Over 257.2 kilometers was held this Sunday in the 108th edition of the Liège-Bastogne-Liege, the fourth monument of the season that takes place in Belgian territory. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step) confirmed his favoritism and, at the age of 22, won his first title in a race of this class.
Colombians Daniel Felipe Martínez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Sergio Higuita also promised to provide a show and they did so. The national duo came very close to scoring the first podium for the country in the history of this race; however, Belgians Quinten Hermans (Intermarché) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) closed their chances, finishing second and third, respectively.
From early on, a flight of more than 10 cyclists was consolidated, who managed to take more than four and a half minutes out of the main squad. Collaborative work was key so that the differences could be maintained over three minutes for much of the route. Usual in competitions of this type, runners faced multiple heights, which invited them to increase the pace to produce cuts.
With 60 kilometers to go to the finish line, there was a massive fall, in which about 25 cyclists were involved, including the Colombian Rigoberto Urán and a large part of his team, EF-Education-Easypost. The 'Urrao bull' took off his helmet, as he ended up against a pasture next to the road, but he looked able to continue. However, minutes after the incident, it was reported that the Antioquian left the competition, as well as the Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, another favorite of the day.
Beyond the altercation, a large group of athletes were able to continue the course without wasting time and began to narrow the gap with the escapees. The Spaniard Mikel Landa (Bahrain - Victorious) tried several attacks on the Cote de Desnié (with inclinations above 8.0%), causing several cyclists to be left behind. From that moment on, the Asian team imposed a very strong step that definitely took away the hopes of the fugue.
The key attack came with 29.9 kilometers left. Evenepoel surprised the group with a demarcation on the last stretch of the Côte de La Redoute and, although some isolated cyclists tried to hunt it down, its power and consistency were unsustainable. The Belgian grew increasingly distant, reached the wheel of the Frenchman Bruno Armirail (Groupama), the last survivor of the getaway, and continued straight on the road to victory.
Back also began to shake the spirits and the group of athletes was reduced to 12. The Russian Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) tried his legs and even managed to get a few meters ahead of the group where Martinez and Higuita came from, but then he would be hit again. Colombians showed good physical condition on a highly demanding course.
Evenepoel crossed the finish line first, bringing his hands to his face and letting out tears. This represented the 26th victory of the young Belgian as a professional and the fourth this year. Martínez, for his part, has not dropped from fifth place in all the competitions he has played in the season; and Higuita showed positive symptoms after his retirement from the Vuelta al País Casco.
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bélgica/Quick-Step) - 6:12:38″
2. Quinten Hermans (Belgium/Intermarché) - 0:48 ″
3. Wout van Aert (Bélgica/Jumbo-Visma) - m.t.
4. Daniel Felipe Martinez (Colombia/INEOS Grenadiers) - m.t.
5. Sergio Higuita (Colombia/Bora - Hansgrohe) - m.t.
6. Dylan Teuns (Bélgica/Bahrain - Victorious) - m.t.
7. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) - m.t.
8. Nelson Powless (USA/EF Education-EasyPost) - m.t.
9. Marc Hirschi (Suiza/UAE Emirates) - m.t.
10. Michael Woods (Canada/Israel - Premier Tech) - m.t.
71. Winner Anacona (Colombia/Arkéa Samsic) - 07:58 ″
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