Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Happy too soon: cycling world champion Alaphilippe gambled away victory on the home straight
Happy too early: After a wild sprint, road world champion Julian Alaphillippe felt that he was the sure winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But in the end Primoz Roglic (left) cheers.
© Olivier Matthys / DPA
The newly crowned road bike world champion Julian Alaphilippe gave the victory in the classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège lightly from his hands. While the Frenchman took his arms off the handlebars with confidence, Tour unlucky Primoz Roglic jumped past him by a tire width.
The reigning road world champion Julian Alaphilippe gambled away the victory in the classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège bike race. First, the French stumbled the Slovenian Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and the Swiss Marc Hirschi with a dangling on the home straight at 60 km / h. Then, confident of victory, he raised his arms a few meters before the finish line. And Alaphilippe had been happy too soon. Pogacar’s compatriot Primoz Roglic, once successful as a ski jumper, pushed past the rolling world champion with a so-called tiger jump. The width of a tire was enough for Roglic after a ride of almost 260 kilometers through the Ardennes. The victory in the oldest one-day cycling race in the world was also the first classic success for Roglic.
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– Liège-Bastogne-Liège (@LiegeBastogneL) October 4, 2020
Instead of fame and honor: ridicule and malice for Alaphilippe
For Alaphilippe, who won the rainbow jersey of the world champion just ten days ago in Imola, Italy, October 4th turned into a pitch-black day. Instead of fame and honor for this prestigious success, the 28-year-old was showered with ridicule and malice after the race. To top it all off, the jury even distanced the French to fifth place because of the unfair sprint. The scolded did not comment on the incident on social networks until Monday. The joy at Roglic was all the greater. “Without words,” wrote the Slovenian. “To win a monument of cycling was my dream.” This has now come true, he posted on Instagram.
For Roglic, the win in Liège was a particular satisfaction. After looking like the sure winner at the Tour de France, the former ski jumper lost the famous yellow jersey on the penultimate stage in the Vosges to Tadej Pogacar.
Season-out: Olympic champion Van Avermaet fell badly
The race was overshadowed by a serious fall. Co-favorite Greg Van Avermaet fell almost 100 kilometers from the finish. According to the team doctor of his CCC team, the Belgian broke his shoulder joint and three ribs. In addition, the Olympic champion from Rio suffered a small pneumothorax and a francture of the first thoracic spinal process. The season is over for Avermaet.
Those:Instagram
