Race Winner: Maxim Iglinskiy
(Astana) reeled in Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) in the final
km after Nibali had attacked on a descent 20 km from the end and
opened up a gap that stretched as far as 45 seconds.
Other podium finishers: Nibali
did hold on for second place (another km and that would have been
dicey). Iglinskiy's teammate Enrico Gasparotto took 3rd to
finish a great Ardennes campaign (also won Amstel Gold last Sunday).
Story of the day (non-winner
category): Defending champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC) was cracked
by the Nibali attack and rolled in 16th. After using this
week to launch his dominating season last year, Gilbert has been
nowhere near the same form. He currently is winless on the season as
he struggles to get into winning condition.
US tv coverage review: Live
coverage? There was none. The race is airing on tape delay tonight on
NBC Sports Network. As for the rest of us in the US, it was off to
find European streams. The quality varied greatly and many cut in and
out. Can we get this right next season, please?
Other odds and ends: The three
Ardennes classics were taken by three different riders: Gasparotto
last Sunday at Amstel Gold, Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) took Fleche
Wallonne and Iglinskiy today. A nice change compared to what happened
last year with Gilbert owning this part of the season...
Surprisingly, the Schleck brothers (RadioShack-Nissan) were nowhere
to be found at the end of the race. Outside of the Grand Tours
(specifically the Tour de France), Liege Bastogne Liege is the only
race the Schlecks seem to care about and they were never up to the
task today. They were both off the back of the front group before
Nibali's attack... As for Nibali's attack, it was a great tactic. He
is one of the best descenders in the peloton and is a very good time
trialer. He also has no finishing sprint and had no teammates. To
win, he had to make something happen. He did, it just didn't work for
him... In addition to the two podium finishers, Astana had one more
rider make the final group with Robert Kiserlovski finishing 14th.
Just a great day for that team.
What's next: It's prep time for
the Giro d'Italia. Many teams have their sprinters for that race in
Turkey right now for the Presidential Tour of Turkey. Many other
contenders there will be in the field for the Tour of Romandie,
starting Tuesday in Switzerland. Others will take time off prepping
before the Giro starts on May 5. For those not going to the Giro,
Tour de France prep is starting. For many, that will be the Tour of
California starting May 13.
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