April 19, 2017 (Wallonia, Belgium) – Olympic road champion Anna van der Breggen took her third straight Flèche Wallonne win atop Mur de Huy on Wednesday. The Dutchwoman soloed across the finish line 16-seconds ahead of Lizzie Deignan to give Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team another Ardennes 1-2. It is the seventh victory of the year for Boels-Dolmans and the first Flèche victory in team history.
Like with Amstel Gold Race, Van der Breggen’s victory was the result of strong team tactics and strength in numbers. Kasia Niewiadoma (WM3) attacked over the top of the penultimate climb and only Van der Breggen and Deignan could follow.
“On the flat section between Côte de Cherave and the Mur, I put in an attack,” said Deignan. “Kasia follow and Anna countered. I saw Kasia’s face and I thought: ‘Right. I think we’ve won this one.’ ”
Van der Breggen extended her gap as she powered her way up the Mur de Huy. One hundred and fifty metres from the finish, Deignan attacked Niewiadoma to take second. “I have to say thanks to Lizzie,” said Van der Breggen. “She is riding great at the moment. I have two great victories now, and Lizzie is in great shape also. A big thanks to Lizzie and the rest of the team. I can do this because the whole team is strong.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
A 139-rider peloton set off from Huy under a blue sky. Despite the sun, it was a cold morning with temperatures only a few ticks above zero. Several riders tried to slip away in the opening kilometres, but a largely intact peloton crested the top of the Côte d’Ereffe, the first of seven climbs on the 2017 Flèche Wallonne menu.
Katia Ragusa (BePink) and Sofie de Vuyst (Lares Waowdeals) slipped away around the 20 kilometre mark. The pair were soon joined by Allie Dragoo (Cervelo Bigla) and Anisha Vekemans (Alé Cipollini). The four out front shared the work to extend their advantage to three minutes at the mid-point of the race.
“It was a strange race,” said Van der Breggen. “The beginning was really quiet and a little hectic but nothing happened that much. You know it’s going to explode, and you’re waiting for it.”
The first signs of the fireworks to follow came when Boels-Dolmans sent Jip van den Bos and Kaisa Pawlowska to the front. Thirteen kilometres later, the gap had fallen below a minute.
“Jip and Kasia did a good job until the bottom of the Mur de Huy the first time to keep the group rolling and to keep the gap from growing,” said Stam.
Boels-Dolmans was well-positioned the first time up the Mur with Van der Breggen, Deignan, Karol-Ann Canuel and Megan Guarnier all in the top 20. Thirty-five riders survived the first major selection.
“Megan and Karo did an excellent job on the Col d’Effree,” said Stam. “They made it hard and from that point the group was smaller.”
Between the Col d’Effree and Côte de Cherave, Canuel and Guarnier continued to apply pressure.
“They would make it really hard but when someone else would attack, they’d get dropped,” said Deignan. “They’d claw their way back, put on the pressure and get dropped. It was brutal. They led us into the second to last climb and roughly 25 riders were left.”
Van der Breggen attacked on the Côte de Chervae. Niewiadoma countered. Deignan marked Niewiadoma, and Van der Breggen bridged across. With less than five kilometres remaining, the podium had ridden away.
“It was the perfect situation to be away with three and to have two teammates,” said Van der Breggen. “It might have looked easy, but it was not. It was a really hard race.”
Van der Breggen wasted no time in launching the race-winning move. Playing off Deignan’s attack, Van der Breggen accelerated between the final two climbs. She immediately gained a small gap that she was able to extend before the finish.
“I’m really tired but really happy,” said Van der Breggen “After Sunday last week and my birthday yesterday, it’s a whole party week.”-
Results
Women
1. Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 3:21:06
2. Elizabeth Deignan (Gbr) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 00:16
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) WM3 Pro Cycling 00:25
4. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Orica Scott Women 00:43
5. Shara Gillow (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope 00:49
6. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Rsa) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team 00:54
7. Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb Women 00:56
8. Janneke Ensing (Ned) Alé Cipollini 00:58
9. Katrin Garfoot (Aus) Orica Scott Women 01:00
10. Flavia Oliveira (Bra) Lares-Waowdeals 01:02
11. Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Wiggle High5 01:09
12. Marie Vilmann (Den) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team
13. Tetiana Riabchenko (Ukr) Lensworld-Kuota 01:21
14. Claudia Lichtenberg (Ger) Wiggle High5 01:27
15. Polona Batagelj (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana
16. Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 01:32
17. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team 01:34
18. Eugenia Bujak (Pol) BTC City Ljubljana
19. Hanna Nilsson (Swe) BTC City Ljubljana
20. Danielle King (Gbr) Cylance Pro Cycling
21. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Hitec Products
22. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Lensworld-Kuota 01:37
23. Sheyla Gutierrez (Esp) Cylance Pro Cycling 01:42
24. Sofia Beggin (Ita) Astana Women’s Team 01:44
25. Lara Vieceli (Ita) Astana Women’s Team 01:51
26. Roxane Knetemann (Ned) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope 01:55
27. Megan Guarnier (USA) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 01:59
28. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Fra) Canyon SRAM Racing 02:02
29. Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon SRAM Racing 02:06
30. Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 02:21
31. Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women 04:06
32. Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Astana Women’s Team
33. Lorena Llamas (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango
34. Moniek Tenniglo (Ned) WM3 Pro Cycling 04:11
35. Kelly Van Den Steen (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Etixx 04:13
36. Amelie Rivat (Fra) Lares-Waowdeals
37. Marion Sicot (Fra) France
38. Juliette Labous (Fra) Team Sunweb Women
39. Anna Christian (Gbr) Drops Cycling Team
40. Sofie De Vuyst (Bel) Lares-Waowdeals
41. Agnieszka Skalniak (Pol) Astana Women’s Team 04:17
42. Camilla Pedersen (Den) Team Veloconcept Women 04:18
43. Riejanne Markus (Ned) WM3 Pro Cycling
44. Valentina Scandolara (Ita) WM3 Pro Cycling
45. Lena Gerault (Fra) France
46. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Cylance Pro Cycling 04:23
47. Susanna Zorzi (Ita) Drops Cycling Team 04:24
48. Elise Delzenne (Fra) Lotto Soudal Ladies
49. Pauline Clouard (Fra) France
50. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Orica Scott Women 04:27
51. Eri Yonamine (Jpn) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope
52. Laura Camila Lozano (Col) Servetto Giusta
53. Georgia Williams (Nzl) Orica Scott Women
54. Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
55. Anna Potokina (Rus) Servetto Giusta
56. Jip Van Den Bos (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
57. Martina Ritter (Aut) Drops Cycling Team
58. Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team
59. Ur_a Pintar (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana
60. Elizabeth Holden (Gbr) Drops Cycling Team 04:35
61. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Alé Cipollini 04:37
62. Jenelle Crooks (Aus) Orica Scott Women 04:41
63. Katarzyna Pawlowska (Pol) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 04:43
64. Anabelle Dreville (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope 04:45
65. Valerie Demey (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Etixx 04:56
66. Alison Jackson (Can) BePink Cogeas 04:58
67. Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Cylance Pro Cycling 05:03
68. Rozanne Slik (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 05:13
69. Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon SRAM Racing 05:16
70. Hannah Barnes (Gbr) Canyon SRAM Racing
71. Lauren Kitchen (Aus) WM3 Pro Cycling
72. Kseniia Dobrynina (Rus) Servetto Giusta 05:21
73. Charlotte Bravard (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope 05:26
74. Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) BePink Cogeas 05:29
75. Aude Biannic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope 05:33
76. Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Lensworld-Kuota 07:22
77. Annette Edmondson (Aus) Wiggle High5 09:01
78. Allie Dragoo (USA) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team 09:20
79. Daniela Reis (Por) Lares-Waowdeals 09:23
80. Lourdes Oyarbide (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango 09:42
81. Margarita Victoria Garcia (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango 10:28
82. Olena Pavlukhina (Aze) Astana Women’s Team 11:14
83. Iraida Garcia (Cub) S.C. Michela Fanini 11:29
84. Jessy Druyts (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Etixx 11:33
85. Sara Penton (Swe) Team Veloconcept Women 11:41
86. Wubbigje Regina Knol (Ned) Cylance Pro Cycling 11:46
87. Thalita De Jong (Ned) Lares-Waowdeals 11:51
88. Anisha Vekemans (Bel) Alé Cipollini 11:53
89. Susanne Andersen (Nor) Hitec Products 11:56
90. Amber Leone Neben (USA) Team Veloconcept Women
91. Nathalie Verschelden (Bel) Lensworld-Kuota 11:57
92. Lucie Lahaye (Fra) France 11:59
93. Katia Ragusa (Ita) BePink Cogeas 12:03
94. Emilie Moberg (Nor) Hitec Products
95. Sara Mustonen Lichan (Swe) Team Veloconcept Women
96. Miriam Bjørnsrud (Nor) Hitec Products
97. Roos Hoogeboom (Ned) Bizkaia-Durango
98. Mia Radotic (Cro) BTC City Ljubljana 12:12
99. Abigail Van Twisk (Gbr) Drops Cycling Team
100. Mayuko Hagiwara (Jpn) Wiggle High5 12:19
101. Annelies Dom (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
102. Sarah Rijkes (Aut) Lares-Waowdeals
103. Ilona Hoeksma (Ned) Hitec Products
104. Jessica Allen (Aus) Orica Scott Women
105. Anna Trevisi (Ita) Alé Cipollini 12:41
DNF Natalie Kerwin (Nzl) Team Veloconcept Women
DNF Marjolaine Bazin (Fra) SAS-MACOGEP
DNF Jelena Eric (Srb) BTC City Ljubljana
DNF Daiva Tuslaite (Ltu) Alé Cipollini
DNF Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Hitec Products
DNF Kseniya Tuhai (Blr) BePink Cogeas
DNF Annalisa Cucinotta (Ita) Lensworld-Kuota
DNF Demmy Druyts (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Etixx
DNF Lierni Lekuona Etxebeste (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango
DNF Carlee Taylor (Aus) Alé Cipollini
DNF Doris Schweizer (Sui) Team Veloconcept Women
DNF Anna Ceoloni (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini
DNF Mónika Kiraly (Hun) S.C. Michela Fanini
DNF Francesca Balducci (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini
DNF Valeriya Kononenko (Ukr) S.C. Michela Fanini
DNF Jutatip Maneephan (Tha) S.C. Michela Fanini
DNF Miho Yoshikawa (Jpn) Bizkaia-Durango
DNF Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) BePink Cogeas
DNF Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle High5
DNF Emilia Fahlin (Swe) Wiggle High5
DNF Trixi Worrack (Ger) Canyon SRAM Racing
DNF Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon SRAM Racing
DNF Ting Ying Huang (Tpe) Servetto Giusta
DNF Anna Plichta (Pol) WM3 Pro Cycling
DNF Chantal Hoffmann (Lux) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Puck Moonen (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Maria Vittoria Sperotto (Ita) BePink Cogeas
DNF Marie Gielen (Fra) France
DNF Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) Cylance Pro Cycling
DNF Fien Delbaere (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Etixx
DNF Abby-Mae Parkinson (Gbr) Drops Cycling Team
DNF Alice Gasparini (Ita) Servetto Giusta
DNF Anna Kiesenhofer (Aut) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Isabelle Beckers (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies