Wout Poels Wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Last updated : 24 April 2016 By CNS Sport

Team Sky's Wout Poels has won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in Belgium.

On a snowy day, two hundred riders started the 102nd edition of  La Doyenne, the last race in the Spring Classics.

This 253km race which started in Liege but finished in Ans and has ten climbs saw Paolo Tiralongo (Astana), Alessandro De Marchi (BMC), Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Jeremy Roy (FDJ), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), and Cesare Benedetti (Bora Argon 18) form the first break and take a lead of 8.30.

It was down to 3.53 ahead of a vastly reduced peloton with 64kms left as the leaders took on the Col du Rosier, which was the longest climb in the race this year at 4.4km with an average gradient of 5.9%.

On the Col du Maquisard, the group of escapers started to break up. with Edet, De Gendt and De Marchi clear with 45kms left.

De Gendt dropped back and Grivko caught up to him just before there was a crash with 26kms left.

De Marchi was brought back by the peloton with 23.5kms to go and Edet, the most combative rider of the day was caught with 22.4kms left.

On the the Côte de La Roche-aux-Faucons and Chris Froome of Team Sky was well placed as Etixx Quick Step got riders on the front.

Carlos Betancur of Movistar took over with 17.8kms left but was brought back by the peloton which now consisted of thirty to forty riders.

Astana then sent a man to front as the race made its annual way past Standard Liege's football ground but everyone was soon back together and Michael Kwiatkowski led.

Onto the Cote de Saint-Nicholas with its 8% gradient and Carlos Betancur put in an attack before being brought by Kwiatkowski.

Diega Rosa of Astana was the next to go with five kilometres left, followed by Zakarin who stayed away until Michal Albasini put in a move on the cobbled Cote de la Rue Naniot.

He was joined by Rui Costa, Sammy Sanchez & Wout Poels and the four went under the flam rouge.

Albasini of Orica GreenEdge led with Poels in close attention. Poels took over on the front but Albasini took the bend with 200m to go first.

Albasini took on Wout Poels but it was the Team Sky rider who won the sprint and took the win in 6.24.30, which was Team Sky's first Monument win with Albasini second, Costa third, Sanchez fourth and Zakarin in fifth place.