Julian Alaphilippe Push Backs Valverde with the extraordinary win at La Fleche Wallonne 2018.

Julian Alaphilippe Push Backs Valverde with the extraordinary win at La Fleche Wallonne 2018.





The  Frenchman (J. Alaphilippe with his team Quick-Step Floors) powered well clear of five-time champion Alejandro Valverde who had to settle for second place at the 2018 La Flèche Wallonne.





 La Fleche Wallonne 2018, winners, Julian Alaphilippe, Valverde, results, quotes.







The Frenchman Holds Off clearly of five-time champion Alejandro Valverde who needed to agree to second place at the 2018 La Flèche Wallonne.


Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) finished a long time of predominance by Alejandro Valverde at La Flèche Wallonne, beating the Movistar rider to the line at the 2018 version of the mid-week Ardennes Classic.


Alaphilippe completed four seconds before Valverde subsequent to following an effective exertion by Jelle Vanendert (Lotto-Soudal) mid-far up the climb that saw the combined float clear of the fundamental gathering.


The Frenchman was then ready to round Vanendert in the last 100m and drop him, with Valverde making an exertion from far back to attempt and catch Alaphilippe.


For a minute it resembled the five-time victor would make the catch, however Alaphilippe could kick again in the last meters to hole Valverde who seemed to be out of energy.


Vanendert, who had been working for Wellens, could hang on for third place while Roman Kreuziger (Mitchelton-Scott) took fourth and the flexible Michael Matthews (Sunweb) taking fifth.

The race typically came down to the last rising of the Mur however the 80 or kilometers going before the climb were definitely not unsurprising with a few of Valverde's opponents hoping to disconnect the Spaniard.
It's the principal French win at La Flèche Wallonne for a long time, with Alaphilippe taking the greatest triumph of his vocation up until this point.



La Flèche Wallonne 2018 Winners Quotes,




"I believed in myself every time, and I worked hard to find that bit that was missing between the podium and first place," Alaphilippe said. "Honestly, I didn't know I'd won. I couldn't hear the radio, I thought Nibali was still out in front. At the end I just did my effort. I have to thank my teammates who did an amazing job today. I'm super happy.


 "I'm going to really enjoy this victory, but I'm very motivated for Liège, I'm ready, and I'm going to give it everything."




La Flèche Wallonne 2018 Podium, Results,  Top 10,  Distance (198.5km)



1 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors, in 4-53-37
2 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team, at 4s
3 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal, at 6s
4 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Mitchelton-Scott
5 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb
6 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
7 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
8 Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Quick-Step Floors
9 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale, all same time
10 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 12s

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