La Flèche Wallonne 2020

devonp

womens race won by VdB


no previous winners taking part in mens today apparently...an open race ?


who's your pick ?


good list of starters, Pog, Bernal, Martinez etc and Dan of course

Just caught the end of the womens race earlier. Mens race coverage starting now on streams. 2pm on regular Eurosport.

Macy0161

Pog if he wants it. Able to go that deep into the Worlds is a sign he's held form. Probably not able to party hard!

Macy0161

Did Woods start? Changed my mind, he's my pick if he did. Didn't think riders would be leaving the Giro bubbles.

mr spuckler

Looking fwd to this finale now, feels quite unpredictable given the lack of Flèche pedigree in the field. Just frustrated that I'm on calls and hence can't listen to the commentary!

De Bhál

This lad out on his own looks like he could go the whole way

Uran charging hard

De Bhál

Ah feck he crashed.

Oh no into the ditch

mr spuckler

Dan is a long way back.

edit...but moving up. GO ON DAN!

mr spuckler

4th for Dan Martin, seemed like he finished stronger than most but started from so far back

Nice to see a race like that with some GC riders going hammer and tongs at the end.

Boscoirl

Hirschi is having some year

5th for Dan there I think. Chapeau to hirschi there he's on some run.

retalivity

Boscoirl wrote: »

Hirschi is having some year

He's having some September!

Boscoirl

mr spuckler wrote: »

4th for Dan Martin, seemed like he finished stronger than most but started from so far back

Should be his middle name

lissard

Dan was boxed in - worthy winner though. Hirschi is some talent - very exciting to watch.

Thud

Hirschi not even puffing after that

Hager

Dan finished strongly but was badly positioned going onto the climb. Seems to be a perennial problem for him.

Macy0161

Boscoirl wrote: »

Should be his middle name

Definitely in this race anyway!

sy

Hager wrote: »

Dan finished strongly but was badly positioned going onto the climb. Seems to be a perennial problem for him.

So true and such a pity as it definitely cost him a podium place today. You would think at this stage he'd know the ropes. Still, prospects look good for LBL as form is definitely improving. Fingers crossed for Sunday. I think his nemesis in this race, Valverde, is resting himself for one last attempt to win his 5th! LBL.. Hirshi will probably now start as favourite with Fuglsang, Alaphilippe Kwiatkowski and Pogacar. Should be good

Doc07

Hirschi is a class, so many brilliant young cyclists this season. I consider that good outing for Dan, he’s still recovering from injury 😉
Legit top contender again for LBL.
Also great to see Tour de France winners mixing it up as super domestiques in World champs followed by battling for a classic few days later.

Mefistofelino

Very unusual to see such a young rider doing so well on the Mur. They usually blow their own lights out earlier on the climb and don't have the patience to wait to the end. Sitting on Richie Porte and then Michael Woods until 90m out was very cool headed.

velo.2010

Hirschi rode the whole climb out of the saddle!

The last steep climb is too far from the finish now for Dan I think.

andy69

I wonder though - as Dan started so far back, and ended up in 5th not far behind the winners.... did he actually ride the climb faster than than the winner... if he was in the right position at the base, would/could he have won it then?

really enjoyed the race, super exciting last 50k or so, and my heart went out to the youngfella out front over-cooking it on the descent. great performance from him. like a new generation coming to the fore :cool:

G1032

andy69 wrote: »

I wonder though - as Dan started so far back, and ended up in 5th not far behind the winners.... did he actually ride the climb faster than than the winner... if he was in the right position at the base, would/could he have won it then?

really enjoyed the race, super exciting last 50k or so, and my heart went out to the youngfella out front over-cooking it on the descent. great performance from him. like a new generation coming to the fore :cool:

I think he rode the fastest time up the climb. Someone told me that yesterday evening.
But he's never positioned correctly. Always the same story.

mr spuckler

andy69 wrote: »

I wonder though - as Dan started so far back, and ended up in 5th not far behind the winners.... did he actually ride the climb faster than than the winner... if he was in the right position at the base, would/could he have won it then?

That's how it looked in real time anyway!

mr spuckler wrote: »

4th for Dan Martin, seemed like he finished stronger than most but started from so far back

Macy0161

red_ken wrote: »

The last steep climb is too far from the finish now for Dan I think.

He won Lombardy with a jump on the flat though? But, speaking from personal experience having done the sportive last year, the last categorised climb of Roche aux Faucons definitely isn't the end of the climbing! Fuglsang attacked last year on the false flat at the top of the actual final climb (which isn't that much less of a climb than Faucons).

mr spuckler

Dan Martin rues costly late mistake at La Flèche Wallonne