Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the arduous 259–kilometer 'Old Lady' race in six hours, 13 minutes, and 48 seconds.
Winning his sixth monument, the 2021 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner faced off against Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), and other peloton powerhouses.
Bracing headwinds, the Slovenian attacked the peloton on Côte de la Redoute. As Pogačar began turning the screws, Richard Carapaz (EF Education–EasyPost) tried to follow. Sensing company, Pogačar upped the ante and quickly shedded Carapaz from his wheel.
Pogačar crested the climb with a 15-second lead while race favorites like Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock followed.
As Pogačar extended his lead, a chase group coalesced, but no rider had the legs to close the gap.
Van der Poel, who Pidcock, during a pre-race interview, determined could be a threat if he was 'motivated' and the Amstel Gold Race winner were further behind in the peloton partly due to a crash. Van der Poel narrowly missed hitting the tarmac. As the distance to the finish ticked down, Van der Poel and Pidcock found themselves in the chase group.
Then it began to rain.
The already gloomy weather warranted some caution considering the recent wet and cold conditions at Flèche Wallonne. As a result of the challenging race conditions only 44 riders crossing the finish line.
As Pogačar soloed for 35 kilometers to victory, the battle for the remaining podium spots ensued.
EF Education-EasyPost teammates Richard Carapaz and Ben Healy, Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale), Van der Poel and Pidcock chased.
Bardet catapulted from the group to win second place and Van der Poel sprinted to third.
In a post-race interview Van der Poel conceded that he thought he'd never to see the front of the peloton after the crash. He also tipped his hat to Pogačar.
“I already felt that my legs were already tired…I know that if Pogačar has a good day I cannot follow him, not even with my best legs,” said Van der Poel. “He was impressive again today.”
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Top 10 Finishers
1 Tadej Pogačar
2 Romain Bardet
3 Mathieu van der Poel
4 Max Van Gils
5 Aurélien Paret-Peintre
6 Mauri Vansevenant
7 Valentin Madouas
8 Alexey Lutsenko
9 Pello Bilbao
10 Tom Pidcock
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