UK Edition
Alejandro Valverde completes Mur de Huy hat-trick to win historic fourth Fleche Wallonne
Alejandro Valverde of Spain became the first rider to win the Flèche Wallonne four times after racing to a third straight title Wednesday.Spanish rider Joaquim Rodríguez was the first to attack on the final ascent of the brutal Mur de Huy climb, but Valverde countered the move and won the sprint ahead of Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe - who finished runner-up for a second consecutive year.
Valverde, who will turn 36 next week, also won the race in 2006, 2014 and 2015.
"It's incredible to win for a fourth time. It's historic, for myself and for the team. I knew that I was in great shape so I made the best of it," Valverde said.
The Mur de Huy is one of cycling's most difficult climbs, with a 26 percent gradient at its steepest, and Valverde knows it perfectly. Right from the start of the climb, he remained well-placed at the front and waited for the right time to surge ahead with a few hundred meters left.
"I decided to focus on my own course up the Mur, my own path," Valverde said. "I knew I had to hang on until a certain distance, stay well-positioned and give everything with 100 meters to go. Of course, it's important to make history. It isn't just a game or an extra line on my record. The Fleche is a major race in the cycling calendar."
Irish rider Dan Martin completed the podium of the 80th edition of the Ardennes classic, ahead of Wout Poels and Amstel Gold Race champion Enrico Gasparotto.
In perfect weather conditions, three riders - Bob Jungels, Georg Preidler and Ion Izaguirre - tried to launch a breakaway about 12 kilometers before the finish. After Preidler was dropped, they were joined at the front by Tim Wellens, who repeated his move of the previous year when he accelerated in the Cote de Cherave. The trio was finally reeled in before the final climb of the Mur de Huy.
The race was marred by a crash involving Frank Schleck with about 44 kilometers to go. The Luxembourg rider was forced to abandon with a suspected collarbone fracture.
The major spring classics end with Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege race, and Valverde will be among the favorites, having already won it three times. The race is run over similarly hilly terrain in southern Belgium.
Meanwhile, Britain's Mark Cavendish triumphed at the Tour of Croatia on Wednesday after the 30-year-old outsprinted Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) and Australian team-mate Mark Renshaw to win the 240-kilometre second stage in Split.
The stage win propelled Cavendish into the leader's jersey of the six-day race that concludes on Sunday.
Flèche Wallonne details
Men's race, 196km: 1. Alejandro Valverde (Spa - Movistar) 4hrs 43mins 57secs, 2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra - Etixx-Quick Step) at same time, 3. Daniel Martin (Irl - Etixx-Quick Step) s.t., 4. Wouter Poels (Hol - Team Sky) 4secs, 5. Enrico Gasparotto (Ita - Wanty-Groupe Gobert) at 5secs, 6. Samuel Sánchez (Spa - BMC Racing) s.t., 7. Michael Albasini (Swi - Orica-GreenEdge) s.t., 8 Diego Ulissi (Ita - Lampre-Merida) s.t., 9 Warren Barguil (Fra - Giant-Alpecin) s.t., 10. Rui Costa (Por - Lampre-Merida) s.t.
Selected others: 105 Ben Swift (GB - Team Sky) 5mins 11secs, 120. Stephen Cummings (GB -Dimension Data) 7mins 8secs, DNF. Mark Mcnally (GB - Wanty-Groupe Gobert), DNF. Adam Yates (GB - Orica-GreenEdge).
Women's race, 137km: 1. Anna van der Breggen (Hol - Rabo Liv) 3hrs 50mins 36secs, 2. Evelyn Stevens (US - Boels-Dolmans) 8secs, 3. Megan Guarnier (US - Boels-Dolmans) 22secs, 4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol - Rabo Liv) 23secs, 5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita - Wiggle High5) 25secs, 6. Alena Amialiusik (Blr - Canyon SRAM) 38secs, 7. Emma Johansson (Swe - Wiggle High5) 43secs, 8. Katrin Garfoot (Aus - Orica-AIS) 45secs, 9. Marianne Vos (Hol - Rabo Liv) 48secs, 10. Jolanda Neff (Swi - Servetto Footon) s.t.
Selected others: 25. Dani King (GB - Wiggle High5) 1min 11sec, 28. Lizzie Armitstead (GB - Boels-Dolmans) 1min 23secs, 106. Hannah Barnes (GB - Canyon SRAM) 16mins 40secs.