We finish the spring classics – ending it with a wonderful win by Midge-favourite Jakob Fuglsang. And for the 100th time this year, we have Julian Alaphilippe … plus all our favourite cycling fans quipping far and wide during races, late at night and on the go. And we’ve collected the best ones! Away we go!
Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) finally stood on the the top step of an Ardennes podium after a storming ride to claim victory in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Despite the new-style finish that was devised to promote earlier action, the decisive attack came on the final climb of the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. By the end of the long uphill drag, Fuglsang had broken clear of his shadow, Davide Formolo (BORA-hansgrohe) and even when he hit a slippery patch on the frenetic descent (which nearly gave all of Twitter a heart attack) he kept his cool and used the shot of adrenaline to keep the power through the pedals all the way to the line to take his first Monument. Formolo held on for second while his teammate Max Schachmann won the sprint for third. In the women’s edition Annemiek Van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) carried out a magnificent solo raid after attacking on La Redoute with 32km to go. Floortje Mackaij (Sunweb) and Demi Vollering (Parkhotel Valkenburg) made it an all-Dutch podium with second and third places respectively.
While Strade Bianche gave the riders a good dusting on Saturday, Paris-Nice‘s peloton is getting battered by the high winds. This week’s Tweets has given us a musketeer with a swashbuckling way of getting the cork out of the champagne bottle, flying cows, a leek in the maillot jaune, and much much more …
