© A.S.O. / Bruno BADE
The focus was on the Italian riders from the start: Danilo Di Luca, well positioned between Ruggero Marzoli and the world champion Paolo Bettini, harboured the killer smile of a slayer of Classics…
© A.S.O. / Bruno BADE
Seven kilometres into the race, a breakaway group emerged: Vasil Kiryienka, Jan Kuykx, Rémy Di Gregorio and Unai Etxebarria accelerated and rapidly increased their advantage (18'30 at the Bastogne feed zone). The tough succession of climbs proved fatal to Kuykx, who dropped out of the lead group.
© A.S.O. / Bruno BADE
Spurred on by the Quick Step and Gerolsteiner teams and cheered on by a fervent public, …
© A.S.O. / Bruno BADE
… the favourites moved constantly closer to the three leaders, caught at kilometre 237 by four energetic and ambitious counter-attackers: Carlos Barredo, Cédric Vasseur, Karsten Kroon and Stefan Schumacher.
© A.S.O. / Bruno BADE
The German rider used the Tilff climb to continue on his own, …
© A.S.O. / Bruno BADE
but was caught at the foot of Saint-Nicolas. Paolo Bettini and Damiano Cunego launched the attack, but Franck Schleck and then Danilo Di Luca moved faster. In the ultimate difficulty, the Italian was incontestably more powerful than the Luxembourg rider and single-handedly completed this legendary race that he was later to refer to as “the most beautiful race in the world”.
© A.S.O. / Bruno BADE
The Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, already second in the Flèche Wallonne four days earlier, overtook Schelck in the final hectometres.
