85th - Sunday, April 18 1999

VDB Finally Has His Day

"He was definately strongest. I don't think I've ever seen him as strong as today. It's just a shame he is no longer riding for our team," lamented Patrick Lefévère, director of the Mapei-Bricobi team at the finish of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Lefévère of course, is talking about Franck Vandenbroucke, the recent winner. And he has reason to be frustrated. Only a year ago he coached the talented young Belgian. Today though, as Lefévère packs up his team after the finish, he is the coach of the day's biggest loser, Michele Bartoli, the two-time defending champion who had to settle for fourth. Vandenbroucke is now riding for the Cofidis team, and it is with his French teammates that he will be celebrating tonight.

At 24, Vandenbroucke is one of the up-and-coming superstars in the sport. But until today he had still to win a major World Cup classic. With his stunning attack on the Saint Nicolas climb, the ultimate climb of the day though, Vandenbrouke hushed all critics as he stormed away from his chasers and rolled alone to the finish to score the biggest win of his blossoming career.

Because Liège is the oldest of the grand classics they call it The Doyen. And as the oldest of the great races it is one of the most coveted. "All the greats have won it," said Bernard Hinault at the start this morning in downtown Liège. Hinault, one of the greats himself, won it in 1980 and he knows what it takes to come out on top at the end of these 264-hill-ridden kilometers. According to Hinault, the recipe for victory is simple. "You've got to be the strongest," he analyzed flatly. But when pushed, he admits that it takes a lot more than strength to win here. "No, you've got to be vigilant and patient. This race can take off at any moment, so you've always got to be near the front."

Sitting not far from Hinault was French champion Laurent Jalabert. As he signed autographs from his ONCE team car, one of the perennial favorites added. "You know they've changed the course this year. It's actually harder, so I think the breakaway could take off earlier than usual."

Perhaps it came as no surprise to find Jalabert igniting the race when he went on the attack several hours later. Just where he said the race would get spicy, on the sharp hills around Stavelot "Jaja" accelerated away from the pack. Certainly he hoped that his attack would encourage others to follow. But instead, his rivals simply maintained a steady tempo, never letting their French rival gain much more than a minute's advantage.

Others like Rabobank's Michael Boogerd and Maarten Den Bakker, Polti's Davide Rebellin, world champion Oscar Camenzind, not to mention Bartoli, preferred to wait.

The first taste of what would come in the final came on the summit of the legendary Redoute climb. There, just after Jalabert was caught, on the lush-but-brutal slope, the Vandenbroucke/Bartoli duel began. Bartoli, the world's number-one-ranked rider attacked twice. But he could not intimidate "VDB" who sprinted by him over the top. Bartoli no doubt, knew that he would have his hands full in his effort to win three in a row.

Only sixteen riders still remained as the race pounded towards Liège. On the Saint Nicolas climb, Bartoli sent his teammate Paolo Bettini up the road to try to prepare the final. Bettini, however, was quickly caught and passed by Boogerd, who splintered the field with his cutting attack. It was almost the perfect move. Indeed Boogerd succeeded in dropping just about everyone... Just about everyone that is, except Franck Vandenbroucke.

And "VDB" didn't wait long before having the final say. Powering past Boogerd, he held a 100-meter advantage over the summit. Bartoli, Camenzind and the others were simply planted behind.

Vandenbroucke raced through Liège towards the finish. And with his advance, he had time to savor his greatest victory. Pulling his jersey tight over his torso and raising his arms, the Cofidis star was all smiles. After the line, as he was pushed towards the victory podium, he wasn't about to hide his emotion. "Ah, it doesn't get much better than that. To win a race like Liège the way I did today will be remembered for a good while."

And certainly neither Bartoli, nor Boogerd, nor Camenzind would be forgetting Vandenbroucke's Liège ride anytime soon.



16:30 - Franck Vandenbroucke wins his first World Cup Race.

Climbing the Côte de Saint-Nicolas, last hill of the race, Bettini is caught by Boogerd and Vandenbroucke. The other leaders are already beaten. At the top, there is a 7'' gap between Vandenbroucke and Boogerd. On the finishing-line, cheered by rowing crowds, the young Cofidis rider arrives 30'' before the Dutchman and wins the 85th Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The third and fourth places are for Den Bakker and Bartoli, the looser of the day who didn't succeed in winning a third time the oldest classic.

15:45 - Bartoli and Vandenbroucke prepare the final assault.

While scaling the daunting Côte de la Redoute, Bartoli attacks once, twice. But Franck Vandenbroucke is stronger than the Italian. At the top, the young Belgian remains alone, and is quickly caught by a fifteen-rider group, including the top-racers : Bartoli, Boogerd, Den Bakker, Rebellin and Camenzind. An other group with Tchmil finds itself 48'' behind the leaders.

15:30 - Jalabert is too isolated to go further...

Jalabert knows that his efforts are useless. That's why he waits for the chasing group. As it heads for the Côte de la Redoute, the fifty-rider pack's speed is impressive.

14:45 - Laurent Jalabert, far from the finishing line, makes a solo attack.

At the top of the Côte de Stockeu, Forconi is caught by Laurent Jalabert, followed by Michaël Boogerd. Then, Jalabert is caught by Stefano Garzelli while scaling the Côte de Wanneranval. Finally, Jalabert takes the lead in the Côte du Rosier. At the top, the main pack, where Massimo Codol and Oscar Camenzind lead the chase, follows 1'05'' behind.

13:45 - Three riders lead the race

At the foot of the Côte de Wanne, Bart Boskamp et Steinhauser attack and, at the top, hold a 20'' lead on Diaz Justo and the rest of the pack. Then, the race changes pattern. The two riders are caught. Ricardo Forconi, then Kurt Van Lanker and Alexei Sivakov accelerate. In Stavelot, at km 165,5, the gap betwen the three-men breakaway ans the bunch is 35''.

13:33 - It was a 128-km breakaway...

One after the other, the breakaway riders are caught by the bunch at km 146, as they approach the Côte de Wanne.

13:00 - The pack is leading the chase.

The pack has ridden three hours since it left Liège. The average of the race is currently 42,6 km/h. The gap is less than 1'50''.


12:30 - The race suddenly gathers pace.

Fifteen minutes later, the gap between the breakaway and the pack has decreased : in Savy (km 98,5), bunch is less than 3'45'' behind the twelve leading riders.

12:15 - The gap remains unchanged.

While heading for Bastogne, the breakaway still holds a 5'45'' lead on the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, the young french rider Christophe Rinero, best climber of the last Tour de France, has dropped out. Otherwise, 17 riders can't follow the bunch.

11:30 - First breakaway

At km 18, twelve riders attack : Tobias Steinhauser, Rafael Diaz Justo, Alexandre Vinokourov, Steve De Wolf, Sergio Barbero, Ernesto Manchon, Harald Morscher, Mauro Gianetti, Jonathan Vaughters, Alain Turicchia, Glenn D'Hollander and Frédéric Gabriel. As the main pack rides slowly, the gap grows very quickly : 1'04'' at km 25 and 5'30'' at km 43.

10:04 - The legend of Liège-Bastogne-Liège

The U.C.I. World Cup's fourth race has just started under a sunny but cold weather. 191 riders crossed the starting line located Place Saint Lambert. Created in 1892, Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest race of the cycling classic events. This year, everybody expects from Michele Bartoli a third success, even if his oppenents (Michaël Boogerd, Peter Van Petegem, Andreï Tchmil, Oscar Camenzind or Franck Vandenbroucke) won't let him make an other show... Bartoli, who won La Flèche Wallonne last wednesday, is currently ranked 1st in the world. As for Jalabert, ranked second, the french rider hopes for a first success and thinks that the race is more difficult this year, with two new treacherous hills in the last 100 km. However, drawn up for the powerful riders, the 1999 race could very well reveal a promising new talent.