The Welshman conquers the Mur
It was the toughest edition of Flèche Wallonne in recent memory. Cold, rainy temperatures hovering at 1C, it looked brutal as I watched the riders toil in the classic Ardennes race. Stevie Williams was unflustered as he became the first British male rider to win the Belgian Classic. The Welshman attacked with 275 meters remaining on the final time up the Mur and having claimed IPT's first WorldTour stage race victory at the Tour Down Under in January, has given the team's maiden win in a WorldTour one-day race.
"What a day, what a day, I'm so happy right now. I just can't believe I just won Flèche. I've been watching this race for years I've always wanted to come here with decent legs to try and win it. Today, with the weather, I enjoy racing in these conditions, and I'm just over the moon.
Everybody was waiting with about 300 to go, so I thought if I could get a jump here and put five or 10 seconds into the group, it could give me a good chance to hold on. I was looking around a bit because the legs were empty, but I'm really happy to hold on. I'm exhausted, lost for words, and a bit emotional really. To win bike races is hard, especially here at the Classics."
-Stevie Williams. Israel Premier Tech
"It's massive for him: Stevie has managed to win a WorldTour stage race and one-day race all in the space of four months, so it's all going well for him!"
-Sam Bewley. DS IPT
"If you want to understand the shock my body went through with today's storm at Flèche, just imagine downing three shots of vodka on an empty stomach. The effect hits you in milliseconds. Yet, some of riders did survive. Huge respect for the winners!"
-Michal Kwiatkowski DNF. Only 44 riders finished the men's race.
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