Latest news with #FlecheWallonne
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pogacar wins third Liege-Bastogne-Liege title
World champion Tadej Pogacar won his third Liege-Bastogne-Liege with a dominant showing in the Belgian one-day classic as Mauritian Kim le Court took the biggest win of her career in the women's race. Slovenian Pogecar attacked on the Cote de la Redoute climb with 35km of the 252km course remaining and expertly stayed clear to defend his title, having also won in 2021. Italy's Giulio Ciccone edged out Ireland's Ben Healy to claim second, finishing just over a minute down on Pogacar. Pogacar, 26, is the first rider to finish on the podium in six successive 'Monuments' - the five most prestigious one-day races in men's cycling. After winning Liege and Il Lombardia last year, he finished third at this year's Milan-San Remo, won the Tour of Flanders and was runner-up at Paris-Roubaix. The three-time Tour de France champion has also finished on the podium in the past eight Monuments he has entered, winning five. This is Pogacar's ninth Monument win overall. Only Eddy Merckx, widely regarded as the greatest cyclist of all time, with 19, and fellow Belgian great Roger de Vlaeminck (11) have more victories in these famous races. Victory in Belgium caps another stunning spring classics campaign by Pogacar, with the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider also winning Strade Bianche and Fleche Wallonne, as well as narrowly finishing second in the Amstel Gold Race. Le Court had enjoyed two fifth-place finishes this spring in the Milan-San Remo and Tour of Flanders. But it was still a shock when the 29-year-old AG Insurance-Soudal rider came out on top in a four-way sprint for the line ahead of Dutch duo Puck Pieterse and Demi Vollering, and France's Cedrine Kerbaol. "I can't believe it. On the climb to La Roche-aux-Faucons [13 km from the finish line], I was completely out of breath. So to win ahead of the stars of the peloton, I can't believe it," said Le Court - the first African winner of a Monument race. World champion Lotte Kopecky was fifth. Pogacar overcomes wet conditions to win Fleche Wallonne Pogacar & record-breaking Kopecky claim Tour of Flanders wins The race was billed as a showdown between Pogacar and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who won back-to-back Liege titles in 2022 and 2023 before suffering multiple bone fractures in a serious crash on a training ride last year. However, the Belgian struggled, caught out of position when Pogacar attacked and later dropped by the peloton on the final climb of the day. Instead it was the familiar sight of Pogacar mounting an attack no-one could match. Britain's Tom Pidcock attempted to bring him back alongside Healy but Pogacar built up a lead of 30 seconds within 5km and the gap kept growing. Ciccone and Julian Alaphilippe joined Pidcock and Healy but they could not get organised, with Ciccone and Healy eventually getting clear to compete for the two podium spots left. Pidcock finished ninth. In reality this was just about Pogacar's increasingly possible quest to rival Merckx's standing as the greatest. Pogacar is only the seventh rider to win three or more editions of Liege, the oldest of the Monuments, with Merckx holding the record of five wins. Mercx won five Tours de France - including 34 stages - five Giro d'Italia titles, one Vuelta a Espana and three world road crowns, as well as his 19 monuments. Pogacar has three Tour victories, including 17 stages, one Giro, one Vuelta, one world title and nine monuments. Only Merckx (1974), Ireland's Stephan Roche (1987) and Pogacar (2024) have completed the triple crown of winning the Giro, Tour and world championship in the same year. Pogacar is unlikely to win as many Giro titles as Merckx, given the demands of targeting the Tour each year, but every other tally could well be in his sights. After he attempts to defend his Tour title in July, Pogacar will be heavily favoured to claim a 10th Monument before the season ends at Il Lombardia in October. Pogacar has won the last four consecutive editions of the one-day race in Italy and will be seeking to equal Fausto Coppi's record of five wins overall. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 6hrs 0mins 9secs Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Lidl-Trek) +1min 03secs Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) Same time Simone Velasco (Ita/XDS Astana Team) +1min 10secs Thibau Nys (Bel/Lidl-Trek) Same time Andrea Bagioli (Ita/Lidl-Trek) Daniel Martinez (Col/Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) Axel Laurance (Fra/Ineos Grenadiers) Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) Neilson Powless (US/EF Education-EasyPost) Kim le Court (Mus/AG Insurance-Soudal) 4hrs 15mins 42secs Puck Pieterse (Ned/Fenix-Deceuninck) same time Demi Vollering (Ned/ FDJ-Suez) Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra/ EF Education-Oatly) Lotte Kopecky (Bel/Team SD Worx-Protime) +24s Marlen Reusser (Swi/Movistar) same time Mary Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ/Lidl-Trek) Monica Trinca Colonel (Ita/Liv-Alula-Jayco) Katarzyna Anna Niewiadoma (Pol/Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto) Yara Kastelijn (Ned/Fenix-Deceuninck)
Gulf Today
24-04-2025
- Climate
- Gulf Today
Team Emirates' Pogacar soars to dominant victory at Fleche Wallonne
Tadej Pogacar powered up the steepest part of the final Ardennes hill Wednesday to reclaim the Fleche Wallonne classic title after a cold and rainy 205km slog over 11 climbs. With a mud-splattered face, the three-time Tour de France champion could barely raise a smile at the finish line, as plucky Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin emerged second and Briton Tom Pidcock third. The 23-year-old Vauquelin was also runner-up last year, proving he will often be a force in races culminating with a short, sharp hill. Pidcock, having quit Ineos in the close season for the second-tier Q36.5 team, can also be proud of a fine finish in a strong field. Winner of the Brabantse Pijl last Friday on his comeback from injury, Belgian hope Remco Evenepoel was right in the thick of the race before fading to ninth over the last 200m as Pogacar switched into a gear nobody else could find. More than just a warm-up race for Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege raced in the same region, but 50km longer, this race runs through the Ardennes forest but over 11 of the region's steepest climbs. Pogacar, who last won at the Tour of Flanders on April 6, was clearly tired but delighted after his latest efforts. 'It's a beautiful place, but as a cyclist you don't like it so much, such a tough finish,' said the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader. 'It's a really great feeling, the weather wasn't so good but winning again is all that counts. We worked well as a team today and we'll have a similar one for Sunday at Liege,' said the 26-year-old, who won at Liege last year in the absence of the injured Evenepoel. Wednesday's race culminated with the fearsome Mur de Huy, just 1.3km in length but with gradients hitting 19 percent with an average of 9.6. Pogacar said he attacked when he saw Irishman Ben Healy, who finished fifth, draw level with him. 'I said 'Okay he looks fast'. So I accelerated and when I looked over my shoulder, no one was there. But really that's the hardest kilometre in cycling,' he added. This marked a strong return to winning form for Slovenian superstar Pogacar following two consecutive runner-up finishes in recent high-profile races. Just over a week ago, he finished second behind Mathieu van der Poel at the grueling Paris-Roubaix — a race known for its punishing cobblestones and legendary difficulty. He then came close again at the Amstel Gold Race, where he was edged out by Denmark's Mattias Skjelmose in a tightly contested finale on Sunday. For a rider of Pogacar's caliber, accustomed to standing on the top step of the podium, those near-misses served as extra motivation. His latest victory not only reaffirmed his dominance in the peloton but also sent a clear message that he's back in top form and hungry for more wins as the season progresses. Skjelmose had been highly fancied again here but the 24-year-old was one of several riders who slid out of the race on a slick corner around 40km from home on a day of unrelenting rain. His Lidl team-mate Thibau Nys had also been touted as a man who could beat Pogacar on the final climb but eventually came eighth, perhaps due to the fact Skjelmose had dropped out. A stubborn escape group clung on until the final ascent, in a sign of how little appetite there was for a long-range bid for glory from one of the race favourites. Many of Wednesday's competitors will be back in action Sunday in the same corner of the Ardennes for the Liege-Bastogne-Liege 'Monument' over 252km where an escape is more likely. Agencies
Al Etihad
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
Pogacar regains La Fleche Wallonne title
24 Apr 2025 01:32 Abu Dhabi (Aletihad)With the look of a man keen to stand on the top step of the podium again, Tadej Pogacar decimated his opposition to win La Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday afternoon, with the Slovenian taking his second title in three years at the one-day race in UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider gained a note of retribution for Sunday's runner-up spot at the Amstel Gold Race, by attacking with final 500 metres of the Mur de Huy and crossing the finish line some 10 seconds ahead of the next-best the Emirati squad, Vegard Stake Laengen and Domen Novak did plenty of pacesetting through the race's middle quarters. Making his attack whilst seated in his saddle, the world champion powered away from the rest of the peloton and would not be seen again before the was an attack made on the corner named in honour of the two-time champion Claude Criquielion, and just like the great Belgian, Pogacar emerged victorious at Fleche Wallonne sporting the rainbow bands as world champion. He becomes the first to do so since Julian Alaphilippe in seconds down on the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man, Kevin Vauquelin sealed second place for Arkea-B&B Hotels, while Q36.5 Pro Cycling's Tom Pidcock took third at a 12-second deficit. Both riders were quick to congratulate Pogacar after the finish, the mutual respect apparent between three podium finishers who had battled through the elements to perform at their best in the a repeat of last year's Fleche Wallonne, Belgium lashed the peloton with a barrage of rain, wind and less than moderate temperatures, forcing the riders to don rain jackets and wet-weather gear up until the finale. As the breakaway put on a show for the cameras, it was UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Soudal Quick-Step and Lidl-Trek who spearheaded the peloton. Pogacar claimed his third win in just six outings in the spring Classics, none of which have seen the 26-year-old finish off the podium. With Liege-Bastogne-Liege on the horizon this coming Sunday, the Slovenian looks in great condition to fight for a third title at La Doyenne.
Japan Today
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Magnificent Pogacar soars to Fleche Wallonne triumph
cycling Tadej Pogacar powered up the steepest part of the final Ardennes hill Wednesday to reclaim the Fleche Wallonne classic title after a cold and rainy 205km slog over 11 climbs. With a mud-splattered face, the three-time Tour de France champion could barely raise a smile at the finish line, as plucky Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin emerged second and Briton Tom Pidcock third. The 23-year-old Vauquelin was also runner-up last year, proving he will often be a force in races culminating with a short, sharp hill. Pidcock, having quit Ineos in the close season for the second-tier Q36.5 team, can also be proud of a fine finish in a strong field. Winner of the Brabantse Pijl last Friday on his comeback from injury, Belgian hope Remco Evenepoel was right in the thick of the race before fading to ninth over the last 200m as Pogacar switched into a gear nobody else could find. More than just a warm-up race for Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege raced in the same region, but 50km longer, this race runs through the Ardennes forest but over 11 of the region's steepest climbs. Pogacar, who last won at the Tour of Flanders on April 6, was clearly tired but delighted after his latest efforts. "It's a beautiful place, but as a cyclist you don't like it so much, such a tough finish," said the Team UAE Emirates leader. "It's a really great feeling, the weather wasn't so good but winning again is all that counts. We worked well as a team today and we'll have a similar one for Sunday at Liege," said the 26-year-old, who won at Liege last year in the absence of the injured Evenepoel. Wednesday's race culminated with the fearsome Mur de Huy, just 1.3km in length but with gradients hitting 19 percent with an average of 9.6. Pogacar said he attacked when he saw Irishman Ben Healy, who finished fifth, draw level with him. "I said 'Okay he looks fast'. So I accelerated and when I looked over my shoulder, no one was there. But really that's the hardest kilometre in cycling," he added. This was a return to winning ways for Slovenian Pogacar after his second-placed finish to Mathieu van der Poel at Paris-Roubaix, and another second place in the Amstel Gold race behind Mattias Skjelmose on Sunday. Skjelmose had been highly fancied again here but the 24-year-old was one of several riders who slid out of the race on a slick corner around 40km from home on a day of unrelenting rain. His Lidl teammate Thibau Nys had also been touted as a man who could beat Pogacar on the final climb but eventually came eighth, perhaps due to the fact Skjelmose had dropped out. A stubborn escape group clung on until the final ascent, in a sign of how little appetite there was for a long-range bid for glory from one of the race favorites. Many of Wednesday's competitors will be back in action Sunday in the same corner of the Ardennes for the Liege-Bastogne-Liege 'Monument' over 252km where an escape is more likely. © 2025 AFP
RTHK
23-04-2025
- Sport
- RTHK
Magnificent Pogacar soars to Fleche Wallonne triumph
Magnificent Pogacar soars to Fleche Wallonne triumph The three-time Tour de France champion was so exhausted he could barely raise a smile at the finish line. Photo: AFP Tadej Pogacar powered up the steepest part of the final Ardennes hill on Wednesday to reclaim the Fleche Wallonne Ardennes classic title after a cold and rainy 205km slog over 11 climbs. With a mud-splattered face, the three-time Tour de France champion could barely raise a smile at the finish line, as Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin came second and Briton Tom Pidcock third. The 23-year-old Vauquelin was also runner-up last year. Pidcock, having quit Ineos in the close season for the second-tier Q36.5 team, can also be proud of a fine finish in a strong field. Winner of the Brabantse Pijl last Friday on his comeback from injury, Belgian hope Remco Evenepoel faded to ninth over the last 200m as Pogacar skipped away. More than just a warm-up race for Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege raced in the same region, but 50km longer, this race runs through the Ardennes forest but over 11 of the region's steepest climbs. Pogacar, who last won at the Tour of Flanders, was clearly tired but delighted after his efforts. "It's a really great feeling, the weather wasn't so good but winning again is all that counts. We worked well as a team today and we'll have a similar one for Sunday at Liege," said the 26-year-old, who won at Liege last year in the absence of the injured Evenepoel. Wednesday's race culminated with the fearsome Mur de Huy, just 1.3km in length but with gradients hitting 19 percent with an average of 9.6. This was a return to winning ways for Slovenian Pogacar after his second-placed finish to Mathieu van der Poel at Paris-Roubaix, and another second place in the Amstel Gold race behind Mattias Skjelmose on Sunday. Skjelmose had been highly fancied again here but the 24-year-old was one of several riders who slid out of the race on a slick corner around 40km from home on a day of unrelenting rain. A stubborn escape group clung on until the final ascent, in a sign of how little appetite there was for a long-range bid for glory from one of the race favourites. Many of Wednesday's competitors will be back in action on Sunday in the same corner of the Ardennes for the Liege-Bastogne-Liege 'Monument' over 252km where an escape is more likely. (AFP)
