Tadej Pogačar proved he was still the man to beat after taking his fourth Liege-Bastogne-Liege title on Sunday in a race that meant more than just a win.
The Ardennes Classic provided plenty of action for one-day specialists, pitting all 173 riders on a 259,5-kilometre course that featured tough hills and punchy climbs.
All eyes were on Pogačar and his bid to defend his title, but the road to victory wasn’t quite clear cut as it was expected to be, with rising French superstar Paul Seixas nearly spoiling the party.
Current vs new generation
The race exploded right from the start after 54 riders, which included Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), went for a breakaway with a gap that stretched to nearly four minutes.
That sizable gap made Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Seixas’ Decathlon-CMA CGM work to close it, igniting a frantic chase between the two groups throughout the race.
Thanks to UAE team’s steady positioning in the peloton, Pogačar launched two signature attacks on the first slope of the Côte de la Redoute and another before the summit, 35km before the finish line.
But a solo attack never quite materialised by then.
Pogačar was met with fierce resistance from Seixas, who stuck to his wheel in both of his attacks.
With Pogačar unable to drop Seixas, the two co-operated to put a one-minute gap on the chasers behind them as they arrived at the Côte des Forges.
This paved the way to an enigmatic two-man battle, shifting the story to a showdown between the current and the new generation.
However, it was not meant to be for Seixas, with Pogačar finally breaking him at the deciding climb on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.
Pogačar then rode clear at 14km and never gave his closest contender the chance to come back.
Seixas finished second, 54 seconds after Pogačar, while Evenepoel managed to trump rivals in a sprint finale for third.
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More than a win
It was clear that the victory meant more to the Slovenian, who rode with a black band around his shoulder as a tribute to Cristian Camilo Muñoz, a former teammate who passed away two days before the race.
As soon as Pogačar crossed the finish line, he pointed to the sky in memory of Muñoz.
The Columbian rider, who was also a former teammate of Jasper Philipsen, died on Friday after sustaining an infection from a crash at the Tour du Jura.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our friend and former colleague Cristian Muñoz. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Descansa en paz Cristian,” the UAE team said in a tribute post ahead of Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Nairo Quintana of Movistar also dedicated his stage 2 victory at the Vuelta Asturias to Muñoz, while Pogačar and Philipsen posted messages of condolences.
The future is here
Seixas’ second place is still a reason to celebrate, considering he was the only rider who managed to chase down Pogačar.
His performance even impressed the world champion.
“In the back of my mind, I was getting ready to go head-to-head in a sprint with him [Seixas]. I gave it a try at the Roche aux Faucons anyway, and luckily managed to drop him,” Pogačar said in a post-race interview.
“I am impressed and amazed by how good Paul is. Chapeau to him.
“I have nothing but praise for the kid – for his incredible results at the start of this season, and for how mature he is.”
He also believes it is only a matter of time before Seixas eventually “destroys” everyone, including him.
“We have to keep working hard if we want to keep fighting for victories, before he destroys everybody,” he said.
On the other hand, Seixas showed maturity and patience when asked about the race.
“I always race to win, but we know that [Tadej] Pogačar has been utterly dominant these last few years, so just being able to follow him is already something.”
At just 19 years old, Seixas has shown an outstanding performance this season, winning La Flèche Wallonne and the Itzulia Basque Country in dominant fashion.
He also finished second at Strade Bianche, right after Pogačar.
“There are no certainties in life regarding the future: until you’ve done it, you haven’t done it. I’m just going to work towards it,” he concluded.
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Evenepoel shows guts
Evenepoel came into the race as one of the favourites, having already won the first race of the Ardennes Classics last week, the Amstel Gold Race.
He decided to back out of the La Flèche Wallonne at the last minute on Wednesday to prepare for the Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
But even he admitted he was forced to manage his energy in the early breakaway at the start, which he said was not “our goal”. That breakaway soon grew beyond control.
“We quickly built a gap, and then it was too late to drop back so I just tried not to spend too much energy,” Evenepoel said after the race.
Nevertheless, Evenepoel’s control on himself proved to be fruitful in the finale, where he launched a gutsy sprint against big rivals like Bernal and took third place.
“With the legs I had today, this was the best possible outcome.”
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