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Valverde triumphs in La Flèche Wallonne

Photo Credit: Movistar Team

Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) took his second La Flèche Wallonne title Wednesday after his team worked hard all day at the head of the peloton. Valverde was able to come around Dan Martin (Ireland/Garmin-Sharp) in the final 150-metres of the Muur de Huy climb to take the win.

Earlier in the day, Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France/Rabo-Liv) was the first to the top of the Huy in the La Flèche Wallonne Féminine. Evelyn Stevens’ fourth place keeps the American Specialized-lululemon rider at the top of the World Cup standing. Stevens’ teammate Karol-Ann Canuel was the top Canadian at 23rd.

In the men’s race, the day’s breakaway consisted of a trio of Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania/Garmin-Sharp), Preben Van Hecke (Belgium/Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and Jonathan Clarke (Australia/UnitedHealthcare). Van Hecke was also an escapee in Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race. The three took a maximum lead of 8:40 over the peloton, but Katusha whipped up the pace and the gap had fallen to 6:30 by the time the break was on the first of three passes up the Huy.

Movistar took over the head of the peloton, and Clarke dropped out of the break on the Côte de Bohisseau climb 47-km from the finish. Movistar’s Jesus Herrada (Spain) seemed to be policing the group as it edged closer to the fugitives. By the second ascent of the Huy, the break’s diminished lead was 1:36. A few riders in the peloton tried to bolt on the Huy, but none succeeded.

Finally, it was Chris Anker Sorensen’s (Denmark/Tinkoff-Saxo) efforts on the penultimate climb, the Côte d’Ereffe, that brought the breakaway to heel. Again, Herrada was there to keep the peace. However, on the road between the Côte d’Ereffe and the Huy Jeremy Roy (France/FDJ) shook loose and it was Katusha’s turn to bring him back. A crash near the front of the pack erased Damiano Cunego’s (Italy/Lampre-Merida) aspirations on the day.

The Huy seems to always invite an early effort at its foot that fizzles out. Ben Gastauer (Luxembourg/Ag2r) was that man today, falling victim to a combination of gravity and lactic acid. All the riders who had worked so hard to be at the front – Philippe Gilbert (Belgium/BMC) was conspicuously absent – when the Huy began scrapped it out on the serpentine Huy. Bauke Mollema (The Netherlands/Belkin) led first, then Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland/Omega Pharma-QuickStep). Martin made his move but Valverde had been tracking the Irishman and whipped up the right side to open an imperious gap. Kwiatkowski placed third and Mollema fourth.

Valverde has won four one day races and the Vuelta a Andalucía this season. He has been champion of Sunday’s Liège–Bastogne–Liège twice.

Neither Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) nor Christian Meier (Orica-GreenEdge) finished.

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