I can't help but think back to last year's Liege-Bastonge-Liege as a already celebrating Julian Alaphilippe was caught by Primoz Roglic on at the line, before the Frenchman was disqualified back to fifth place for blocking Hirschi and Pogacar in the run in. Fresh from winning at La Fleche Wallonne, Alaphilippe intends to make amends by taking the 107th edition of La Doyenne because it it is the oldest of cycling's five monuments.
"This is my key objective for the classics season. I'm going into it in top condition, with a good team and high motivation. I know why I came to the Ardennes."
- Julian Alaphilippe
Three big guns missing from the 259km, 4,500m of climbing, six-hour slog over 11 hills are Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock.
107th Liege-Bastogne-Liege start list
Israel-Start Up reinforced their Ardennes team signing Mike Woods to partner with Dan Martin (2013 winner). Woods has even in the top-10 every year since 2017. Could this be his time to win a monument?
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) will be at the start of LBL. Sixth in 2019, the twenty-four year old Frenchman will have a team supporting the Breton. He was seventh place at La Fleche Wallonne and showed good form.
"It is the most beautiful classic of the season in my eyes, it is the doyenne, just by it's name is scares. It's legendary climbs: La Redoute and La Roche-aux-Faucons will once again be the justices of the peace. I already did 6th, I would like to do even better this year. There maybe more movement than on the Fleche Wallonne, you will have to be careful at the foot of La Roche-aux-Faucons, because after that it is more complicated to get out of the game."
-David Gaudu
Comments