April 18, 2012 (Huy, Belgium) – After two second places in the last two editions, Joaquím Rodríguez has finally claimed victory in La Flèche Wallone, blasting away 400 metres from the line for a superb solo win on the summit of the Mur de Huy. Second was Switzerland’s Michael Albasini and third last year’s winner, Philippe Gilbert of Belgium. A former leader of the Vuelta a España and stage winner of the Tour de France, Rodríguez watched and waited on the final ascent, shadowing Michael Albasini (GreenEDGE). A counter-attack by Gilbert (BMC) failed to work out, and Rodríguez could claim his first ever major Classic, as well as Spain’s third victory in Fleche Wallone in less than ten years. For Albasini, this was his best result in a major Classic, whilst after his sixth place in Amstel, Gilbert confirmed again that he was on the way back up.

Velits and Urán Hit The Deck
Heavy, frequent rainshowers and gusting winds made for a nervous 76th edition of La Flèche Wallone, where the attackers had real problems going clear right from the start. A first duo of breakaways, Hovelynck (LAN) and Habeaux (ACC) tried to attack early on, but were retaken by the bunch at km 22. Ratto (LIQ) and Christensen (SAX) who then went clear didn’t have it much easier, particularly after Ratto punctured at km 31. Shortly beforehand, Martin Velits (OPQ) and Uran (SKY) had crashed, causing the bunch to split apart. Katusha was working hard behind, and after 49 kilometres another crash saw Jurgen Van De Walle (LTB) forced to abandon.

Bellemakers and Roux move ahead
Christensen was caught shortly afterwards, and at km 55 following a frantic first hour Dirk Bellemakers (LAN) and Anthony Roux (FDJ) went clear. Sjef De Wilde (ACC) tried to get across and was still between the two race leaders and the bunch when the race went over the Mur de Huy for the first time at km 70.5. At that point, Bellemakers and Roux had 2-25 on De Wilde, who sat up shortly afterwards, and 3-25 on the bunch. By km 80, the gap for Bellemakers and Roux was over five minutes and still climbing, and it reached a maximum of 7-10 soon afterwards, at km 88, before Katusha and Lotto-Bellisol started to chase behind. Shortly before Katusha and Bellisol began their pursuit, Armee (TSV) attacked and began a lone chase of the two leaders that continued as the race passed its half way at km 97. With 84 kilometres left to race, Armee was at 3-35, with the bunch steadily regaining ground at 4-45. Thirty kilometres later at the summit of the Cote de Groyenne (53km to the finish), Armee was at 2-35 and the bunch, which had eased up chasing slightly, at 3-20.

Armee Surrenders-Andy Attacks
Around six kilometres further on, Armee sat up and was caught by the bunch, leaving the two race leaders, Bellemakers and Roux, out in front. 47 kilometres from the finish, just at the summti of the Cote de Bohisseau, Andy Schleck (RNT) launched a surprise attack with Dimitri Fofonov (AST) and Yuri Trofimov (KAT) on his wheel. However, it never gained more than 20 seconds and Schleck, seeing that the attack wouldn’t work, sat up. With just 1-15 advantage when the race reached the foot of the Mur for a second time, the two long-term attackers Bellemakers and Roux, boldly kept going nonetheless. After the summit, Giovanni Visconti (MOV) and Tom Slagter (RAB) launched a powerful counter attack, bridged across to Bellemakers and Roux around 18 kilometres from the finish but by km 178 the leading four were brought back – and a new race started. An attack by Ryder Hesjedal (GRM) and Lars-Petter Nordhaug (SKY) on the short but steep Cote de Villers-le-Bouillet earned the duo an advantage of 12 seconds with three kilometres to go. Nordhaug and Hesjedal were still ahead as they went under the flamme rouge banner of the last kilometre, but after a brief attack by Nordhaug and a strong counter-move by Hesjedal, the duo were reeled in. At which point, Joaquim Rodríguez made his dramatic attack, 400 metres from the line…

Results

1. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Esp) Katusha Team 4:45:41
2. Michael Albasini (Sui) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:00:04
3. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
4. Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
5. Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Astana Pro Team 0:00:07
6. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:09
7. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
8. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
9. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-ISD
10. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:00:11
11. Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Astana Pro Team
12. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
13. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
14. Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling
15. Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
16. Paul Martens (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team
17. Igor Anton Hernandez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
18. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:00:18
19. Julien Simon (Fra) Saur-Sojasun
20. Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan
21. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Barracuda
22. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:23
23. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
24. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Esp) Katusha Team 0:00:26
25. Alexandre Geniez (Fra) Argos-Shimano
26. Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin-Barracuda
27. Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 0:00:29
28. Brice Feillu (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:00:31
29. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
30. Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan
31. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Garmin-Barracuda
32. Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (Col) Colombia-Coldeportes
33. Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank
34. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-ISD
35. Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-ISD
36. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
37. Pieter Serry (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator 0:00:37
38. Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
39. Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur-Sojasun
40. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
41. Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:00:43
42. Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack-Nissan
43. Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo Bank 0:00:47
44. Peio Bilbao (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
45. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:51
46. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Esp) Movistar Team
47. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
48. Bruno Pires (Por) Team Saxo Bank
49. Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan
50. Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team 0:00:58
51. Romain Sicard (Fra) Euskaltel-Euskadi
52. Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
53. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:01:02
54. Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
55. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team 0:01:05
56. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:09
57. Simon Geschke (Ger) Argos-Shimano
58. Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
59. Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:01:13
60. Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:01:19
61. Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:01:23
62. Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:01:24
63. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:27
64. Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:30
65. Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:01:34
66. Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur-Sojasun
67. Simone Stortoni (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:01:48
68. Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank
69. Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
70. Simon Clarke (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:01:55
71. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda 0:01:57
72. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
73. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
74. Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
75. Francis De Greef (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
76. Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team Type 1-Sanofi
77. Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
78. Dominik Nerz (Ger) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:02:10
79. Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:02:13
80. Gaetan Bille (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:02:20
81. Andy Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan 0:02:25
82. Michal Golas (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
83. Oscar Freire Gomez (Esp) Katusha Team 0:02:28
84. Yury Trofimov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:02:35
85. Angel Vicioso Arcos (Esp) Katusha Team 0:02:37
86. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team 0:02:39
87. Pablo Lastras Garcia (Esp) Movistar Team
88. Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team
89. Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
90. Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:03:10
91. Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:26
92. Dirk Bellemakers (Ned) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 0:03:28
93. Federico Canuti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:03:55
94. Moreno Moser (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
95. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:04:07
96. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team
97. Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:04:32
98. Thierry Hupond (Fra) Argos-Shimano
99. Christian Meier (Can) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:04:39
100. Yukihiro Doi (Jpn) Argos-Shimano 0:05:04
101. Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Argos-Shimano
102. Jorge Azanza Soto (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
103. Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:05:20
104. Michel Kreder (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda 0:05:39
105. Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:05:49
106. Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:07:06
107. Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo Bank 0:07:50
108. Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
109. Stefan Denifl (Aut) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:08:09
110. Wilson Alexander Marentes Torres (Col) Colombia-Coldeportes 0:09:29
111. Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s 0:09:31
112. Jeffry Johan Romero Corredor (Col) Colombia-Coldeportes 0:09:36
113. Kurt Hovelynck (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony
114. Laurent Didier (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan 0:09:39
115. Mads Christensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 0:09:41
116. Imanol Erviti Ollo (Esp) Movistar Team 0:09:46
117. Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:09:50
118. Xabier Zandio Echaide (Esp) Sky Procycling
119. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:09:57
120. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team
121. Georg Preidler (Aut) Team Type 1-Sanofi
122. David Tanner (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
123. Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Argos-Shimano
124. Sander Armee (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
125. Travis Meyer (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team
126. Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Lampre-ISD
127. Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Colombia-Coldeportes
128. Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Lampre-ISD
129. Stefano Agostini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
130. Alex Howes (USA) Garmin-Barracuda
131. Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Esp) Movistar Team
132. Arnoud Van Groen (Ned) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
133. David Lelay (Fra) Saur-Sojasun
134. Rubens Bertogliati (Sui) Team Type 1-Sanofi
135. Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
136. Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Argos-Shimano
137. Reinier Honig (Ned) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 0:10:04
138. Luke Rowe (Gbr) Sky Procycling 0:10:17
139. Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator 0:10:24
140. Jérémie Galland (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:11:02
141. Ricardo Garcia Ambroa (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:11:10
142. Gilles Devillers (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony 0:11:17
143. Arthur Van Overberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator 0:12:27
DNF Xavier Florencio Cabre (Esp) Katusha Team
DNF Alberto Losada Alguacil (Esp) Katusha Team
DNF Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
DNF Ruben Perez Moreno (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
DNF Marco Bandiera (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
DNF Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
DNF Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
DNF Daniele Ratto (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
DNF Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling
DNF Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling
DNF Thomas Löfkvist (Swe) Sky Procycling
DNF Daryl Impey (Rsa) GreenEdge Cycling Team
DNF Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team
DNF Ben Hermans (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan
DNF Jens Voigt (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan
DNF Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
DNF Bert-Jan Lindeman (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
DNF Yuriy Krivtsov (Fra) Lampre-ISD
DNF Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr) Lampre-ISD
DNF Julien El Fares (Fra) Team Type 1-Sanofi
DNF Daniele Colli (Ita) Team Type 1-Sanofi
DNF Alexander Efimkin (Rus) Team Type 1-Sanofi
DNF Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team Type 1-Sanofi
DNF Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Type 1-Sanofi
DNF Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Astana Pro Team
DNF Simone Ponzi (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Albert Timmer (Ned) Argos-Shimano
DNF Tim Declercq (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
DNF Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
DNF Brian Bulgac (Ned) Lotto Belisol Team
DNF Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
DNF Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
DNF Dennis Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
DNF Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
DNF Steve Chainel (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
DNF Kenny Elissonde (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
DNF Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
DNF Davy Commeyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony
DNF Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony
DNF Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Landbouwkrediet-Euphony
DNF Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
DNF Steven Caethoven (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
DNF Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
DNF Sjef De Wilde (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
DNF Kevin Ista (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
DNF Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
DNF Troels Ronning Vinther (Den) Team Saxo Bank
DNF Robinson Eduardo Chalapud Gomez (Col) Colombia-Coldeportes
DNF Victor Hugo Pena Grisales (Col) Colombia-Coldeportes
DNF Juan Pablo Suarez Suarez (Col) Colombia-Coldeportes