After a day in the breakaway and up against three of the biggest names of the spring classics, Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) timed a sprinter’s slingshot to perfection to take the biggest victory of her career at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Brown has history here, of course. She’s twice been second in ‘La Doyenne’, behind Annemiek van Vleuten in 2022 and Lizzie Deignan in 2020. To climb onto the top step she used an unusual tactic, moving into an early breakaway so that she wouldn’t have to follow the likes of Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) and Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) over the toughest climbs of the day.
It worked. She was able to stick to that trio as they charged through and she bet on herself in the sprint, flying past Longo Borghini in the final 50 meters. The Italian finished in second with Vollering in third.
- A nine-rider breakaway, itself the coming-together of a few different moves, defined the middle kilometers of the race but split again across the Côte de la Redoute, leaving just three out front: Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM), Brown, and Kim Cadzow (EF Education-Easy Post). With 50 km to go, their gap was well over 2 minutes.
- Behind, Lidl-Trek took the race on their shoulders, riding to close the gap to the leading trio and set up Elisa Longo Borghini for an expected attack on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.
- As the lead trio hit the Roche-aux-Faucons with 15 km to go their lead had shrunk to just under a minute, with Lidl-Trek charging behind.
- Longo Borghini waited until about halfway up the climb to launch. Vollering sat glued to her wheel, with Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike) just behind, followed by Niewiadoma. The four pulled clear.
- Vos, who has never won this race, sat in the chase group behind. Her teammate Markus then drifted back and took up the pace-setting for the chase, as Longo Borghini, Vollering, and Niewiadoma closed the gap to the leading trio with just under 10 km remaining.
- In an odd moment, as the two groups were about to come together, Longo Borghini bridged across while Vollering and Niewiadoma sat 50 meters off the back in something of a stalemate. Vollering, in particular, seemed determined to play the waiting game while keeping Niewiadoma from linking up with Chabbey for a one-two punch. Ahead, Longo Borgini immediately hit out off the front of the newly formed group, but was pulled back in.
- A roundabout with 7 km remaining nearly ended Brown’s day, as she was forced wide and over the grass, then into a hard chase to regain contact.
- With 5 km to go, the group was six: Vollering, Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma and teammate Chabbey, Brown, and Cadzow. Only Canyon-Sram had two riders.
- Brown, meanwhile, took advantage of the focus on Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma, and Vollering. She surfed wheels, closed a few gaps, but mostly stayed hidden.
- Lacking confidence in her sprint, Niewiadoma chose a moment when the group slowed to attack, just under the red kite at 1 km to go. A bold effort but she never got more than 15 meters. Cadzow came halfway across, then Longo Borghini finished closing the gap. Brown sat on the Italian’s wheel, the perfect position.
- In the final sprint, Brown closed a small gap on Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma, and slingshotted forward to win by a bike length.
- Behind, Vollering started her sprint from 5th place in the group and had the most speed in the finish, but could only get herself up to 3rd.
Brief Analysis
- Vollering, still without a win this season, will be the one asking questions of herself tonight. She perhaps played it a little too cool. It was smart to force Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma to be the aggressors, and the two were more than happy to do so, as usual, but she started her sprint from too far back. She had the most speed in the final 50 meters, and if she’d kicked off from a few wheels further forward may have won the day.
- A similar tactical issue: as the trio of favorites closed in on the remnants of the day’s break, only Longo-Borghini did what you’re supposed to do: smash through the group and keep on going, hoping to get rid of those with tired legs immediately. If you don’t, and you allow them to recover, they can come back to bite you. That, of course, is exactly what happened, and the odd dithering around behind from Vollering and Niewiadoma let the tired break legs hang on.
- At the risk of delving into a bike racer’s psychology (and as somebody who can’t read minds, yet), it certainly seemed like Vollering was either overconfident or lacking confidence – the two can result in similar racing styles. She raced more negatively than usual. Following, rather than leading. Perhaps the legs weren’t quite there, but her good sprint in the finale suggests they weren’t bad. In the end, if she had raced more aggressively it seems more likely they would have gotten rid of Brown, Cadzow, and Chabbey.
- Brown, in contrast, took the race into her own hands. Hers was a tactic we rarely see in the Ardennes (though it’s very common in races like Paris-Roubaix, think Alison Jackson and Mat Hayman), using a breakaway to avoid facing the race favorites in crux moments. The best way to stick with Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini over Roche-aux-Faucons is to be well ahead of them at the bottom of it. Going in the break is a gamble, but as the old saying goes you have to be prepared to lose if you want to win.
Results
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