Kim Kirchen of Team High Road added another win to the squads total this afternoon attacking in the pouring rain on the final 300 meters of the final climb up the Mur du Huy out distancing Cadel Evans, Damiano Cunego by a decisive margin to make up the podium for the Spring Classic. Young Guns Robert Gesink and Tom Dekker followed; with veteran war horse and previous winner Davide Rebellin following to take 6th place.
This is the fourth win for this season for the 29 year old Luxemberger who is having a banner year in his 7th season as a pro rider, having won two stages in the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco a few weeks ago and making up for a winless 2007 season. ”I’d been feeling I was on a good day since the third last climb, which seemed to be far easier than usual, and I was determined to go all out at the finale,” said Kirchen.
The race took off under sunny skies with 199 riders 12 km into the race a group of four escaped including Marco Pinotti (High Road) Bouygues Telecom's Mathieu Sprick, Tinkoff's Alexander Serov and Steven Kleynen (Landbouwkrediet) the quartet gained 15 seconds but were chased down by the peloton in the next 5 km... this would turn out to be the pattern for the next 70 kilometers with the peloton denying any of the optimists with a quick beating back to the pack.
Over the Mur de Huy for the first time at 65 km Rabobank's Columbian Mauricio Ardila ground out the 12% (average) climb to take the max climbing points followed by Bouygue's Johan Tshopp and CSC's Andy Schleck. Attacks continued with small groups attempting a flight off the front in the next 10 km and through the feed zone but none could give the slip to a fast moving peloton that was averaging 48 km/h.
Over the top of the Côte d’Ereffe after 85 kilometers Ag2r's Efimkin led Andy Schleck and Red Bird Fernandez de la Puebla of Saunier Duval/Scott. On the descent fifteen riders got a gap following the three leaders Efimkin, Schleck and Puebla - Niki Sorensen joined his Team CSC mate Schleck with Gerolsteiner duo Fothen and Moletta, Johan Tschopp (Bouygues) and High Road's Pinotti back in the attack, Caisse d'Epargne's Garcia Acosta, FdJeux's Mourey, Remy Pauriol (Credite Agricole), Silence lotto pair Van den Broeke and Bileka, Quick Step's Engels, Slipsteam's Hub Duyn.
10 km up the road 4 more riders joined the 15, CSC bolstered by Kolobnev for three riders in the move , Martens of Rabobank, Gilbert (FDJ) and Donald of Slipstream the group moved away increasing the gap to over a minute as 1’15 over the main pack with Lampre's Spilak trying to bridge up. Caisse d'Epargne getting some help from Barloworld led the chase behind.
As the 19 went over the Mur du Huy for the second time near the half way point of the race Johan Tschopp led for the max points with Efimkin and Pinotti following. The peloton followed over the crest at 1:50 as the sky opened up and rain poured down. In the next 12 km the group continued to slowly increase their lead to 2:30 - 108 kilometers in the race. Marco Pinotti claimed the max points over the Cote de Peu d’Eau with Tschopp and Mourey with 54 km to go as the peloton started to heat up the chase as the gap dropped below 2 minutes; 1:20 as Lampre came to the front to take a turn at making the pace.
On the next difficulty - Côte de Thon 50 km from the finish the group of 19 split with CSC's Shleck and Sorensen joined by Silence/Lotto's Jurgen Van Den Brouke gapped the group as riders spit out the back.. Pinotti led the counter with Efimkin and Martens joining the attackers gapping their former break mates with 15 seconds as the peloton led by Cofidis followed at 50 seconds. Gerolsteiner's Molletta rejoins the six at the front.
Tired legs again split the chase in the lead group as Slipstream's Hub Duyn slips off the back six others chase the attack on the 1.1 kilometer climb of the Côte de Bonneville. Andy Schleck leads again taking the max points with Van den Broeck and Efimkin hanging on; the group rejoins on the downhill but with 40 km to go the chase is hot on the heels of the 12 survivors. Behind the escapees Caisse d'Epargne and Cofidis lead the chase with the gap at 30 seconds playing cat and mouse with the group ahead.
Vladimir Efimkin attacks and Niky Sorensen joins him with 35 km to go Van Den Broeck and Engels counter the move and follow at 12 seconds as the Caisse led peloton starts picking off the remnants of the break only 25 seconds behind the four leaders in their brave gambit. The two rejoin the leaders as the four go over the Côte de Bohissau the gap is 25 seconds as the peloton goes over the summit chasing the determined quartet in the rain and wind.
Maxime Montfort of Cofidis counter-attacked and joined the four with 30 km to go; Milram's Girvko brides with Rabobanks Ten Dam, De Waele (Landbouwkrediet) Aussie champ Matthew Lloyd (Silence/Lotto) and we had 9 leaders driving it through the rain as Caisse leads the peloton at 30 seconds. Lampre's Righi makes a giant effort off the front and bridged to the escape as Grivko attacked. Behind the pace in the peloton and the rain have decimated the peloton with about 60 riders left.
Andriy Grivko makes a brave effort and is in the lead at the bottom of the penultimate climb of the Côte d’Ahin behind the Lampre and Cofidis led peloton sweep up the break. The break was absorbed at 16 km to go as Larsson leads, Grivko passed by Efimkin and Weggmann on the attack and then caught by the peloton. The fates strike Larsson as he crashes with 6 km to go as German champion Fabian Weggman went it alone as Efimkin falters behind Larsson losing ten seconds.
A strong ride by Weggman kept the pack at bay with a 15 second gap in the final 2 km as he started the final climb up the Mur du Huy as a group of the favorites followed on his heels. 1km to go Weggman struggled on the climb with 20 seconds. Evans, Rebellin and Kirchen lead the favorites as Weggmann is caught. Evans led at 300 meters Kim Kirchen caught Evans in the final meters to take the win with Damiano Cunego in for third with Rabobanks' Gesink and Dekker in for fourth and fifth.
High Road’s Kim Kirchen outclassed his rivals for a strong win in the Fleche Wallone Classic on Wednesday - despite fears that he had been using the wrong gear at the finish!
“I thought it was too big a gear, I went up the last 300 metres in 53x21.” Kirchen said afterwards. “but I was stronger than three years ago - when I also waited until almost the last possible moment to attack. That time, in 2005, I finished second, but on this occasion I’ve taken the most beautiful victory of my career. Often I’ve left it too late to win, and after attacking I kept on thinking I would get caught, but it didn’t happen.”
Kirchen said blasting off in the middle of the final climb, the daunting Mur De Huy, came after “following Davide Rebellin [2007 winner of the same race] for as long as possible. He’s always good at calculating how to win a race like Fleche.”
“On a wet day like today knowing the final climb, where to position yourself on it and where to attack was crucial. It’s important when it’s dry, but on a wet day like Wednesday, past experience of a race like Fleche was vital.”
Morale has been good in High Road since January, Kirchen reported, when Andre Greipel began the year with victory and four stage wins in the Tour Down Under.
“It was a great way to kick off the season, just what we needed to get started well. Then at the Tour of the Basque Country, winning two stages meant I was even keener to do well in the Ardennes Classics.”
Kirchen is the first rider from Luxemburg to win Fleche Wallone, a race which has been running since 1936.
“I didn’t know that, I’m not somebody who looks at the record books a lot, but being the first rider from Luxemburg to win Fleche does make me feel proud.”
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