MADRID, 23 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) won for the second year in a row in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the second ‘monument’ of his record, with a solo victory in the 109th edition, marked by the fall with injury of the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
Evenepoel repeated the story of a year ago, with a withering attack to victory, leaving Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) behind with 30 kilometers from the finish line. Meanwhile, another favorite like Pogacar was knocked out after a few kilometers.
“Pogacar suffered fractures in the left scaphoid and lunate bones. The scaphoid will require surgery, which he will undergo this afternoon here in Genk,” announced the UAE Team Emirates about the contender for the ‘triptych’ of the Ardennes, something he did achieve in female category the Dutch Demi Vollering.
Without one of the proper names after just 80 kilometers, the race, tarnished by misfortune, focused its eyes on Evenepoel and Soudal Quick-Step, who knew how to control the pace of the peloton and who allowed the breakaway in which men slipped such as the Spanish Héctor Carretero (Kern Pharma) and the German Jason Osborne (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
They were all hunted on the Côte de la Redouté, 33 kilometers from the finish line, where the Belgian launched the attack with which he took down his opponents. Only the British Thomas Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) responded to him, who succumbed after three kilometers to leave the way clear for the Aalst.
Thus, he crossed the finish line alone to lead a podium completed by Pidcock himself and the Colombian Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), who entered 1:06 behind the winner. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) was the best Spaniard after finishing sixteenth at 1:48.
Evenepoel, the first cyclist of the 21st century to win in Liège with the rainbow jersey, thus achieved his second consecutive victory in the ‘Dean’, something the Italian Michele Bartoli had last achieved (1997 and 1998).