2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 205.5k

[Asero831]

Race Profile

Final 1.3km Mur de Huy at 9.6%

The 2015 race do have an additional late final climb Cote de Cherave which will reduce the peloton at the foot of the epic climb Mur de Huy.
Km 176.5 - Mur de Huy
1.3 kilometre-long climb at 9.6%
Km 189.0 - Côte d'Ereffe
2.1 kilometre-long climb at 5%
Km 200.0 - Côte de Cherave
1.3 kilometre-long climb at 8.1%
Km 205.5 - HUY (Mur de Huy)


2014 Results
1/ Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) - 4h36'45"
2/ Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'03"
3/ Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) - +0'04"
4/ Bauke Mollema (Belkin Pro Cycling Team)
5/ Tom-Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'06"
6/ Dennis Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol)
7/ Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEDGE) - +0'08"
8/ Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff-Saxo) - +0'09"
9/ Daniel Moreno (Katusha Team) - +0'11"
10/ Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) - +0'15"



Odds

 

[SeriousSam]

 

[Asero831]

Two hard climbs in the last 6k of the race. Look like it's for the Katusha guys to dominate.

 

[Alexandre B.]

2014 Results
1/ Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) - 4h36'45"
2/ Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'03"
3/ Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) - +0'04"
4/ Bauke Mollema (Belkin Pro Cycling Team)
5/ Tom-Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'06"
6/ Dennis Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol)

Dennis

 

[hrotha]

Re: 2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 20

The 2015 race do have an additional late final climb Cote de Cherave which will reduce the peloton at the foot of the epic climb Mur de Huy.

Let's not get too carried away here.

 

[Shardi]

Valverde, Kwiatkowski, Moreno, Rodriguez, Henao, Martin

are likely to be in the mix.

No 2011 repeat for phil.

 

[GP Blanco]

A spaniard or a colombian and to paraphrase Green Day "Wake me up before the Mur de Huy".

 

[Irondan]

Re: 2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 20

Race Profile

Final 1.3km Mur de Huy at 9.6%

The 2015 race do have an additional late final climb Cote de Cherave which will reduce the peloton at the foot of the epic climb Mur de Huy.
Km 176.5 - Mur de Huy
1.3 kilometre-long climb at 9.6%
Km 189.0 - Côte d'Ereffe
2.1 kilometre-long climb at 5%
Km 200.0 - Côte de Cherave
1.3 kilometre-long climb at 8.1%
Km 205.5 - HUY (Mur de Huy)


2014 Results
1/ Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) - 4h36'45"
2/ Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'03"
3/ Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) - +0'04"
4/ Bauke Mollema (Belkin Pro Cycling Team)
5/ Tom-Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'06"
6/ Dennis Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol)
7/ Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEDGE) - +0'08"
8/ Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff-Saxo) - +0'09"
9/ Daniel Moreno (Katusha Team) - +0'11"
10/ Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) - +0'15"



Odds

With Purito on form the way he is right now I'm surprised the odds are on Valverde. I know they don't mean much but if I were to bet money on this race it would be on Rodriguez to win...

 

[Fernandez]

I bet for Valverde in second or third ))

 

[DFA123]

Re: 2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 20

Race Profile

Final 1.3km Mur de Huy at 9.6%

The 2015 race do have an additional late final climb Cote de Cherave which will reduce the peloton at the foot of the epic climb Mur de Huy.
Km 176.5 - Mur de Huy
1.3 kilometre-long climb at 9.6%
Km 189.0 - Côte d'Ereffe
2.1 kilometre-long climb at 5%
Km 200.0 - Côte de Cherave
1.3 kilometre-long climb at 8.1%
Km 205.5 - HUY (Mur de Huy)


2014 Results
1/ Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) - 4h36'45"
2/ Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'03"
3/ Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) - +0'04"
4/ Bauke Mollema (Belkin Pro Cycling Team)
5/ Tom-Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp) - +0'06"
6/ Dennis Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol)
7/ Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEDGE) - +0'08"
8/ Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff-Saxo) - +0'09"
9/ Daniel Moreno (Katusha Team) - +0'11"
10/ Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) - +0'15"



Odds

With Purito on form the way he is right now I'm surprised the odds are on Valverde. I know they don't mean much but if I were to bet money on this race it would be on Rodriguez to win...

Froome is 50/1

I can picture it now: a 150rpm seated attack up Mur de Huy, riding away from the field.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

wait, wait, wait and sprint.
J-Rod ftw.

 

[Rollthedice]

One word. Murito.

 

[Mr.White]

With that climb 5km from the finish it's going to be a little different race than previous years. Expect serious attacks

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Jrod vs Valverde looks like a pretty even match right now.

 

[HelloDolly]

Same podium as 2014 but in a different order
Martin
Kwai
Valverde

 

[sir fly]

Who doesn't fall on his back will take it.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Re: 2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 20

Race Profile

Imagine riding the profile in the reverse order. I bet it would make for a far more intriguing race.

 

[MatParker117]

Cheeky bet on Froome if his racing legs turn up he'll be up there.

 

[Mr.White]

Re:

Cheeky bet on Froome if his racing legs turn up he'll be up there.

Up there where?

 

[killswitch]

Re: 2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 20

Dan Brown for the win if it comes down to an uphill sprint.

Froome is 50/1

I can picture it now: a 150rpm seated attack up Mur de Huy, riding away from the field.

I'd pay to watch that

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

Cheeky bet on Froome if his racing legs turn up he'll be up there.

Up there where?

Tour contenders have done quite well at FW at times. Evans beat Contador in a sprint. The Schlecks weren't far off victory a couple times.

It would still be hilarious if Froome somehow won this, though. The forum would explode.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: 2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 20

I really want to know how much money was/will be put on Contador

 

[Red Rick]

Re: 2015 Ardennes: 79th La Fleche Wallonne - Mur de Huy - 20

Penultimate climb new?

Anyway won't have time to watch, but luckily the final ascent will be on youtube quick enough

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re: Re:

Cheeky bet on Froome if his racing legs turn up he'll be up there.

Up there where?

Tour contenders have done quite well at FW at times. Evans beat Contador in a sprint. The Schlecks weren't far off victory a couple times.

It would still be hilarious if Froome somehow won this, though. The forum would explode.

Usually punchier guys though. Contador made the same mistake in 2010 that Evans did in 2008. On the Mur in 2008 Evans had the legs but he went too early and faded allowing Kirchen to come back and take it. The guys you're talking about - Evans, Rodríguez, Valverde, Cunego, Andy Schleck - have been good in the short, steep ascents all the way through. Froome is good on steeper ascents, but mainly on mid-length ones (Peña Cabarga 5,6km @ 9,4%, Planche des Belles Filles 5,8km @ 8,5%); the most memorable thing he's done on a Mur de Huy style climb is still his Bologna-San Luca meltdown in 2009.

I'm not saying he won't be decent at this, but timing is very important on the Mur de Huy and Froome hasn't shown anything in this type of race before; for Sky, Henao is far more proven at this type of event. But then, Froome has previous history of suddenly discovering skills nobody knew he had of course.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Going to have a little each-way bet on Henao for this. He looked decent on the steep slopes at PV last week and may sneak a top 3 however he will have to drop Valverde and Purito.