Liège – Bastogne – Liège 2015
| Liège – Bastogne – Liège 2015 | |
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| Racing series | UCI WorldTour - Category 1.UWT |
| Host country |
 Belgium
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| Competition period | April 26, 2015 |
| overall length | 253 km |
| Starting field | 200 from 29 nations in 25 teams (100 of which arrived at the finish) |
| winner | |
| Overall rating | 1. Alejandro Valverde (MOV) 6:14:20 h 2. Julian Alaphilippe (EQS) same time 3. Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) same time 
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| ← 2014 | 2016 → |
The road bike race Liège – Bastogne – Liège 2015 was the 101st edition of this classic and took place on April 26, 2015. It was the third race of the “Ardennes Week” and was held on a Sunday, exactly one week after the Amstel Gold Race or four days after the Flèche Wallonne . The one-day race was part of the UCI WorldTour 2015 and within this the 13th of 28 races. It was also the fourth of five “monuments of cycling” for the 2015 season and was also the end of the spring classics. The total distance of the race was 253 kilometers. The winner was the Spaniard Alejandro Valverde from the Spanish team Movistar, ahead of the French Julian Alaphilippe from the Belgian team Etixx-Quick Step and the Spaniard Joaquim Rodríguez from the Russian team Katusha .
For Alejandro Valverde it was already the third win at Liège – Bastogne – Liège after 2006 and 2008 . It was also the third Spanish victory in this race and the third victory for Valverde in one of the monuments of cycling. The victory made him the first driver since 2011 to win at least two of the Ardennes classics. At that time, Philippe Gilbert was even the winner of all three races.
Attendees
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The 17 UCI WorldTeams of the 2015 season were eligible to start . In addition, the organizer gave wildcards to eight UCI Professional Continental Teams . The 25 participating teams competed with eight drivers each. This resulted in a starting field of 200 drivers from 29 nations. The drivers included ten Germans, two Austrians and five Swiss.
Favorites
The two biggest favorites to win were Michał Kwiatkowski (EQS) from Poland and Alejandro Valverde (MOV) from Spain . The reigning world champion Kwiatkowski had already won the Amstel Gold Race a week earlier and came third last year. For Valverde it was already the third victory after the successes in 2006 and 2008. He proved his good form in the first two races of the "Ardennes Week" with a second place in the Amstel Gol Race and victory in the Flèche Wallonne. Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) was one of the contenders for victory . The Spaniard was able to win the overall ranking of the Tour of the Basque Country this season and has been on the podium twice in the past. Other drivers with good chances of victory included Daniel Martin (TCG), 2013 winner, Rui Costa (LAM) and Philippe Gilbert (BMC), who won the 2011 edition. The extended circle of favorites also included Tim Wellens (LTS), Vincenzo Nibali (AST) and the defending champion, Simon Gerrans (OGE).
With Alejandro Valverde ( 2006 , 2008 ), Philippe Gilbert ( 2011 ), Daniel Martin ( 2013 ) and Simon Gerrans ( 2014 ) a total of four former winners from Liège – Bastogne – Liège were at the start.
route
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Routing
Compared to the previous year, some changes were made to the route. The Col du Rosier and the Côte du Maquisard were re-included in the program. In contrast, the new climbs started in 2014, the Côte de la Vecquée and the Côte des Forges , were not ridden again. In addition, the Côte de la Redoute moved closer to the goal. These changes reduced the route by ten kilometers from 263 kilometers to 253 kilometers.
As always, the race started in the city of Liège . From there the route led south or Bastogne . On this way only the first of ten climbs of the day was passed. After 79.0 kilometers, this was the Côte de La Roche-en-Ardenne . After 92.5 kilometers, the drivers finally reached the turning point in the city of Bastogne. Shortly after this point was the first of the two refreshment zones. The second half of the race was significantly more demanding than the first. The second ascent, the Côte de Saint-Roch, followed at kilometer 125.5 . After 169.0 kilometers, the decisive phase of the race began with the Côte de Wanne . From there, 84.0 kilometers still had to be covered. Then the Côte de Stockeu was passed, this was the steepest ascent of the day with a gradient of 12.5 percent. A little later the Côte de la Haute-Levée was driven. Afterwards there was the second refreshment zone in Stavelot . The highest point of the day was then reached on the Col du Rosier at 565 meters. On the way to the goal, four more climbs followed. These were the Col du Maquisard, the Côte de La Redoute, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons and the Côte de Saint-Nicolas . The summit of the last climb was 5.0 kilometers from the finish. One of the difficulties of this section of the race was the small, narrow descents between these climbs. In the destination Ans there was a smaller incline that ended 300 meters before the finish and the route turned into the flat home straight through a left curve. The race ended after 253.0 kilometers in Ans, a municipality near Liège.
The start of the race was in the province of Liège . Then the province of Luxembourg was driven before the drivers were back in the province of Liège at the end. The two provinces passed are in the Walloon Region .
Climbs
Ten climbs were climbed during the race.
| rise | Kilometers from the start |
Kilometers to the goal |
length | average slope |
height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cote de La Roche-en-Ardenne | 79.0 | 174.0 | 2.8 km | 6.2% | 401 m |
| Cote de Saint-Roch | 125.5 | 127.5 | 1.0 km | 11.2% | 456 m |
| Cote de tub | 169.0 | 84.0 | 2.7 km | 7.4% | 499 m |
| Cote de Stockeu | 175.5 | 77.5 | 1.0 km | 12.5% | 401 m |
| Cote de la Haute-Levée | 181.5 | 71.5 | 3.6 km | 5.6% | 506 m |
| Col du Rosier | 194.0 | 59.0 | 4.4 km | 5.9% | 565 m |
| Col du Maquisard | 207.0 | 46.0 | 2.5 km | 5.0% | 367 m |
| Cote de la Redoute | 218.5 | 34.5 | 2.0 km | 8.9% | 314 m |
| Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons | 234.0 | 19.0 | 1.5 km | 9.4% | 225 m |
| Cote de Saint-Nicolas | 248.0 | 5.0 | 1.2 km | 8.6% | 172 m |
Race course
The race started at 10:15 am in Liège under an overcast sky. It stayed dry for the time being, only raining for the last half hour. Only after 31 kilometers did an escape group form. It consisted of the following eight drivers: Matteo Montaguti (ALM), Cesare Benedetti (BOA), Anthony Turgis (COF), Rasmus Christian Quaade (CLT), Clément Chevrier (IAM), Diego Ulissi (LAM), Otto Vergaerde (TSV) and Marco Minnaard (WGG). She had a maximum lead of about eight minutes. Due to the leadership work in the peloton by the Europcar team, the lead at the turning point in Bastogne was only 4:45 minutes. At the foot of the Côte de Wanne, around 80 kilometers from the finish, the lead had melted to less than a minute. On this climb, the first three drivers fell behind from the top group, these were Quaade, Chevrier and Vergaerde. Now, however, Europcar did not do any follow-up work and none of the drivers from this team played a role in the further course of the race. On the next ascent, the Côte de Stockeu, there was an attack by Andrij Hrywko (AST). He was followed by Gorka Izagirre (MOV) and other drivers tried to escape from the peloton. On the following ascent, the Côte de la Haute-Levée, all the outliers were caught.
Then there was the next attack from the Astana team. This time Tanel Kangert attacked and was able to pull away. Esteban Chaves (OGE), Julián Arredondo (TFR), Manuele Boaro (TCS) and Michele Scarponi (AST) caught up with him. Two Astana drivers were now in the lead and could make the race difficult for their opponents early on in the race. At the Col du Rosier, the two Astana professionals increased the pace, which is why Chaves was now able to follow them. Meanwhile, the Movistar, Katusha and Etixx-Quick Step teams set the pace in the peloton. Due to a mass fall 41 kilometers from the finish, the main money was thinned to around 40 drivers. The co-favorites Simon Gerrans (OGE) and Daniel Martin (TCG) also fell behind. In the lead group, it was Kangert in particular who set the pace for his team-mate Scarponi, which made him fall back a short time later. During the descent of the Côte de La Redoute, Scarponi and Chaves were also overtaken. On the next ascent, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, there were the next attacks. Roman Kreuziger (TCS) and Giampaolo Caruso (KAT) were able to pull away shortly before the summit. Of the many other attacks in the downhill, only Jakob Fuglsang (AST) made it to the top. On the penultimate mountain of the day, the Côte de Saint-Nicolas, these outliers were also caught. Due to the high speed there was a strong selection here. Philippe Gilbert (BMC), Michał Kwiatkowski (EQS) and Vincenzo Nibali (AST) , among others, had to tear down. At the summit the group only consisted of 13 riders. In the downhill, Caruso was able to thwart an attack by Romain Bardet (ALM). He kept the pace high until the final climb in Ans to support his teammates Daniel Moreno and Joaquim Rodríguez .
On this mountain there was an attack by Daniel Moreno at the Flamme Rouge . He was able to pull out a few meters ahead. Since Alejandro Valverde (MOV) had no more helpers, he had to pursue Moreno himself at the 500-meter mark. With Joaquim Rodríguez in the slipstream, he also caught up with him. The other drivers in the leading group were also able to catch up again. The decision was made by a sprint out of this group. Valverde won ahead of Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (EQS). This means that the same drivers took the first two places as at the Flèche Wallonne four days earlier. Behind them, Rodríguez took third place.
Result
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Of the 200 registered drivers, all started, of which 100 made it to the finish.
| space | driver | nation | team | time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Alejandro Valverde | ESP |
Movistar team | 6:14:20 h (40.552 km / h) |
100 |
| 2. | Julian Alaphilippe |
FRA
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Etixx-Quick Step | same time | 80 |
| 3. | Joaquim Rodríguez |
ESP
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Team Katusha | same time | 70 |
| 4th | Rui Costa |
 POR
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Lampre-Merida | same time | 60 |
| 5. | Roman Kreuziger |
 CZE
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Tinkoff-Saxo | same time | 50 |
| 6th | Romain Bardet |
FRA
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Ag2r La Mondiale | same time | 40 |
| 7th | Sergio Henao |
 COL
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Team Sky | same time | 30th |
| 8th. | Domenico Pozzovivo |
 ITA
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Ag2r La Mondiale | same time | 20th |
| 9. | Jakob Fuglsang |
 THE
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Astana Pro Team | same time | 10 |
| 10. | Daniel Moreno |
ESP
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Team Katusha | same time | 4th |
Liège – Bastogne – Liège was a 3rd category race within the UCI WorldTour 2015. That is why the ten best drivers - provided they drive for a UCI WorldTeam - received points for the UCI WorldTour Ranking with the distribution of points shown.
Web links
- Official website (French and English)
- Liège 2015 in the database of Radsportseiten.net
- Liège - Bastogne - Liège (1st UWT) in the ProCyclingStats.com database
Individual evidence
- ↑ Valverde wins classics. In: SPORT1.de. Sport1 GmbH , April 26, 2015, accessed on April 30, 2015 .
- ↑ Stephen Puddicombe: Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2015: Who will win? In: Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd., April 23, 2015, accessed April 30, 2015 .
- ↑ Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2015: Favorites. In: Cyclingstage.com. Cyclingstage.com, accessed April 30, 2015 .
- ^ A b Christine Kroth: Preview 101. Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In: LiVE-Radsport.ch. LiVE-Radsport, April 25, 2015, accessed April 30, 2015 .
- ^ Felix Griep: As with Flèche Wallonne: Valverde wins Liège-Bastogne-Liège also before Alaphilippe. In: LiVE-Radsport.ch. LiVE-Radsport, April 26, 2015, accessed April 30, 2015 .
- ^ Daniel Hagen: Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2015. In: Radsport-Seite.de. Daniel Hagen, accessed April 30, 2015 .
- ↑ Results Liège - Bastogne - Liège (BEL / UWT) - 2015. (No longer available online.) In: uci.ch. Union Cycliste Internationale , April 27, 2015, archived from the original on June 21, 2015 ; accessed on April 30, 2015 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
