amstel gold race review

Saxo has them in Czech

Saxo-Tinkoff ’s Roman Kreuziger timed his attackprecisely on the Bemelerberg and snatched a solovictory from the chasing pack, who had counted onthe decisive move happening on the final ascent ofthe Cauberg. Here are three things we learnt fromlast weekend’s Amstel Gold:�

Moving the finish changes the raceLast year, the finish line was at the top of theCauberg; this time around, it was 1.2km on fromthe summit, on a Liège-style uphill drag. It intro-duced enough uncertainty to the rollercoasterclosing stages for almost every team to chance anattack, and took the advantage away from the ex-plosive climbers. Gilbert uphill causes fireworksPhilippe Gilbert replicated his Worlds-winningmanoeuvre on the Cauberg, although to slightlyless explosive effect. But when he turns on the af-terburners, slung forward over the bars, teethclenched, looming up towards the cameraman asthe moto accelerates away, it’s still an impressivesight to behold. Gerrans clung on, though he wasscorched in the blast. Valverde, too, withstood theacceleration and both snuck round the Belgian todeny him a podium place. Looking good makes you go fasterCzech rider Roman Kreuziger looked in peak con-

dition, and while he pulled somefine pain faces as he poweredon for victory, kept hisform on the bike. Some ofhis chasers – notably IgorAnton and Andriy Grivko– were surely hamperedby their hunched, crab-like positions.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21SATURDAY SUNDAY

—Amstel Gold Race—Tro-Bro Léon

MONDAY TUESDAY—Giro del Trentino

WEDNESDAY—Giro del Trentino—La Flèche Wallonne

THURSDAY—Giro del Trentino

FRIDAY—Giro del Trentino

SATURDAY SUNDAY—Liège-Bastogne-Liège

a weekly double-shot of road racing

are phil gil ’s white shorts # prost y le?

Wednesday 17th April 2013

rapha.ccissue 05

quote:

I never feltsuch painand ecstasyat the sametime Mario Aerts,winner of LaFlèche Wal-lonne in 2002.

Roman KreuzigerSAXO-TINKOFF

1Alejandro Valverde

MOVISTAR

2Simon GerransORICA-GREENEDGE

3

bigringridingaward

THOSE ‘BLEEDING CARROTS’HAVEBEEN TURNINGA FEW GOODRESULTS RECENTLY AND MIKEL ASTARLOZA’SMOVE 30KMOUT – THOUGHDOOMED –GAVE THEFAVOURITESSOMETHING TOTHINK ABOUT.

la flèche wallonne preview

Huy’s the Daddy Like all the great climbs of the Classics, the legendof the Mur de Huy far outstrips its physical size.From the stats, it appears to be the sort of short,sharp climb that riders in the UK know well:1.3km long, rising about 120 metres – an averagejust under 10% – up the side of the Meuse valleybut that is to underestimate the difficulties it posesfor the riders of La Flèche Wallonne. It’s thesteepest finishing climb in the Classics and after adeceptively shallow start, thegradient heads north of20% at the famous andoften decisive S-bendin its middle. It’s axiomatic,usually trot-ted out by com-mentators at theGiro or the Vuelta be-fore a similarly wickedclimb, that when the roadgoes up in such brutal fash-ion, the riders start racing inslow motion. In stage races, riders rarely ignite alltheir powder on these climbs, so the Mur isunique in that it dangles absolute victory tantalis-ingly above the riders’ noses. So close and yet sofar, it encourages an all-out effort, a frantic, slowself-combustion, where each must measure hisavailable reserves against gravity, against the lastfew metres of tarmac and against what he knowsof his rivals around him. The ‘Walloon Arrow’ has finished on the Mur deHuy every year since 1983, when Bernard Hinaultsmashed his way to victory. These days, thearrow’s course runs crooked towards the end,swinging back round to take the Mur in twice be-fore the final push. Joaquim Rodríguez was a wor-thy winner last year, as was Phillippe Gilbert theyear before that. Purito’s participation is in doubtafter his crash in the Amstel Gold. Even if injured,it will take someone with an almighty punch toland the race – and PhilGil might just be that man.

doff of the cap

Hats off toRoman Kreuzigerwho, by winningthe Amstel Gold,has reignited astuttering career.For his escape to succeed heneeded courageand good legs,and he hasproven his manydetractors wrong.

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ANS 184m261.5 km

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weekend weather

LondonNot bad at all: up to 15C andsome sun.Long Sleeve ProTeam Jersey, ¾Bib Shorts

a weekly double-shot of road racing Wednesday 17th April 2013

liège–bastogne–liège preview

Bastogne and Backrace type: Monumentdistance: 261.5kmregion: Wallonia, southern Belgium

This week will see the changing of the flags:no more lions of Flanders, rampant on thesides of cobbled roads; instead, the bold roosterof Wallonia, the coq hardi, will be strutting hisstuff over the wooded hills of the Ardennes. In the northern stagesof this Sunday’s race, he’ll be emblazoned on the red and yellowcolours of Liège; in the south, against the blue and white stripes ofLuxembourg. His appearance in this week of hilly Classics is a signof the peloton’s slow procession across Europe and, for the one-dayspecialists, that they can prepare to hang up their Sidis: after Liège,the season’s focus tips decisively towards stage racing. Before that, there’s the small matter of La Doyenne’s 261.5km out-and-back from Liège, an unremittingly tough trawl through the Ar-dennes, with most of the race’s famous climbs stored up for thelengthy return leg. With winter’s icy embrace of Western Europeloosening, it seems unlikely the peloton will have to contend withthe blizzards that turned 1980’s edition into such an epic. That race,perhaps more than the two Tour de France wins he already hadunder his belt, sealed Bernard Hinault’s reputation as a hard riderand le patron of the peloton. As snow coated the roads, a balaclava-ed Hinault rode away from the few men brave enough not to aban-don and soloed for 50 kilometres, putting nine minutes into theeventual second-placed rider, Hennie Kuiper. This year, Alberto Contador will be testing his legs at the highestlevel for the first time but, for now, he is demurring and pointing toJoaquim Rodríguez, Philippe Gilbert and Alejandro Valverde asfavourites. His team-mate Roman Kreuziger is also in fine form.

are phil gil ’s white shorts # prost y le?

liège–bastogne–liège feature

The Hills Have EyesFormer pro Tom Southam recalls his first sightingof the hills of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, in 2006, andwhy he believes it is the hardest – and potentiallythe most beautiful – of the Classics.Paris-Roubaix and Flanders have their obvioushardships; the batterings, the crashes and the mis-fortune all show up well on TV. But for all that, luckand an ability to hold on to your bike while it be-haves like a pneumatic drill both play a key role inthose races; in the Ardennes there is no place tohide. In Liège it is man against man, and managainst hill. Normally, when the road turns uphill, the battleagainst gravity is pure and simple. A race willstretch out over the length of a climb and that willbe that: you survive or you don’t. In Liège, thehills are viciously sharp and yet so short that theyrequire an act of balancing, between weight andstrength, and leverage against the unrelentinggradient. On the Friday before I rode the race in 2006, as wereconnoitred the route, this was what I saw: I sawhills that were the shape of time; hills that weavedthrough the dark forests and carried on their rut-ted shoulders so many stories of so many battles.And yet there was no foxhole, no shelter. I feltstranded, surrounded by hills in which there lurkedenemies, watching and waiting. My heart sankinto my slightly too small Italian cycling shoes. When we arrived in Liège on race day and signedon in front of the cathedral, instead of a sense ofoccasion all I could think of were those hills, outthere waiting, one after another after another. As the time to the start ticked down and our busdriver Gianni busied himself with making each ofthe riders their final espresso – a job he took as se-riously as driving the bus itself – I thought aboutprevious winners of the race. No chance victors,no flukes, just a list of the strongest riders of theirtime. Proof that the hardest races are the ones thatreward only the greats.Read Tom’s full feature online at rapha.cc from Fri-day 19th April.

San FranciscoSunny and in thehigh 70s. Get outover that bridgeand ride! Club Jersey, ClassicBib Shorts

OsakaCloudy Saturday,showers Sunday,16-19C.Trade Team Jersey,Arm Warmers,Rain Jacket

LiègeSunny, 12C but a20kph wind inyour face.Wind Jacket, ProTeam Bib Shorts,Knee Warmers