Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne), seized his most important victory to date, winning the 70th edition of La Fleche Wallonne. Long regarded as the next great Spanish rider, Valverde's victories have often come in his home country. At the 2005 Tour de France, he began to show his promise capturing Stage 10 on top of Courcheval from the eventual overall winner Lance Armstrong, while also grabbing the Best Young Rider's jersey. He would, however, drop out of the race because of knee problems created by his efforts in the mountains.In winning Wallonne, he has not only taken one of the great Classic races, but also has comfirmed that he is capable of winning without any home cooking. The expectations of an entire country will now begin to weigh on his shoulders, as he has just elevated himself into a serious Tour contender.
And in the spirit of the true double that Wallonne is, Nicole Cooke (Univega) has won back to back titles. Cooke of Great Britain, known as the Welsh Wonder, has now won La Fleche Wallonne Femmes three times tying Fabiana Luperini (1998, 2001-02) for most wins. Photos: AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment