La Flèche Wallonne 2023, one day classic, April 19 (men's)

[woodburn]

Woods' positioning was almost too good but he just didn't seem to have the kick of previous years. I don't think the slowing down when on the front helps with rhythm.

To be at the front means you have exert more energy before the climb. Saving that energy means you have better kick. Kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't. Generally, you end up where you should.

 

[Rob5091]

Chapeau to UAE & Pogacar - only 3rd fastest ever F.W. and only 98% of the people picked Pogacar to win on PCS. Interesting moments - Serry blows up over getting a wrong bidon, Lefereve's expression on the roadside and shame for Bardet's attack being blocked.
Onto Liège and the biggest test of young Remco's cycling career so far.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

So Teddy Merckx did it again, cograts! He conquered the only hill that resisted to him. UAE did a good job of tiring the group and getting Pogacar in the best possible position in the first part of the Mur. At the end he let the legs do the talking and attacked as expected. The circumstances were also good (i.e. no Ala or Rogla) so he had to take this chance. Now Sunday, will he strike again or will it be one race too many? Evenepoel is a phenomenal rival but if Pogacar pulls it off again it will be the best spring classic campaign I remember and probably the best set of classics a cyclist holds for decades (keep in mind that he's also the current winner of Lombardy and a few other 2022 classics).

 

[Netserk]

Looked nothing like Rog amd Alaphilippe flying away from everyone in 2021

Guess which edition was without Cherave. Nuke that *** hill.

 

[Red Rick]

Guess which edition was without Cherave. Nuke that *** hill.

Was pure tactics, Cherave has nothing to do with it. The other guys weren't breaking their records in 2021, although arguably you can blame pacing strategy in the first 1'30 of Mur de Huy there. Pog rode the same time as Dylan Teuns.

But Valverde, in the years that he dominated, used to launch when the steep part was already over, which should correlate with slower times. Funnily enough he has the record time but I checked and in 2014 when team Blanco was actually meme attacking the bottom as a team so the pace was super high early.

Cherave is probably worse for killing the leadout trains than for actually killing the leaders.

It's kinda like how sometimes Unipuerto mountain stages have bigger gaps and more action that some really hard mountain stages because after an easy day a team can just sacrifice all their domestique at some altar early on the climb.

 

[tobydawq]

Guess which edition was without Cherave. Nuke that *** hill.

If they do, Van der Poel can win.

 

[Blanco]

Wasn't it because back in 2000's you just had more clear-cut hilly clasics riders? Unlike today, when most of the favorites for LBL are mainly GT riders.
Besides, the classic Cauberg finish used to suit the punchers a lot more than the current route IMO.

Yeah: Bartoli, Jalabert, Bettini, Rebellin, Vinokourov, Cunego, Valverde, Samu Sanchez, Schleck brothers, Evans, Gilbert, Purito. That level was insane. Hilly classics had much better field than cobbled ones back then...

 

[Didinho]

Yeah: Bartoli, Jalabert, Bettini, Rebellin, Vinokourov, Cunego, Valverde, Samu Sanchez, Schleck brothers, Evans, Gilbert, Purito. That level was insane. Hilly classics had much better field than cobbled ones back then...

Ricco!

 

[skippo12]

Yeah: Bartoli, Jalabert, Bettini, Rebellin, Vinokourov, Cunego, Valverde, Samu Sanchez, Schleck brothers, Evans, Gilbert, Purito. That level was insane. Hilly classics had much better field than cobbled ones back then...

Just looking at the mentioned names. Bettini is a good example. His best result on the Mur was a 12th place. Pretty obvious that the climb was too hard for him. Transfer him to the 2020s. Would he simply skip the race?

 

[Avoriaz]

This was the most predictable classic of the spring, but another nice win for Pogacar. He didn't give a huge demonstration today, but did just enough to win. His team did the hard work, and he finished it with one acceleration on the last steep part. With three classics and two stage races under his belt -12 wins in total - he's having an exceptional spring campaign. He's the man of the spring already and there's another chance on Sunday.

I actually think he did give a huge demonstration today. Odds on favourite for the win, but everyone expected him to go early. His team did a lot of work to make it look like this would, indeed, be the case and this kept all of his rivals on edge. Instead Pog chose to win it in the traditional way, and in the way where people thought he had the least chance of succeeding

 

[jaylew]

Ricco!

Also Di Luca, Boogerd, Martin...I kinda miss those days. Used to be my favorite riders were the hilly classics guys.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I know its still very early but with how good Landa is this season, do you guys think he's almost the best of the others behind Pogi and Ving?

Rhetorical question for any true Landisimo fan.

 

[gunara]

Yeah: Bartoli, Jalabert, Bettini, Rebellin, Vinokourov, Cunego, Valverde, Samu Sanchez, Schleck brothers, Evans, Gilbert, Purito. That level was insane. Hilly classics had much better field than cobbled ones back then...

But more than half of them are GT riders, too...winners even, never a clear-cut hilly riders. Looking at your examples, situation seems the same: there are hilly riders now, but riders with GC pedigrees crowded and won Ardennes, while the Kolobnevs and the Vanenderts couldn't.

 

[Lequack]

Pog is just a machine! I love him.

 

[rallybanana]

Re Healy: could be but he started Huy way back so I'm not sure whether we can assess his performance.
Navigating through the bunch doesn't look like his forte. He was very close to the front at the top of Cherave, then kept losing positions in the descent / flat section.
Perhaps that's why he's always on the attack.

I thought Healy was a bit too visible.
He was about 3rd in peloton going over the penultimate Mur de Huy if I remember. Then when Oomen attacked on Ereffe he was the one closing gaps that developed. On Cherave he was right on the shoulder of the UAE riders. The final 5k was about the only time I couldn't see him near the front of the peloton.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Pog is just a machine! I love him.

Watch out or you may find yourself as the protagonist in a dystopian romance novel!!!

 

[Salvarani]

Ricco!

His attack in the TdF will forever live on, both in our minds and hearts.

 

[Lequack]

La Flèche Wallonne 2023 | Behind the scenes with UAE team

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-2lI6aZ9Us

 

[rallybanana]

Pogacar looking good in the competition to have lowest combined score over the three Ardennes races
2 - Pogacar
10 - Skjelmose
15 - Van Gils
21 - Pidcock
22 - Benoot

Update: Skjelmose = King of the Ardennes.

19 - Skjelmose
23 - Pidcock
26 - Van Gils
29 - Benoot
38 - Healy
40 - Madouas