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La Flèche Wallonne hat trick for Alejandro Valverde

Photo Credit: Movistar Team
April 22, 2015
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Spanish star Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) took his third La Flèche Wallonne title Wednesday, his second in a row. Valverde was the strongest up the infamous Mur de Huy from of a group of twenty, and is now tied with four others for the most La Flèche Wallonne triumphs.

In La Flèche Wallonne Féminine Anna Van der Breggen (The Netherlands/Rabobank-Liv), third in the last two World Cup events, finally got her satisfaction by topping the Huy 12-seconds ahead of compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten (Bigla). Megan Guarnier (USA/Boels-Dolmans) rounded out the peloton and Karol-Ann Canuel (Velocio-SRAM) was the top Canadian in 11th.

A seven-man breakaway with Thomas De Gendt (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) at its centre scuttled up the road early and had an 8:00 gap after 30-km. Katusha set themselves at the front of the peloton as pace-makers. By the first of three ascents of the Mur de Huy with 90-km remaining, the gap was 6:00.

Dan Martin (Ireland/Cannondale-Garmin) had a crash at the foot of the Huy and needed reinforcements to bring him back into contact with the peloton. With 61-km remaining and 5:00 over the peloton, the escapees started to argue and attempt to shell out the passengers. Sky became more prominent at the front of the main group. As De Gendt continued to push on the Cote de Bellaire, the break became a quintet.

Just before the Côte de Bohissau, one of the favourites, 2011-winner Philippe Gilbert (Belgium/BMC), crashed and carried on his ragged kit, thought better or it, and then climbed off his bike.

As the peloton moved closer to the capture, several teams worked to keep their protected men in good position.

Here’s what the final 30-kilometres had in store for the riders:
Km 176.5 – Mur de Huy, 1.3-km at 9.6%
Km 189 – Côte d’Ereffe, 2.1-km at 5%
Km 200 – Côte de Cherave, 1.3-km at 8.1%
Km 205.5 – Mur de Huy

By the foot of the second ascent of the Huy, the break had a minute’s lead, but only 38-seconds at the top. The Ereffe climb used to be the warmup for the final clamber up the Huy but had been moved to third from last as the Cherave took over penultimate duties. On the way to the Ereffe only De Gendt and Jérôme Baugnies (Belgium/Wanty) were left slightly ahead of the peloton, with a bridging move absorbing the remnants of the breakaway in between.

The bridging duo of LL Sanchez (Spain/Astana) and Giovanni Visconti (Italy/Movistar) brought one of the previous escapee with them to make a new quintet up front. The two fresher fugitives set the pace and the group of five splintered on the Ereffe. Behind, Tejay van Garderen (USA/BMC) surged up the road, but nothing came of his bridging attempt.

Etixx-QuickStep whipped along the peloton as the Cherave loomed. Another crash in the peloton involved a bloc of IAM riders and Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky). Sanchez and Visconti took a 21-second gap onto the Cherave. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) attacked, forcing the conjunction with the leading duo, but it was Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) who summited first.

Wellens pulled out more time on the descent off the Cherave. A fifty-rider peloton was close on his heels. The gap was 14-seconds before the final grunt up the Huy. Lampre-Merida worked to bring Wellens back with 500-metres to go.

Valverde was at the front for the whole second half of the Huy and simply gave it a little more gas to finish ahead of young Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx). Swiss Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge), runner-up in 2012 rounded out the podium.

Sole Canadian entrant Christian Meier (Orica-GreenEdge) was among the dozens who did not finish.

2015 La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
1) Anna Van der Breggen (The Netherlands/Rabobank-Liv) 3:18:46
2) Annemiek van Vleuten (The Netherlands/Bigla) +0:12
3) Megan Guarnier (USA/Boels-Dolmans) +0:20
11) Karol-Ann Canuel (Canada/Velocio-SRAM) +1:10
23) Khristi Lay (Canada) +2:08
29) Joëlle Numainville (Canada/Bigla) +3:03
60) Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Canada) +6:45
68) Stephanie Roorda (Canada) +6:57
99) Annie Foreman-Mackey (Canada) +9:51
DNF Allison Beveridge (Canada)

2015 La Flèche Wallonne
1) Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) 5:08:22
2) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Etixx-QuickStep) s.t.
3) Michael Albasini (Switzerland/Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.

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