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RACE REPORTS: ANDY SCHLECK CHARGES TO LIEGE-BASTOGNE-LIEGE WIN
Tim Maloney-European Editor
April 26, 2009
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Andy Schleck on Liege-Bastogne-Liege podium
(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Still a few months shy of his 24th birthday, Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck
confirmed his enormous talent with a dramatic win in the 95th edition
of Liege-Bastogne-Liege today. With the support of a perfectly
coordinated Saxo Bank team captained by his big brother Franck, Andy
Schleck delivered a perfectly timed, irresistible attack on the Côte de
la Roche aux Faucons with 20km to go to take command of the oldest
classic on the race calendar. With his Saxo Bank squad defending
perfectly behind, Schleck Jr. cruised home to win in Liege for a much
needed win for his Saxo Bank squad. 4th in 2008 as he worked for his
big brother Frank, this year Andy was unstoppable as he took his
biggest career win ever.
The Schleck brothers share a special moment after Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Post-race, after an emotional embrace with his brother Franck, Schleck
Jr. told Belgian TV "This is the most beautiful one-day race of all. I
got second in Flèche Wallonne (Wednesday) so I knew I was one of the
contenders for Liège," he explained. "On the (Côte de la Roche aux
Faucons), I gave all I had. I saw that I had 100 meters and so I just
went full gas," Andy said. "The team worked fantastic behind. Without
my teammates, this (win) wouldn't have been possible. I was really
super motivated today. At Amstel Gold, the team played the card of
(Karsten) Kroon and it was my turn today. So today turned out to be a
beautiful day"
Evergreen at 37, Davide Rebellin won the group sprint for third after a
superb week in the Ardennes classics where he won the Fleche Wallone
for the third time. The experienced Rebellin was somewhat philosophical
about his third spot, telling Italian TV "I tried hard to get away a
few times but the Saxo Bank team was really strong. I just didn't have
the legs to win today. The chase had a hard time to get organized and
no one had a lot of energy left; it was a really hard race."
With Andy Schleck's Liege-Bastogne-Liege win today, his 8th career
victory, we may have seen the shape of things to come in cycling.
Already Best Young Rider at the Tour de France (2008) and Giro d'Italia
(2007), the younger Schleck looks like he can only get better as he
gets older and stronger. Liege-Bastogne-Liege is just another step in
Schleck Jr's march to the top. Already 2nd in the 2007 Giro d'Italia,
look for the talented Luxemburger to return to the Italian tour in 2010
to win it, but on the way, don't be surprised to see Andy on the Tour de France podium in 2009.
How It Happened
Under a partly overcast sky, the 95th edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege
started Sunday morning at 10am in Place Saint Lambert, in front of the
Palais des Princes-Evêques was where the start area was located.
Columbia's Michael Rogers was a non-starter due to an attack of the
flu. There was a lot of action from the start but nothing stuck until
the descent of the Cote de Ny, when Bbox Bouygues Telecom neo-pro Cyril
Gautier, 2008 U23 European road champ struck out on his own. Eventually
three riders bridged across to the French rider; Cervelo's Marcel Wyss,
(2007 U23 L-B-L winner), experienced Belgian Nico Sijmens (Cofidis) and
Hubert Dupont (AG2R). This front quartet worked well together,
obtaining a maximum lead of 10'40" with 92 km to go but Lampre and Caisse d'Epargne were beginning to chase hard.
With 65km to go on the Côte du Rosier, the gap was 4' when Saxo Bank
took command of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, sending 24 year old former
mountain biker Jacob Fuglsang to the front to make the race hard and by
the Côte de la Vecquée climb with 50km to go, the breaks lead was down
to 1'10". On the descent towards Remouchamps and the steep Côte de la
Redoute, Saxo Bank sent Chris Anker Sørensen off the front, with
Dries Devenyns (Quick Step) and Linus Gerdemann (Milram) joining him,
while Caisse d'Epargne chased hard behind for Valverde.
As the break started the Côte de la Redoute, Cyril Gautier charged off
the front as the rest of the break was absorbed, as was the Anker
Sørensen, then Saxo Bank sent another rider on the attack. Alexandr Kolobnov
was joined by Jose Serpa (Diquigiovanni), Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas)
Karsten Kroon (Saxo) and former break rider DuPont. Finally Robert
Gesink (Rabobank) joined the break, going away after the Redoute, The break caught and passed a spent
Gautier. The Kolobnov group was indecisive as the Côte de Sprimont
began with 30km to go and suddenly, Silence-Lotto's local lad Philippe Gilbert made a powerful move out of the peloton to catch and pass
the break and surge into the lead.
Gilbert got a 30" lead at the base of the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons,
where Saxo Bank's strategy came to full fruition. Suddenly Andy Schleck
made a massive counter attack which no one could follow. The long, lean
Luxembourger ate up the gap on Gilbert, catching and passing the
Wallon wonder before the top of the decisive ascent. Schleck had 30" on
the 21 strong chase that had absorbed Gilbert and was now hoping to
pull back Schleck Jr. But with big brother Franck, Kolobnev, Danish
champ Nicki Sorensen, Karsten Kroon and Chris Anker Sørensen in the
chase group, Saxo Bank was in total control.
Andy Schleck flew up the penultimate ascent of Côte de Saint-Nicolas
where he still had a 1'10" lead as multiple attacks shredded the chase
group, but the classy Luxemburger held on for the win after the long
final drag to the finish in Ans. Schleck becomes first Luxemburger to win
Liege-Bastogne-Liege since 1954, when Marcel Ernzer took the title. Behind Schleck, at the red kite marking 1km to go, first Rebellin
attacked, before Joaquím Rodriguez (Caisse d’Epargne) countered to finish 2nd, with Rebellin just edging out Gilbert to win the bunch sprint for
third place.
95th Liège-Bastogne-Liège / 262km
1. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) 6h34'33"
2. Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse d'Epargne) @ 1'12"
3. Davide Rebellin (Diquigiovanni) @ 1'30"
4. Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto)
5. Sergei Ivanov (Katusha)
6. Simon Gerrans (Cervelo)
7. Damiano Cunego (Lampre
8. Benoit Vaugrenard (Française des Jeux)
9. Alexandr Kolobnev (Saxo Bank)
10. Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
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