Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2015 [FULL RACE]

April 26, 2015

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2015 – Liège – Ans : 253 km

A day after he turns 35, Movistar’s veteran star Alejandro Valverde starts this Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège as the top contender. But as Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) discovered in the Amstel Gold Race last weekend, in the Ardennes Classics, the status of outstanding favourite can prove to be a two-edged weapon. Back-to-back victories in Flèche Wallonne and two podium finishes in the last two years of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, as well as two victories back in 2006 and 2008, are all ample proof that Valverde has both the experience and the strength to take his third Doyenne this Sunday. However, last weekend, just as Gilbert’s widely expected attack on the Cauberg in the Amstel Gold Race was the reference point for his rivals’ racing strategy, Valverde’s wheel will be the most popular one to follow in the Doyenne’s closing kilometres on Sunday. Will that extra unwanted attention end up cramping Valverde’s style as badly as it affected Gilbert’s chances at Amstel? Or will Valverde be able to keep his rivals under control like he did in such impressive style on the Mur de Huy on Wednesday?

In the end, Liège-Bastogne-Liège followed the anticipated script. A succession of teams tried and failed to rid themselves of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and the Spaniard duly claimed the uphill sprint in Ans to take his third victory at La Doyenne, seeing off Julian Alaphillipe (Etixx-QuickStep) and Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha).

Valverde’s first triumph came in 2006, the year of the Operacion Puerto blood doping scandal, and the second came in 2008, the year his DNA was matched to the blood bags found in Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes’ possession in Madrid.

The Spaniard eventually served a two-year ban after a protracted case that went all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but he returned seemingly missing without a beat in 2012. Valverde turned 35 on Saturday and, somehow, he has just enjoyed the best Ardennes week of his career, placing second at Amstel Gold Race last weekend before claiming his third Flèche Wallonne win on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Valverde gave the impression that he was always in control of his brief in the finale, even setting the tempo on the front on the Côte de Saint-Nicolas in a bid to dissuade late attacks, and while Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-QuickStep) were distanced over the top, he remained safely part of the leading group of ten on the approach to the finish in Ans.

Katusha were the final team to try to break Valverde’s resolve. Dani Moreno punched clear of the leading group underneath the red kite and looked to have opened a winning gap, only for Valverde to steal across with 500 metres remaining. Rodriguez was planted on his rear wheel, and the rest of the group scrambled across soon afterwards.

But even though Valverde led out from distance, the result was never in doubt, as he claimed the win with more than a bike length to spare over the youngster Alaphilippe, who had also placed second on the Mur de Huy in midweek.

“This is incredible for me,” Valverde said. “There was a difficult moment when I saw Moreno go away, but I decided to get across to him. I had to try and get him, even if it was a risk and I risked losing energy for the final.”

Alaphilippe’s sprint was lengthened somewhat by having to come around a slowing Rodriguez, but in truth he was never likely to catch Valverde, who, as at Flèche Wallonne, seemed to have an extra gear. In the rain-soaked finale, Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) took fourth place, while Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff-Saxo), an attacker on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons claimed fifth ahead of Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale).

The finale of the race was marred by a large crash ahead of the Côte de La Redoute that ended the hopes of the past two winners, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) and Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin), and ultimately forced a greater reduction of the main peloton than any climb other than the final categorised ascent of the Côte de Saint-Nicolas. In keeping with recent history at La Doyenne, the selection came from the back rather than the front for the most part, and with nobody able to make the difference in the closing kilometres, a group finish was inevitable – and so too, perhaps, was Valverde’s win.

How it unfolded

A brisk start to proceedings meant that it took almost an hour of racing for the day’s early break to take shape, with Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) eventually beating a way clear with Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Otto Vergaerde (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Clement Chevrier (IAM Cycling), Marco Minnaard (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Anthony Turgis (Cofidis), Cesare Benedetti (Bora-Argon 18) and Rasmus Quaade (Cult) after 40 kilometres.

They built up a lead of seven minutes at one point only for Europcar’s unexpected show of force on the front to bring their margin under control ahead of the troika of the Côte de Wanne, Côte de Stockeu and Côte de la Haute-Levée with 80 kilometres remaining, by which point a determined delegation from Astana had taken up the reins.

Their aim was to dictate the terms and conditions of the break that would form ahead of the race’s denouement and they duly succeeded. After Andriy Grivko laid the groundwork on the Stockeu, Tanel Kangert and Michele Scarponi found themselves off the front after the Haut-Leveé in the company of Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge), Manuele Boaro (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Julian Arredondo (Trek Factory Racing).

By the Rosier, Arredondo and Boaro had been dropped, but with Chaves persuaded to contribute to the pace-setting, the three leaders padded their advantage out to almost a minute on the Maquisard with a shade under 50 kilometres remaining, before Movistar and Etixx-QuickStep began to inject some life into the pursuit.

The pace ratcheted up still further following the large crash on the approach to the Côte de la Redoute that eliminated Martin, Gerrans (the Australian would crash again while chasing back on), Nicolas Roche (Sky), Matthias Fränk (IAM Cycling) and Fränk Schleck (Trek) from contention, and the peloton was reduced to just 40 riders or so by the base of the climb.

Up front, Kangert was forced to relent on La Redoute, and his absence – allied to the increase in intensity behind – saw Scarponi and Chaves swept up at the base of the Roche-aux-Fauçons with a little over 22 kilometres remaining. It was stalemate most of the way up the climb, as Nibali, Kwiatkowski and Bardet all sized one another up, before Kreuziger punched his way clear within sight of the summit.

Kreuziger, who is still racing pending a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing on his biological passport case, was joined by Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) on the way down the other side, and the trio built up a lead of 25 seconds as Movistar and Etixx dithered behind. As leaden drops of rain began to fall, Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-QuickStep) took up the reins, and his forcing brought the peloton back to within sight of the leaders at the base of the Côte de Saint-Nicolas.

Valverde looked to control the pace on the early slopes before Nibali’s much-anticipated attack finally arrived as the gradient stiffened but although he pegged back the three leaders, he couldn’t forge clear alone. His attack did, however, put paid to the hopes of Kwiatkowski and Philippe Gilbert (BMC) among others, and when Dani Moreno took over near the summit, it ultimately led to the winning selection being formed.

Romain Bardet took a flyer on the treacherous descent but he was unable to force his way clear, although his move did distance Nibali himself and reduced the leading group to just ten riders on the approach to Ans.

As the gradient pitched upwards, Dani Moreno scorched off the front and as all eyes turned to Valverde to chase, it briefly looked as though he might benefit from the impasse behind to claim the win. On this occasion, however, Valverde’s thinking was clear, and he bounded up to his wheel on the approach to the final left-hand bend.

“I started as the big favourite, and I knew all the world watching me, but I knew that I could do something all the same,” Valverde said. “It’s been an amazing week.”

Results :
1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 6:14:20
2 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx – Quick-Step
3 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha
4 Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida
5 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Tinkoff-Saxo
6 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
7 Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Team Sky
8 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team
10 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha
11 Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka 0:00:10
12 Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Team Sky
13 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:24
14 Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica GreenEdge
15 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Team Katusha
16 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Wanty – Groupe Gobert
17 Julien Simon (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:00:32
18 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:00:44
19 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky 0:00:52
20 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal 0:00:58
21 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx – Quick-Step
22 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:01:04
23 José Mendes (Por) Bora-Argon 18
24 Sébastien Reichenbach (Swi) IAM Cycling 0:01:06
25 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin
26 Stephen Cummings (GBr) MTN – Qhubeka
27 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
28 Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
29 Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing Team
30 Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team
31 Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:01:10
32 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
33 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo
34 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin
35 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:30
36 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:01:41
37 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
38 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Team Sky 0:02:03
39 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica GreenEdge 0:02:41
40 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team 0:02:49
41 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:04:37
42 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx – Quick-Step 0:04:44
43 Jarlinson Pantano (Col) IAM Cycling 0:05:02
44 Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team 0:05:31
45 Huub Duyn (Ned) Team Roompot 0:06:05
46 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
47 Georg Preidler (Aut) Team Giant-Alpecin
48 Dominik Nerz (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
49 Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Team Roompot
50 Tiago Machado (Por) Team Katusha
51 Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Eri) MTN – Qhubeka
52 Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
53 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Wanty – Groupe Gobert
54 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Argon 18
55 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek Factory Racing
56 Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge
57 Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
58 Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team
59 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ.fr
60 Simon Clarke (Aus) Orica GreenEdge
61 Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka
62 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:06:22
63 Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:08:09
64 Matteo Bono (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:08:18
65 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa) Lampre-Merida
66 Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) Team Katusha
67 Rein Taaramae (Est) Astana Pro Team
68 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica GreenEdge
69 Carlos Betancur (Col) AG2R La Mondiale
70 José Herrada (Spa) Movistar Team 0:09:22
71 Gorka Izagirre (Spa) Movistar Team
72 Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise 0:09:32
73 Petr Vakoc (Cze) Etixx – Quick-Step
74 Jan Polanc (Slo) Lampre-Merida
75 Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team
76 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
77 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
78 Laurent Pichon (Fra) FDJ.fr
79 Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team
80 Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo
81 Luis Angel Mate (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
82 Bob Jungels (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
83 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team
84 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar
85 Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:10:16
86 Mike Terpstra (Ned) Team Roompot
87 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
88 Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
89 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Team Roompot
90 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team 0:11:28
91 Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ.fr 0:11:39
92 Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Wanty – Groupe Gobert 0:12:02
93 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:13:04
94 Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:15:04
95 Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:16:43
96 Paul Martens (Ger) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
97 Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal
98 Bjorn Thurau (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
99 Maxime Mederel (Fra) Team Europcar
100 Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
DNF Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica GreenEdge
DNF Luke Durbridge (Aus) Orica GreenEdge
DNF Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge
DNF Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team
DNF Rory Sutherland (Aus) Movistar Team
DNF Maxime Bouet (Fra) Etixx – Quick-Step
DNF Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx – Quick-Step
DNF Michal Golas (Pol) Etixx – Quick-Step
DNF Julien Vermote (Bel) Etixx – Quick-Step
DNF Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Daniel Martin (Irl) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
DNF Nathan Haas (Aus) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
DNF Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
DNF Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
DNF Matej Mohoric (Slo) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
DNF Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team
DNF Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team
DNF Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
DNF Dmitrii Kozonchuk (Rus) Team Katusha
DNF Maxim Belkov (Rus) Team Katusha
DNF Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Manuele Boaro (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo
DNF Bruno Pires (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo
DNF Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo
DNF Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo
DNF Valerio Conti (Ita) Lampre-Merida
DNF Jose Rodolfo Serpa (Col) Lampre-Merida
DNF Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida
DNF Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Dennis Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky
DNF Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky
DNF Nathan Earle (Aus) Team Sky
DNF Danny Pate (USA) Team Sky
DNF Julian Arredondo (Col) Trek Factory Racing
DNF Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Trek Factory Racing
DNF Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
DNF Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
DNF Calvin Watson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing
DNF Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar
DNF Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Team Europcar
DNF Bryan Naulleau (Fra) Team Europcar
DNF Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar
DNF Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar
DNF Bertjan Lindeman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
DNF Bram Tankink (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
DNF Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
DNF Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
DNF Moreno Hofland (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
DNF Lawson Craddock (USA) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Caleb Fairly (USA) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Thierry Hupond (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Floris De Tier (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise
DNF Tim Declercq (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise
DNF Sander Helven (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise
DNF Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise
DNF Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise
DNF Arthur Van Overberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise
DNF Otto Vergaerde (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise
DNF Mathias Frank (Swi) IAM Cycling
DNF Clement Chevrier (Fra) IAM Cycling
DNF Pirmin Lang (Swi) IAM Cycling
DNF Patrick Schelling (Swi) IAM Cycling
DNF David Tanner (Aus) IAM Cycling
DNF Larry Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling
DNF Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ.fr
DNF Olivier Le Gac (Fra) FDJ.fr
DNF Kévin Reza (Fra) FDJ.fr
DNF Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ.fr
DNF Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) FDJ.fr
DNF Simone Antonini (Ita) Wanty – Groupe Gobert
DNF Francis De Greef (Bel) Wanty – Groupe Gobert
DNF Tim De Troyer (Bel) Wanty – Groupe Gobert
DNF Yannick Eijssen (Bel) Wanty – Groupe Gobert
DNF Marco Minnaard (Ned) Wanty – Groupe Gobert
DNF Matthew Brammeier (Irl) MTN – Qhubeka
DNF Andreas Stauff (Ger) MTN – Qhubeka
DNF Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri) MTN – Qhubeka
DNF Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka
DNF Yohan Bagot (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Romain Hardy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Anthony Turgis (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Bora-Argon 18
DNF Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Bora-Argon 18
DNF Paul Voss (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
DNF Marc De Maar (Ned) Team Roompot
DNF Reinier Honig (Ned) Team Roompot
DNF Sjoerd Van Ginneken (Ned) Team Roompot
DNF Jesper Asselman (Ned) Team Roompot
DNF Alex Kirsch (Lux) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
DNF Romain Lemarchand (Fra) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
DNF Christian Mager (Ger) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
DNF Martin Mortensen (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
DNF Michael Reihs (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
DNF Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
DNF Rasmus Christian Quaade (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling