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Oops! Alaphilippe celebrates too early at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Roglič wins first Monument

Michael Woods places seventh

Photo by: Sirotti
October 4, 2020
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It was incredible, chaotic finish to Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, with world champion Julian Alaphilippe celebrating too early at the line and getting pipped by Primož Roglič, who wins his first Monument, perhaps a tonic for his disappointing Tour de France conclusion. Alaphilippe’s hubris was further checked with a relegation to fifth place out of a lead group of five. Roglič is the first Slovenian to win La Doyenne; there were three Slovenians in the top 4. Michael Woods was seventh.

Oops! Roglic, just visible on the left, beats the celebrating Alaphilippe.

The Course

The third Monument of the interrupted season held 11 climbs over 257 km. The three last climbs would be crucial: the Côte de La Redoute (1.9 km of 8.9 percent) peaking 30 km from the finish, the Côte des Forges (1.1 km of 7.9 percent) 23 km from the line, and the Côte de Roche-aux-Faucons ((1.1 km of 7.8 percent) cresting 15 km from the finish in Liege. It was a cool, rainy day–arm warmer and vest weather.

Alaphilippe was resplendent in the rainbow jersey.

The reigning L-B-L champ, Jakob Fuglsang, was over in Italy at the Giro d’Italia watching his bid for the pink jersey recede into the distance as he lost a second key helper in the first two days.

A nine-rider breakaway established itself early. The nontet contained four fellows from wildcard teams. It took a gap as large as 6:00 and rolled over Côte de La-Roche-en-Ardenne, Côte de Saint-Roch, Côte de Mont-le-Soie, Côte de Wanne, Côte de Stockeu, Côte de la Haute-Levée and Col du Rosier in the lead.

Just inside 100 km to go and with the peloton within 2:45, Greg Van Avermaet was in a crash that cracked his helmet, and he had to abandon. Crashes also led to Adam Yates, Damiano Caruso and Michael Valgren climbing off their bikes.

Alaphilippe couldn’t get comfortable. He switched bikes and then swapped out shoes.

Alaphilippe switches shoe with 65 km to race.

Trek-Segafredo was doing the majority of the pace making, but with three climbs remaining, fugitive Michael Schär of CCC was still 2:30 ahead of the peloton.

Côte de La Redoute

The Redoute climb has sections up to 20 percent and it was there where Schär finally came to heel, Sunweb pulling the field. Alaphilippe joined a teammate at the front. Michael Woods was in tenth position. There were no attacks.

Côte des Forges

Michael Albasini (Switzerland/Mitchelton-Scott), in his career swan song, attacked before the Côte des Forges. LL Sanchez and Rui Costa bridged over and continued on, with Alaphilippe making it across.

Côte de Roche-aux-Faucons

The Alaphilippe trio was pulled back. Fifty riders approached Roche-aux-Faucons together. Woods kept himself in the top ten positions as the road kicked up, Tom Dumoulin setting the pace. Finally, Alaphilippe attacked with 500-metres to go. Michal Kwiatkowski, Marc Hirschi and the Slovenians, Roglič and Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar, created a group with the world champion, Woods straining to reach them.

Woods couldn’t make the junction. Hirschi burst away with 11 km to race but only managed to drop Kwiatkowski. Woods was in a chase group of a dozen riders 17 seconds behind with 9 km remaining.

As the quartet dropped towards Liège like a stone, it seemed clear that the winner would come from the foursome. Yet, incredibly, another Slovenian, Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-McLaren), made it over and then grabbed the reins. In the sprint, Alaphilippe deviated from his line, making Hirschi pop his foot off a pedal, which led to the Frenchman’s relegation in the group. Alaphilippe celebrated going over the line but Roglič came in hot on the right hand side.

Primož Roglič was sixth last week at the Worlds in Imola; he now has 42 career victories.

2020 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
1) Primož Roglič (Slovenia/Jumbo-Visma) 6:32:02
2) Marc Hirschi (Switzerland/Sunweb) s.t.
3) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) s.t.
7) Michael Woods (Canada/EF Pro Cycling) +0:14