Gerrans triumphs in Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Australian Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) slipped around Katusha’s late attacker Giampaolo Caruso (Italy) and held off Fleche-Wallonne winner Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland/Omega Pharma-QuickStep) on Sunday to take the second Classic Monument victory of his career at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The 2012 Milan-San Remo champion also came third in last Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race.
The first half of the last Spring Classic of the season saw a sextet of escapees get away after one breakaway had failed. The lead group enjoyed up to a 14:30 gap, and the race settled into a predictable rhythm before the fourth and fifth climbs of the day. A fugitive dropped off on the Cote de la Haute-Levée, while behind Tony Martin (Germany) and his teammate Kwiatkowski tried to get away from the peloton on the very steep Cote de Stockeu.
Soon after, world champion Rui Costa (Portugal/Lampre-Merida) crashed out, while Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain/Katusha), still sore from his Amstel Gold crash, climbed off the bike.
This is what a happy team looks like right now inside our bus! #party pic.twitter.com/NYCWzJyPcs
— ORICA-GreenEDGE (@ORICA_GreenEDGE) April 27, 2014
#LBL Hi friends, I’m ok, do not worry. I have some pain, abrasions and bruises but nothing serious, just bad luck. Thanks for your support.
— Rui Costa (@RuiCostaCyclist) April 27, 2014
On the fourth from last climb with 44-km to go, La Redoute, Costa’s Italian teammate Matteo Bono found himself the last fugitive standing. Jacobus Venter (South Africa/MTN-Qhubeka) came back to him, but by the Cote des Forges, Bono was once again solo.
Bono would soon feel the breath of the peloton on his neck. As soon as he was absorbed on the penultimate categorized climb, the Côte de La Roche-aux-Faucons, with under 20-km to go, Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy/Ag2r) and Julian Arrendondo (Colombia/Trek) bolted. The duo of little climbers was swept up by the 11-km-to-go mark, as Tinkoff-Saxo’s Czech Roman Kreuziger led a counter attack that created a select group to hit the final Saint-Nicolas climb.
It was the IAM Cycling rider Stefan Denifl (Austria) who threw the first punch on Saint-Nicolas, but he was soon overwhelmed by Caruso and Pozzovivo. The Italian combination flew towards the last uncategorized ascent, 1-km of 5% to the finish line in Ans near Liège. But the two couldn’t hold off the rampaging trio that would occupy the podium places. Dan Martin (Ireland/Garmin-Sharp), last year’s winner, looked to be in position to stand on the that podium, but crashed in the final turn.
I think the phrase rhymes with ‘Clucking Bell’
— Dan Martin (@DanMartin86) April 27, 2014
Martin’s teammate Ryder Hesjedal came 77th, 5:16 back, and Gerrans’ teammate Christian Meier placed 115th, leading a large group in 12:15 behind the winner.
Gerrans, who won his third Tour Down Under in January, is now second to Alberto Contador (Spain/Tinkoff-Saxo) in the WorldTour rankings, while Valverde is third.
