2016 La Flèche Wallonne

the women's race 2016 La Flèche Wallonne Féminine 2016 La Flèche Wallonne 2016 UCI World Tour 12 28 20 April 2016 1 196 km 4h 43' 57" Alejandro Valverde MOV 2016 ESP Julian Alaphilippe EQS 2016 FRA Dan Martin EQS 2016 IRE 2015 2017 The 2016 La Flèche Wallonne (en The Walloon Arrow) was a one-day cycling classic that took place on 20 April 2016. It was the 80th edition of La Flèche Wallonne and the twelfth race of the 2016 UCI World Tour. It was the second of the three Ardennes classics, coming after the Amstel Gold Race and before the Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The race took place on a hilly 196 km on route that started in Marche-en-Famenne and ended in Huy. The key aspect of La Flèche Wallonne is the climb of the Mur de Huy, which was crossed three times during the race; the finishing line was at the top of the final climb of the Mur. The race typically suits both fr puncheurs and climbers. The defending champion was Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). The race was decided in a group sprint on the Mur de Huy. The sprint was won by Valverde, who beat Julian Alaphilippe (EQS 2016) into second place for the second consecutive year, with Alaphilippe's teammate Dan Martin third. It was Valverde's third consecutive win and his fourth overall, giving him the record for the most victories in the race. Route thumb|Profile of the final 29 km, including the Côte d'Ereffe, the Côte de Cherave and the Mur de Huy The route was slightly changed from the 2015 edition. The start moved to Marche-en-Famenne and the fr Côte des 36 Tournants was replaced by two climbs of the Côte de Solieres, later on in the race. The decisive final section of the race, however, remained unchanged.Fotheringham Alasdair La Fleche Wallonne 2016: Preview http://www.cyclingnews.com/la-fleche-wallonne/preview/ 19 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 19 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160422055603/http://www.cyclingnews.com/la-fleche-wallonne/preview/ 2016-04-22 dead The race included twelve classified climbs, including three ascents of the Mur de Huy.Roadbook 2016 7 After beginning the race in Marche-en-Famenne, the riders travelled south, before turning north after 13 km and passing through Rochefort. There was then a fairly flat 50 km that brought the peloton to Ohey, where the riders entered a series of circuits around Huy. The first climb was the Côte de Bellaire after 67 km, followed by the Côte de Bohissau, the Côte de Solieres and the first climb of the Mur de Huy, which came with 101 km covered and 95 km remaining. The next circuit took the riders southeast out of Huy, across the Côte d'Ereffe, and back to Ohey. They then followed the same sequence of the Côte de Bellaire, the Côte de Bohissau, the Côte de Solieres and the Mur de Huy. The second climb of the Mur came with 29 km remaining.Roadbook 2016 7Roadbook 2016 3 The final circuit took the riders back across the Côte d'Ereffe for the second time, but then turned north for a shorter route back into Huy. After entering the town, there was a detour to climb the Côte de Cherave. This is a 1.3 km on climb at an average gradient of 8.1%; the summit came with 5.5 km remaining. After the descent back into Huy, the riders climbed the Mur de Huy for the third time, with the finish line coming at the top of the climb. The Mur de Huy is a 1.3 km on climb at an average gradient of 9.6%.Roadbook 2016 7 Teams The race organisers invited 25 teams to participate in the 2016 La Flèche Wallonne. As it is a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI WorldTeams were invited automatically and were obliged to send a squad.http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rulesandregulation/16/82/39/2-ROA-20150619-E_English.pdf UCI Cycling Regulations: Part 2: Road Races page 110 article 2.15.127 Union Cycliste Internationale 20 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20150702030045/http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rulesandregulation/16/82/39/2-ROA-20150619-E_English.pdf 2 July 2015 An additional seven UCI Professional Continental teams were given wildcard entries. These included three French teams (COF 2016, DMP 2016 and FVC 2016), two Belgian teams (TSV 2016 and WGG 2016), a Dutch team (ROO 2016) and a German team (SSG 2016).New climbs added to Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Flèche Wallonne http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/new-climbs-added-to-liege-bastogne-liege-and-fleche-wallonne/ 19 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 23 February 2016 Each team was entitled to enter eight riders, so the start list included 200 riders.Roadbook 2016 9La Flèche Wallonne (start list) http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/La_Fleche_Wallonne_2016_Startlist ProCyclingStats 19 April 2016 19 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160419150626/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/La_Fleche_Wallonne_2016_Startlist dead On the morning of the race, however, the UCI opened a biological passport case against Team Sky's Sergio Henao; the team withdrew him from all racing and he did not start La Flèche Wallonne.Benson Daniel Fletcher Patrick UCI opens biological passport case against Sergio Henao http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-opens-biological-passport-case-against-sergio-henao/ 20 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2016 UCI WorldTeams ALM AST BMC CPT 2016a DDD EQS FDJ IAM LAM LTS MOV OBE 2016a TGA KAT TLJ SKY TNK TFR 2016 UCI Professional Continental teams COF DMP FVC ROP SSG TSV WGG 2016 Pre-race favourites thumb|upright|Alejandro Valverde (MOV 2016), the defending champion and pre-race favourite (photographed at the 2015 Vuelta a España) La Flèche Wallonne is part of the Ardennes classics. These begin with the Amstel Gold Race (won in 2016 by Wanty–Groupe Gobert's Enrico GasparottoGasparotto nabs second career Amstel Gold Race title http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/04/news/road/gasparotto-nabs-a-second-career-amstel-win_402672 19 April 2016 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 17 April 2016 19 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160419110759/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/04/news/road/gasparotto-nabs-a-second-career-amstel-win_402672 dead) and end the following weekend with the Liège–Bastogne–Liège; La Flèche Wallonne comes in the middle of the week. The three races are characterised by short, steep climbs, particularly towards the end of each race and suit the fr puncheurs.Your essential guide to the Ardennes Classics (video) http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/videos/racing/ardennes-classics-essential-guide 19 April 2016 Cycling Weekly 11 April 2016 18 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160418083717/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/videos/racing/ardennes-classics-essential-guide dead The defending champion and favourite for the race was Alejandro Valverde (MOV 2016). Valverde had won the race in 2006, 2014 and 2015. No rider had ever won more than three editions of La Flèche Wallonne. Valverde was in strong form following his victory at the Vuelta a Castilla y León on the previous weekend, although he was preparing particularly for the 2016 Giro d'Italia rather than for the Ardennes classics. His team included Daniel Moreno, who had won the 2013 La Flèche Wallonne.Clarke Stuart 10 riders to watch at La Flèche Wallonne http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/riders-watch-la-fleche-wallonne-221449 19 April 2016 Cycling Weekly 18 April 2016Hood Andrew Preview: Who will master the Mur de Huy? http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/04/news/preview-who-will-master-the-mur-de-huy_402904 19 April 2016 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 19 April 2016 20 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160420202147/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/04/news/preview-who-will-master-the-mur-de-huy_402904 dead Two other former winners of the race were on the start list in 2016. These were Philippe Gilbert (BMC 2016), the winner in 2011, and Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT 2016), the winner in 2012.La Flèche Wallonne (preview) http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/La_Fleche_Wallonne_2016_Preview ProCyclingStats 19 April 2016 19 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160419123634/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/La_Fleche_Wallonne_2016_Preview dead Neither was in a strong position, however: Gilbert suffered a broken finger during an altercation in training with a driver and had struggled during the Amstel Gold Race. The BMC team manager said that Gilbert was "certainly not here as one of the favourites" and had considered skipping the race.Ryan Barry Gilbert at La Flèche Wallonne more in hope than expectation http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gilbert-at-la-fleche-wallonne-more-in-hope-than-expectation/ 19 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 19 April 2016 Rodríguez, meanwhile, had abandoned the Amstel Gold Race following a bad crash. Other riders considered potential winners were Dan Martin and Julian Alaphilippe (both EQS 2016), Michael Albasini (OBE 2016a) and Sergio Henao (SKY 2016), with the latter being unable to start. Result Result (top 10)La Flèche Wallonne (result) http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/La_Fleche_Wallonne_2016 ProCyclingStats 20 April 2016 19 April 2016 23 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160423094629/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/La_Fleche_Wallonne_2016 dead 1 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2016 4h 43' 57" 2 Julian Alaphilippe FRA EQS 2016 + 0" 3 Dan Martin IRL EQS 2016 + 0" 4 Wout Poels NED SKY 2016 + 4" 5 Enrico Gasparotto ITA WGG 2016 + 5" 6 Samuel Sánchez ESP BMC 2016 + 5" 7 Michael Albasini SUI OBE 2016a + 5" 8 Diego Ulissi ITA LAM 2016 + 5" 9 Warren Barguil FRA TGA 2016 + 5" 10 Rui Costa POR LAM 2016 + 5" Race summary It took over an hour for a breakaway to form, with the peloton travelling at 45 km/h. Eventually a ten-man group escaped, prompted by an attack from DDD 2016's Steve Cummings. He was followed by eight other riders: Koen Bouwman (TLJ 2016), Silvan Dillier (BMC), Vegard Stake Laengen (IAM 2016), Kiel Reijnen (Trek–Segafredo), Matteo Bono (Lampre–Merida), Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto–Soudal), Sander Helven (TSV 2016) and Quentin Pacher (DMP 2016). They were then also joined by Mads Pedersen (SSG 2016). With a little over half the race completed, the breakaway had over three minutes' lead. Bouwman was the first rider across the finish line on the first climb of the Mur de Huy.Rogers Neal Valverde takes a fourth Flèche Wallonne title as Alaphilippe again finishes second http://cyclingtips.com/2016/04/valverde-takes-a-fourth-fleche-wallonne-title-as-alaphilippe-again-finishes-second/ 20 April 2016 CyclingTips 20 April 2016La Flèche Wallonne: Valverde wins on the Mur de Huy http://www.cyclingnews.com/la-fleche-wallonne/results/ 20 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160422022840/http://www.cyclingnews.com/la-fleche-wallonne/results/ 2016-04-22 dead The peloton was led by a range of teams, including Movistar, Katusha, Orica–GreenEDGE, AST 2016 and Etixx–Quick-Step. With 63 km remaining, the lead had been reduced to just over two minutes. On the second climb of the Côte de Bohissau, 7 km after that, Van der Sande and Bono attacked, with only Dillier and Cummings able to follow them from the breakaway. Around 15 km later, on the Côte de Solières, Fränk Schleck (Trek–Segafredo) crashed in the peloton and was forced to withdraw from the race, having apparently suffered a broken collarbone.Fletcher Patrick Suspected broken collarbone for Fränk Schleck after Flèche Wallonne crash http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/suspected-broken-collarbone-for-frank-schleck-after-fleche-wallonne-crash/ 20 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160420211222/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/suspected-broken-collarbone-for-frank-schleck-after-fleche-wallonne-crash/ 2016-04-20 dead On the penultimate climb of the Mur de Huy, Dillier attacked, with Cummings following; the pair were a minute ahead of the peloton. Cummings attacked alone at the top of the climb and briefly had a 55-second lead, but the peloton was driven hard by Movistar and Katusha and he was caught with 18 km remaining. The next attack came on the Côte d'Ereffe from Bob Jungels (Trek–Segafredo), Georg Preidler (TGA 2016) and Jon Izagirre (Movistar). There was briefly a seven-man chasing group that included Michael Albasini, Movistar's Giovanni Visconti, ALM 2016's Mikaël Cherel, Sky's Wout Poels and Katusha's Jurgen Van den Broeck, but this was chased down by TNK 2016 and caught with 7 km remaining. Preidler was dropped on the Côte de Cherave and Tim Wellens (Lotto–Soudal) attacked the peloton and came across to the two leaders. This move was chased, however, by Etixx–Quick-Step, and the group was brought back at the foot of the Mur de Huy. On the climb, Valverde stayed at the front of the peloton. Rodríguez made a brief, unsuccessful effort to escape from the group. He was passed by Dan Martin, but Valverde followed Martin's wheel until there were 300 m yd remaining. Valverde then attacked and, although he was followed by Alaphilippe, finished comfortably ahead of the rest of the peloton to claim his third consecutive win in La Flèche Wallonne. Alaphilippe was second and Martin third, both on the same time as Valverde. Wout Poels finished fourth, four seconds back, with Enrico Gasparotto the first of nine riders to finish in a group five seconds behind Valverde.Windsor Richard Alejandro Valverde takes third consecutive victory at La Flèche Wallonne http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/alejandro-valverde-la-fleche-wallonne-2016-221736 20 April 2016 Cycling Weekly Immediate Media Company 20 April 2016 Post-race analysis Reactions Valverde's performance was described as "a master class on how to race the Mur de Huy" by VeloNews, which went on to describe him as "king of the Mur".Hood Andrew Valverde writes his name into Fleche record books http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/04/news/fleche-valverde-surpasses-merckx-argentin_403078 20 April 2016 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 20 April 2016 23 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160423011357/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/04/news/fleche-valverde-surpasses-merckx-argentin_403078 dead Valverde himself said that taking the record for the most wins in the race was "a real honour". He gave credit to his team – and especially to Giovanni Visconti – for driving hard just before the climb started, in order to get him into the perfect position. He said that he had been confident that, if he accelerated in the final part of the climb, he would be able to stay away to the finish line.Fotheringham Alasdair Valverde moves into class of his own with fourth La Flèche Wallonne victory http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-moves-into-class-of-his-own-with-fourth-la-flche-wallonne-victory/ 20 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2016 Alasdair Fotheringham https://web.archive.org/web/20160420211121/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-moves-into-class-of-his-own-with-fourth-la-flche-wallonne-victory/ 2016-04-20 dead Alaphilippe hit his handlebars in frustration after finishing second, but afterwards said that he could "only be pleased". He said that he had initially been disappointed, but then realised that, after two second-place finishes in two years, he could win the race in a future edition. Alaphilippe noted in particular that his winter had been affected by mononucleosis, but that this had been a "blessing in disguise" as he was able to take significant time off and then work hard for the Ardennes classics.Ryan Barry Alaphilippe: My first feeling was one of disappointment http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/alaphilippe-my-first-feeling-was-one-of-disappointment/ 20 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2016 Martin, meanwhile, said that he had ridden the climb "a lot better" than he had done in previous editions and that he went into the bottom of the climb "believing [he] could win". He said that Valverde, however, was "just stronger".Ryan Barry Dan Martin: I went into the Mur de Huy believing I could win http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dan-martin-i-went-into-the-mur-de-huy-believing-i-could-win/ 20 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 20 April 2016 UCI World Tour standings In the season-long 2016 UCI World Tour competition, Valverde moved up from 121st place to 22nd, Alaphilippe from 48th to 21st and Martin from 21st to 10th. There were no other changes in the top ten of the riders' rankings however. The top ten of the nations' rankings was similarly unchanged, but, in the team rankings, Etixx–Quick-Step moved up from eighth to fourth, with Movistar moving from sixth to fifth.UCI WorldTour Ranking - 2016 http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D102007&SportID%3D102&CompetitionID%3D24055&SeasonID%3D490&EventID%3D12146&GenderID%3D1&ClassID%3D1&EventPhaseID%3D1444755&Phase1ID%3D1444793&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?547252 uci.ch Union Cycliste Internationale 20 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160420223324/http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp%40PageID%3D102007%26SportID%3D102%26CompetitionID%3D24055%26SeasonID%3D490%26EventID%3D12146%26GenderID%3D1%26ClassID%3D1%26EventPhaseID%3D1444755%26Phase1ID%3D1444793%26TaalCode%3D2%26StyleID%3D0%26Cache%3D2.html?547252 20 April 2016 20 April 2016 dead UCI World Tour standings on 20 April 2016 yes 1 Peter Sagan SVK TNK 2016 329 2 Alberto Contador ESP TNK 2016 280 3 Richie Porte AUS BMC 2016 222 4 Sergio Henao COL SKY 2016 204 5 Sep Vanmarcke BEL TLJ 2016 201 6 Nairo Quintana COL MOV 2016 178 7 Fabian Cancellara SUI TFR 2016 166 8 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2016 162 9 Arnaud Démare FRA FDJ 2016 137 10 Dan Martin IRL EQS 2016 126 References Sources La Flèche Wallonne 80e édition: Livre de Route La Flèche Wallonne 2016 80th edition: Roadbook Amaury Sport Organisation 2016 Issy-les-Moulineaux Roadbook 2016 Footnotes 30em External links http://www.letour.com/la-fleche-wallonne/2016/us/ 2016 Flèche Wallonne Flèche Wallonne