberg to the finish.

By this time in the race, Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) were a close to a minute up the road on Van der Poel's group with Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) and Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) chasing behind at a yo-yoing gap that jumped between 10 to 30 seconds.

For the final 16km Van der Poel averaged 43.7kmh, at 353w average (4.8w/kg), with an average heart rate of 171bpm. After the downhill section from the finish and the Guelhemmerberg climb, the road began to rise up again with the final climb of the Bemelerberg and the uncategorised Steenberg, and this is where Van der Poel really seemed to hit the gas in the final 8km.

TV images showed him doing more or less all of the work as he dragged a group containing the likes of Simon Clarke (EF Education First), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) back into contention.

The entire section from the Bemelerberg onwards saw him average 185bpm as he averaged 426w (5.8w/kg) at 42.9kmh to the finish.

Van der Poel rode the 680m drag of the Steenberg at 39.8kmh at 526w (7.2w/kg), and was still able to recover enough to pull out a power full sprint just over a kilometre later.

He rode at 57.4kmh average on the front of the chasing group coming into the final straight and bearing down on Alaphilippe, Fuglsang and Kwiatkowski, averaging 659w (9.02w/kg) at 190bpm. As he came close to making the catch he then launched his sprint, hitting a whopping 1,400w max power output, averaging 1,186w in the final 200m or so.

Van der Poel travelled at around 62kmh with a max speed of 65kmh, enough to seem him cross the line and take victory much to his own disbelief, in what was one of the most memorable race finished we've ever seen.

World champion Anna van der Breggen has criticised the organiser of both Flèche Wallonne and Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège as neither race will be shown live.

Of the eight Women’s WorldTour races so far in 2019, Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne was the first not to be shown either on an online live stream or broadcast on television. Other races below the top tier have also stepped up in recent seasons.

The race is staged by Tour de France organiser, ASO and the only live coverage available was at the finish line, where the final ascent of the Mur de Huy was shown. Live coverage of the men’s race, which ran concurrently, did not start until after the women’s race had concluded.

>>> Five talking points from La Flèche Wallonne 2019

In contrast Flanders Classics, who organise many of the cobbled Classics in northern Belgium, streamed all five of their races live on the Proximus Facebook page.

“It’s time,” said Boels-Dolmans rider Van der Breggen, after winning her fifth consecutive Flèche Wallonne.

“It’s one of our biggest races together with Liège. We are fighting all day, we had echelons on the road, so it’s a pity you only saw the last climb because that is the end and the fight is before that.

“I think Amstel was a good example of how to do it, and by now I think we deserve to have live coverage and that people can follow us because many people would like to.”

Despite Van der Breggen’s serial success, the race itself was exciting, with numerous attacks throughout its 118.5km. Only on the final climb did the rainbow jersey come to the fore and tackle the famous slow motion sprint finish.

Van der Breggen and her Dutch team have been under pressure this year, with Wednesday’s success their first WorldTour victory so far this season.

In previous years they have dominated, and even in the unusually fallow 2017 they dominated the Ardennes, winning all three races, beginning with Amstel Gold.

With sponsors based in the area all three races of Ardennes week are hugely important to the team, and with sponsors based on the route Amstel Gold is most of all. Despite winning the two previous editions Annika Langvad’s fourth place was their best placing this year

That put huge pressure on the team as they rolled out of Huy for Flèche Wallonne and manager Danny Stam admitted to Cycling Weekly he was relieved after the win.

“It’s not a secret that we are under pressure. Everybody always says something when you are not winning, this was our answer,” he said.

“The Mur de Huy is the key, Anna loves this climb. but for me she is a big, extreme champion. If you can win this race one you have won it four times already and everybody knows you want to win and need to win, you are a special champion.”

Van der Breggen certainly seems to have the measure of one of cycling’s toughest finishes. In the last four years she has won it from the traditional short sprint, from a lone break and, like this year, a slightly longer effort sprint.

“I don’t have a secret, it’s different every year. The second last climb is really hard and it’s always a hard final, that’s good for me. I know how to ride it and to pace it, if you go too early you will not win.”

For all Van der Breggen’s knowledge, skill and strength, the one thing Van der Breggen cannot wait for is proper coverage of those women’s events which consistently provide an exciting spectacle.

“We want coverage next year.”

It was a second podium in three days for Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), as the Dane once again battled the Julian Alaphilippe and failed to come out on top.

After finishing second to the Frenchman at Strade Bianche and the pair throwing away the win at the Amstel Gold Race, Fuglsang looked to exact revenge on the Mur de Huy at La Flèche Wallonne 2019.

Having gone clear with 500m to go, Alaphilippe jumped on to his wheel and waited until the final 200m to launch his attack and take the victory to continue Deceuninck - Quick-Step's formidable spring Classics campaign.

>>> Unstoppable Julian Alaphilippe wins La Flèche Wallonne 2019

Asked at the post-race press conference as to whether people should be giving him congratulations or commiserations after coming extremely close to victory yet again, Fuglsang remained upbeat. "No I think you can say congratulations for getting one step closer to the top step of the podium, and on Sunday [at the Amstel Gold Race 2019] I was disappointed with how we finished the race, how we sprinted for the victory," he said.

"But today was all to the line and I gave it my best, and even with 100m to go Julian passed me but I managed to get back on him but there was nothing left. I think we had a good battle and in the end I did it the best way I could, to go from far and keep a steady but high pace.

"Normally, La Flèche Wallonne isn't a race that fits me so I'm happy to finish on the podium and once again show that I'm in really good shape at the moment and I look forward to Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday."

You would think having to duel the same rider so many times over the spring Classics campaign and never coming out on top could begin to get to you as a rider, could start playing with your head, but Fuglsang is determined taking the positives from his early season performances.

"These are the races that fit the kind of rider that Alaphilippe is. I mean I'm happy about the shape I'm in, and that I can challenge. In Amstel I still managed to beat him, I know it was for the third spot, but I still managed to beat him and if it wasn't for the battle then it would not be as interesting to watch.

"It's the third time this year and he's better at one day races and that's how it is, we've got one race to go [Liège-Bastogne-Liège]. My speciality at the end of the day is stage races and I would say that is where Alaphilippe has his weak side but he's just more explosive in these types of finishes."

Being different types of riders clearly helps to negate any ill-will between the two, with the Dane saying the pair are friends and share a healthy rivalry. "We have a good relationship and we speak together during the races," Fuglsang added.

"Not too much, there's not much time in these races, they're quite hectic, so it's more about keeping eyes up the road and getting to the finish line in one piece.

"But we are good friends and I respect him for the rider he is and I think he respects me and it's no hard feelings whatever the result."

Anna van der Breggen gets five

Curse of the rainbow bands, or just high expectations? Anna van der Breggen has yet to win since becoming world champion in September in Innsbruck, but then again she's only taken part in four races this season after taking some time away from the road to race the Cape Epic.

Still, an 11th place in her first race at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and ninth in defence of her Strade Bianche title weren't what would have been expected from the Dutchwoman, while she looked in contention for Amstel Gold Race on Sunday before fading on the final ascent of the Cauberg to finish 13th.

But then along comes old faithful, the race to which she holds the not-so-secret formula, La Flèche Wallonne. Sprinting ahead with 200m go on the Mur de Huy seems to have worked in the last five editions, and it worked again today, giving her a record-equalling fifth title (joint with Marianne Vos) at Flèche.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) gave it a good go at chasing her down before the line, but there was no repeat of La Course here. After Amstel Gold you may have given some of the other contenders a bit more chance at stopping Van der Breggen's run at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, but if she's back on top form again you'd be hard pressed to stop her making it three in a row.

Alaphilippe vs Fuglsang, round three

AND THIS TIME, IT'S PERSONAL.

It's the rivalry of the year so far and it played out once again in the men's Flèche Wallonne on the Mur de Huy, presumably much to Jakob Fuglang's chagrin.

The Astana man (whose name means 'birdsong' in Danish in case you missed Eurosport telling you every, single time he attacks) must be starting to feel a bit hard done by at this point. He lost out to Julian Alaphilippe at Strade Bianche, managed to beat him at Amstel Gold Race but still only finish third after that sprint by Mathieu van der Poel, and then take runner-up to him again today.

Fuglsang attacked quite early on the finish slopes of the Mur de Huy, and really did his French rival a bit of favour by giving him a wheel to follow. There was no coming back once Alaphilippe had accelerated past him, but he might just be glad he only had to spend a few seconds rather than an hour with him in a break today.

Meanwhile, Alaphilippe can do very little wrong when Mathieu van der Poel isn't around. Despite missing out on what looked like almost sure things in De Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race last week, the 26-year-old has still had an amazing spring.

In addition to his Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche titles, Alaphilippe seems to have bought Alejandro Valverde's secret to La Flèche Wallonne as he raced to two titles in a row. Another perfectly timed sprint up the Mur de Huy did the job again, and he must surely enter Liège-Bastogne-Liège almost completely free from pressure - a win there would just top what has been a phenomenal season so far.

Here we go again

In some ways I really don't mind Flèche Wallonne. What else is there to do on a Wednesday afternoon? At least it's not on a Saturday. It's like that movie or TV show you know isn't that great, but you watch it over and over again anyway even though you know what the ending will be because it's a kind of comforting familiarity. Just me? OK.

Nevertheless, it's still a bike race and sport, and should probably conform to the widely agreed thought that it should be in some way entertaining and/or exciting.

There can't be a bike race on the calendar that is so hampered by it's own course but yet relies on it for historical relevance. La Flèche Wallonne is the Mur de Huy, and to take it out of the finish is almost unthinkable.

Amstel Gold, a relatively younger race, removed the Cauberg from its finale for the same reason that it had just turned into a predictable bunch dash up the climb to the line, but it's far from imaginable that organiser ASO would do this for Flèche.

This year it even added in some more climbs closer to the finish and another ascent of the Mur de Huy just for good measure, however to very little noticeable effect. The men's race is still not long enough at 195km (potentially because no-one wants to ride another 250km Classic mid-week between Amstel and Liège) to thin things hugely, and every rider knows that it will simply come down to timing the final dash on the Mur.

Same time next year?

Crashes ruin chances

Riders will always talk up their chances ahead of a race, more so riders who are currently out of form and are now getting desperate for a result.

Roman Kreuziger is one such rider, as his Dimension Data team begin to reflect on an extremely barren spring. Unfortunately, any chance he had disintegrated with a horrible thud as he was brought down in a nasty crash with still over 30km to go.

Domenico Pozzovivo, who would have more likely been supporting Bahrain-Merida team-mate Dylan Theuns, looked to come off worse as he suffered facial injuries in the same incident.

Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) was an in form rider talking up his chances before the race, but he also came down in the same crash and suffered some road rash, although remounted his bike. Yates has never performed that well at Flèche, and like Kreuziger, he'll hope he can recover in time for a potential shot at Liège where he's performed better in the past.

Sagan rides

It was somewhat of a surprise to find Peter Sagan added into Bora-Hansgrohe's team on the eve of Flèche on Tuesday. The three-time world champion has only ridden the race once before and it is most certainly not an event that has been on his radar since he took that 12th place in 2013.

Sagan has looked jaded through much of the Classics campaign this year, putting up a fight in Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, but wandering fairly anonymously through the Tour of Flanders earlier this month. A DNF in Amstel Gold on Sunday didn't bode well for his chances next Sunday on Liège's new flatter finish, so we can only assume he was thrown in today to try and rediscover some form ahead of this weekend's Monument. (Ed. Update, Sagan has since pulled out of Liège).

It difficult to know if it had the desired effect, after doing some stints for his team-mates Sagan was dropped with 35km to go, later abandoning at the top of the second ascent of the Mur de Huy. After the dip in form he's suffered this spring, you'd be brave to put money on him coming back to take victory on the long, arduous roads of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) won a second successive La Flèche Wallonne with a well-timed jump on Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) to continue his formidable form in the spring Classics.

Fuglsang attacked at 500m to go, with Alaphilippe taking his wheel and the pair going clear in what was a repeat of what could have been after the duo threw away a chance at victory at the Amstel Gold Race three days earlier.

Alaphilippe held Fuglsang's wheel for a few hundred metres before stamping on his pedals and coming around the Astana man, holding off a late charge from the Dane.

>>> Anna van der Breggen takes record-equalling fifth Flèche Wallonne title

Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) was across the line next, six seconds down, with Bjorg Lambrecht (Lotto-Soudal) fourth and Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) fifth.

After a flurry of attacks throughout the day, the race all came back together with 7km remaining. Deceuninck - Quick-Step and Bora-Hansgrohe maintained a blistering pace to keep the race together as the peloton climbed the Mur de Huy for the third and final time.

This was Alaphilippe's third spring Classics victory, after taking the win in Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche, in what has been an incredible campaign for both the Frenchman and his Deceuninck - Quick-Step team.

In the women's race, Anna van der Breggen claimed a record-equalling fifth successive win, drawing level with Marianne Vos, making her winning move on the lower section of the Mur de Huy.

How it happened

This year’s route took place entirely within the Province of Liège, starting in Seraing. The opening 80 kilometres featured climbs of the Côte de la Vecquée and La Redoute, soon followed by the Côte de Mont and the Côte d’Amay.

The 29 kilometre finishing circuit – which the riders completed twice – saw them climb the Côte d’Ereffe, Côte de Cherave and Mur de Huy – finishing atop the Mur after 198.5 kilometres of racing.

After a flurry of early attacks, the day's breakaway was properly established 20km into the race, the five escapees being Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma), Joseph Rosskopf (CCC Team), Robin Carpenter (Rally UHC Cycling), Kenneth Van Rooy (Sport Vlaanderen-Balkoise) and Tom Wirgten (Wallonie Bruxelles), gaining a maximum gap of 5-45 after 30km on the road.

With 40km to go and a consistently high pace throughout the day, the pressure started to mount in what is a typically nervy race, and resulted in a number of crashes in the peloton. First up was a crash with 35km remaining involving Ion Izagirre (Astana), Eddie Dunbar (Team Sky), Michał Golas (Team Sky) and Dion Smith (Mitchelton-Scott).

Then, at 32km to go and just before the riders climbed the Mur de Huy for the penultimate time, television pictures showed Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida), his face bloodied, lying on the tarmac, with Roman Kreuziger (Dimension Data) on the deck displaying plenty of road rash. Adam Yates was also involved, but managed to get back up on his bike, but a bloodied elbow and nasty looking cut below the radio pack on his back meaning his day as a potential contender for the win was over.

At the top of the Mur de Huy, with around 30km remaining, the breakaway had pretty much been reeled back in, with splits in the peloton appearing soon after. A group briefly managed to establish themselves off the front, featuring a number of strong riders, including Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal), Alessandro De Marchi (CCC), Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Wout Poels (Team Sky), Gorka Izagirre (Astana), Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida), Luis Léon Sánchez (Astana) and Enric Mas (Deceuninck - Quick-Step). However, the only stayed out in the front for 3km.

A number of riders then start to test the bunch, with Tomasz Marczyński (Lotto-Soudal) jumping clear at 19km to go, with Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Merida) going off in pursuit a couple of kilometres later. Deceuninck - Quick-Step did a lot of work on the front to try and keep the race together.

Mohorič joined Marczyński with 9km left to race, but with only a 16-second gap on the peloton. Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) then surged forward with under 7km to go, raising the pace and catching Marczyński and Mohorič on the Cherave.

With 5km to go, Jelle Vanendert (Lotto-Soudal), Alaphilippe and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) were at the front of the peloton, being led out by Enric Mas (Deceuninck-Quick-Step). Bora-Hansgrohe then joined Deceuninck - Quick-Step on the front of the peloton, setting a high pace and thwarting any potential attacks, the race stuck together as the riders start the Mur de Huy for the final time.

Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) led up the climb, before Fuglsang hinted at an attack before going for it, with Alaphilippe jumping to his wheel before coming round him in the final 200m, the Frenchman holding off a late charge from Fuglsang to take the win.

Results

La Flèche Wallonne 2019: Seraing to Mur de Huy (198.5km)

1 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 4-55-14

2 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at same time

3 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 6 seconds

4 Bjorg Lambrecht (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at 8s

5 Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe

6 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo

7 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe

8 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb, all at same time

9 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at 11s

10 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Dimension Data, at same time

Taking her first victory since winning last year’s World Championships, Anna van der Breggen won La Flèche Wallonne Femmes on Wednesday.

The Dutchwoman attacked her remaining rivals from around 200m, slowly grinding clear to take her fifth consecutive victory on the Mur de Huy, equalling Marianne Vos’s (CCC-Liv) record.

With her gap established on the slow run to the line, the win was never in doubt for the 29-year-old, though Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) closed in at speed to take second place.

Van der Breggen’s Boels-Dolmans team-mate, Annika Langvad at one point seemed able to catch the Van der Breggen, but eventually faded taking third, though the former mountain bike world champion now has three top-five finishes in three Women’s WorldTour starts.

Though the race came down to the customary slow-motion sprint up the Mur de Huy, the final brought a flurry of attacks and a concerted effort from Sunweb’s Floortje Mackaij.

The Dutch rider had 15 seconds lead at the flamme rouge, but was caught as the climb reached its steepest pitches, on the bend with 300 metres remaining. 

Boels-Dolmans have been the dominant team in recent seasons, but have failed to fire this year and Wednesday’s success will relieve the inevitable pressure.

How it happened

Despite a strong wind blowing across the exposed opening sections of the race immediately after the start in Huy, attacks did not take long to go, with a number of riders trying their luck. However, only when 15km did anyone get any sort of gap, though even that was short-lived.

It was only with 20km that Roxanne Knetemann (Parkhotel-Valkenburg) escaped, and with one leader up the road, the peloton seemed happy and she soon gained a lead of 40 seconds.

The peloton though were in unforgiving mood, and when a further three riders tried to join her the gap tumbled and she was caught.

Then, on one of the long but unclassified ascents at the south of the opening loop of 89km, six riders slipped off the front.

Małgorzata Jasinska (Movistar), Diana Peñuela (Alé-Cipollini), Marie Blais (Astana) Lauren Stephens (Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank), Loes Adegeest and Tatiana Riabchenko established a lead of 40 seconds with 83 of the 118.5km gone.

Adegest was soon dropped and as the race entered a second exposed section with 62km remaining, the peloton lifted the pace and splits began to appear, with Trek-Segafredo leading the way.

In a matter of less than 10km the gap dropped to just 1-25, and by the time they reached the top of the first ascent of Côte d’Ereffe they were caught, though Riabchenko just managed to get over the top first.

Trek-Segafredo’s Lizzie Deignan set the pace on the first pass of the Côte de Cherave, further thinning a diminished bunch, though she was back in the bunch by the time they crested the Mur de Huy the first time. It was a reduced peloton, led by Mitchelton-Scott that took on the headwinds on the open countryside in the final 28km.

A lull allowed a group of four to get away, staying clear until the Côte d’Ereffe for the second and final time, but they were eventually caught on the descent. 

As the bunch ran back towards the river-side town of Huy, first Alsion Jackosn (Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank) attacked, then Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race winner, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) tried her luck. 

When Van Vleuten’s team mate Amanda Spratt attacked over the top of the penultimate climb, the Côte de Cherave there were only 13 remaining though a number got back on before Mackaij made her ill-fated attack.

Result

La Flèche Wallonne Femmes: Huy to Huy (118.5km)

1. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans, in 3-17-04

2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott, at 1 sec

3. Annika Langvad (Den) Boels-Dolmans, at 4 sec

4. Marianne Vos (Ned) CCC-Liv, at 14 sec

5. Demi Vollering (Ned) Parkhotel-Valkenburg, at 16 sec

6. Kasia Niewidoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, at 27 sec

7. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) CCC-Liv, at 20 sec

8. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Bigla, at 23 sec

9. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank, at 26 sec

10. Margarita Garcia (Esp) Movistar, at 33 sec

Others

23. Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo at 1.09 nbsp;

Adam Yates says he's 'high in confidence' as he aims for a first Ardennes podium at La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday.

The Briton has only ridden Flèche twice before in his career, with a highest finishing position of 97th. The steep gradients of the finishing climb of the Mur de Huy (which this year is taken on three times) should suit Yates' punchy climbing style, however he's never been able to be present in the finale of the mid-week Ardennes Classic.

>>> The Mur de Huy: where La Flèche Wallonne will be won or lost

The 26-year-old has in fact performed better on the longer parcours of Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he finished eighth in 2017, and he should end a block of racing at the Monument on Sunday.

Despite a mixed record in the Ardennes in recent years, Yates says he's coming in confident after a successful start to the season. Though he missed out on any overall titles in stage races so far this year, he took stage wins in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour of the Basque Country as well as second overall at Tirreno-Adriatico and Catalunya.

"I’m in good condition but I’ve never quite mastered the Ardennes races," Yates said ahead of Wednesday's Flèche Wallonne. "The terrain suits me generally and Flèche is a bit harder than usual which should suit me more.

"I am nearing the end of a big block of racing which I am pleased about, with a few wins along the way, so my confidence is quite high but we will have to see how things go on Wednesday."

As well as three ascents of the Mur de Huy this year, riders will take on eight other climbs, including three ascents of the Côte d'Ereffe and the Côte de Cherave. Yates will be supported in Flèche by Tsgabu Grmay, Damien Howson, Daryl Impey, Dion Smith, Nick Schultz as well as Michael Albasini, who has performed well in the Ardennes in the past, taking second place at Flèche in 2012 and third in 2015.

"We have some fresh riders coming in for Flèche Wallonne, notably Adam Yates," said head sports director Matt White. "The race has one extra lap this year, so one more time up the Mur de Huy which makes it even harder.

"It is a really important race for us and I think we have a great chance with the riders we have.”