Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Cycling Pro: Vinokourov is confident for Fleche & Liege

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Parent Category: Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Category: News Cycling Pro Road & Mtb 2011

Published on Sunday, 17 April 2011 21:58

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Amstel Gold Race today with a route of 166.4 km between Maastricht and Valkenburg.

Throughout the race, we could see the work of the riders of Astana, with team mates such as Kessiakoff, Gasparotto, Maxim Iglinskiy and Di Gregorio, who provided a relay in front of the pack in order to place ahead their leader Alexander Vinokourov. "The team worked well today, says sport director Laurenzo Lapage, they followed the strategy, it worked well."

At 28km from the finish, just before the climb Gulperberg, the Kazakh Maxim Iglinskiy launched attack, immediately some riders as Damiano Cunego staid on his wheel, it marked the beginning of hostilities on the front of the pack.

Then a leading group was formed, with many favorites such as Philippe Gilbert, Alexandr Kolobnev and Andy Schleck, including Alexandre Vinokourov who was in this group. Until the penultimate hill, the Kazakh leader remained among these men, but in the climb, he drops the group "Unfortunately the legs don’t always answers, explains Alexandre. The Amstel is a complicated race and I haven’t always succeeded in this last climb. It is also my first 260km race of the season and it doesn’t always work the first time. But the team worked really well today, I feel good and I remain confident for Liege and Fleche approaching! "

Finally, despite an attempt by Andy Schleck, alone in the lead in the final kilometres, he is surpassed in the last hundred meters and the Belgian Philippe Gilbert, repeated his victory of last year, and crossed the line with arms raised. Then Alexandre Vinkourov arrived 17th.