«I'm happy – says Valverde – I felt good all day and very close to victory. A few legs were missingWe did a great team work, but at the end Teuns was superiorHe deserved this Arrow, my last Fleche WallonneI had a good feeling, I think I'll be ready for Sunday."
For Valverde it was the last assault on the race he has won five times Alaphilippe finished in 4th place: a misstep for an athlete of his level.
For Valverde it was the last assault on the race he has won five times Alaphilippe finished in 4th place: a misstep for an athlete of his level.
The King of the Wall
The Spaniard did everything perfectly, but when it came to changing pace for the last time, he found out that Dylan Teuns had more strength than him and sat downThe Flèche Wallonne finished on the Mur d'Huy, packed with people and scents. Belgium has reclaimed its racing, just as the French dominated the cobbled streets in Roubaix on Sunday.. Following the usual script, given that all the teams work to reach the foot of the Wall with the group, the best ones played the race on the historic climb. And when it became clear that victory was smiling on a Belgian, the crowd exploded..
«Five years ago – says Teuns – I was still with Valverde, but I couldn't respond to his acceleration and I finished third (it was 2017, the year of the last Bala Arrow, ed.). This is why today is It's special to have the King of the Wall as my second choice.I'm super proud. I have enormous respect for him. I don't think I'll still be in the peloton at 42, but I'll watch these races from my couch. But above all, I don't know if I would be able to go that fast at 42».
Remembering Ciccone
Teuns is the one who ruined Ciccone's 2019 Tour. Luckily, at the Planche des Belles Filles, the Abruzzese won the yellow jersey., otherwise the impact of today's defeat would have been much heavier…
«But there is a big difference – explains the rider of the Team Bahrain Victorious – between that stage and today’s race. Then I won in a breakaway of strong riders, today I won leaving all the best behind me. Explaining why I'm good on extreme slopes risks being banal. I could explain it by the fact that I'm very light, but the truth is that I struggle just like everyone else. While I suffer from stress more than othersBefore the Wall began, I agonized over getting there in the right position. But then I tried not to think about anything else. When Valverde left, I thought it was the right place for me tooI saw him coming back up, but luckily I still had some margin to accelerate further."
Teuns won the Fleche Wallonne with a Merida Scultura Teuns' Merida is fitted with the new Shimano Dura Ace and Vision Metron wheels. FSA handlebar mount flush to frame: zero spacers for Teuns 172,5" cranks and new Dura Ace crankset with 54-40 chainrings
Teuns won the Fleche Wallonne with a Merida Scultura Teuns' Merida is fitted with the new Shimano Dura Ace and Vision Metron wheels. FSA handlebar mount flush to frame: zero spacers for Teuns 172,5" cranks and new Dura Ace crankset with 54-40 chainrings
Subject to stress
Michele Bartoli, who trains him, talks about an exceptional relationship with the Belgian. And he adds in particular that Teuns has always had the ability to perform well, but until now he had lacked the results that gave security.
«I don't think I ever doubted myself and my means – he says – but let's say that I've spent my life fighting the pressures that other people put on me.I had a good start to Catalunya and arrived at the first Classics with a good feeling. I suffered more in Harelbeke than on the cobblestones of Roubaix, even though that call-up surprised me. I needed a bit of luck. I was fine at the beginning of the year at Valenciana, but I got CovidI think this victory was born there. I didn't panicFor a while I stressed the team doctor, then after 10 days without the bike and with the swab finally negative, I started training well, changing my program and staying calmNo Paris-Nice, yes Catalunya. And With Bartoli's help, things have started to go well, especially in the last few weeks.His way of working gives me confidence. We prepared for these races and now everything is working."
On the podium with Valverde and Vlasov, Teuns celebrates his first major classic Under the podium, there was a group of very noisy Teuns fans
On the podium with Valverde and Vlasov, Teuns celebrates his first major classic Under the podium, there was a group of very noisy Teuns fans
A Russian running
The noise in the street has subsided. The tapping of journalists on keyboards in the press room remains., while with a vaguely bitter smile we say goodbye Vlasov, who came to tell about his third placeWhen we asked him if he felt lucky to be able to run, despite being Russian, he answered by throwing up his hands. "I'm a rider," he said. this is my job, so of course I feel lucky."
Gazprom riders would like to feel the same way, but once again no one deigned to give them an answer.
