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Woods 10th at Liège-Bastogne-Liège as Remco Evenepoel wins first career Monument

World champion Julian Alaphilippe crashes out

Photo by: Sirotti
April 24, 2022
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Remco Evenepoel saved Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl’s spring on Sunday, as we won the 108th Liège-Bastogne-Liège, also known as La Doyenne. It was Evenepoel’s first Monument win in his first try at La Doyenne. The Belgian was Quick Step’s Plan B after race favourite Julian Alaphilippe crashed out. He’s the first Belgian to win in 11 years, and the youngest to win since 1968. His comeback from a terrible crash in the 2020 Il Lombardia was complete. Michael Woods kept up his streak of L-B-L top 10s with 10th.

The Course

La Doyenne 2022 was 253.3 km long and contained 10 climbs. The setting for the title scrap would likely be on La Redoute (2.8 km of 8.9 percent with 33 km to go) and Roche-aux-Facons, with no Cote des Forges in between them as in the last three editions. The final climb, Roche-aux-Facons (2.8 km at 6.2 percent) crested 13.5 km from the finish line in Liege.

It was the last La Doyenne for four-time champion Alejandro Valverde and 2011 winner Philippe Gilbert.

An eleven-rider breakaway with plenty of wildcard team riders busted loose early and wound up a 5:00 gap, rolling over the six first climbs. The sharp ascents started to whittle down the group and by Côte de la Haute-Levée with 70 km to race, there were only six fellows in front with two from Lotto-Soudal and TotalEnergies, 3:00 ahead of the Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl and Bahrain-Victorious-powered peloton.

At 4.4 km, the Col du Rosier was the longest of the climb of the race. The three minute gap remained intact. A huge crash in the peloton delayed the pursuit, the number of the closest chasers down to 50. Alaphilippe was one of the riders who went down.

A massive crash in the chasing peloton.

Bahrain-Victorious continued its labours at the business end of the peloton.

The bad news came from Quick Step.

Mikel Landa then put in a big surge that kicked off a series of accelerations that brought the fugitives closer.

The sextet came off the third from last climb, Côte de Desnié, with a rapidly shrinking gap due to the incessant attacking in the peloton. Woods and Hugo Houle were still in the field.

La Redoute

Now on Plan B, Quick Step led the streamlined peloton onto La Redoute 1:20 behind the escapees. AG2R-Citroën took over. Evenepoel made his move.

Evenepoel attacks on La Redoute.

Bahrain-Victorious and Movistar scrambled to get on even terms with Evenepoel. The Belgian started to knife through the remnants of the breakaway, trying to hold onto a 30-second lead on the chasers.

Roche-aux-Facons

Evenepoel rode with and then shed the last standing fugitive on the opening slopes of Roche-aux-Facons

Evenepoel descended the Roche-aux-Facons into a block headwind. Woods tried to put some impetus into the chase. Wout Van Aert was dropped.

Woods leads the chase with 10 km remaining.

Alexandr Vlasov it out in solo pursuit. Van Aert rejoined the Woods group. With 3 km remaining, Evenepoel was already pumping his fist in celebration.

Fuglsang tried to lead Woods out in the sprint, but the podium would be all Belgian, with Quinten Hermans runner up and Wout Van Aert third.

“I think this was my best day on the bike ever,” Evenepoel said after the race.

2022 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
1) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl) 6:12:38
2) Quinten Hermans (Belgium/Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) +0:48
3) Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma) s.t.
10) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) s.t.
53) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +7:35