2003 Liege - Bastogne - Liege

[Music] [Music] hello and welcome to a chilly our den the 89th running of the famous classic lace bath only as the oldest of all of the classic races it began back in 1892 and today brings the classic season to a close and that's not normally the case because that's usually reserved for the Amstel Gold Race changes in the calendar and it now means that the liaised back on the age will end the early season classic racing I'm till they get joining commentary by for sharing today looking for the four that will take into a possible win in the Tour de France saying he's looking for a good finish in the leading group today well a fantastic performance this week by an Oracle because that winner there on column I think will obviously make him feel that he's got a very good chance of getting back up to the top and maybe being a challenger in the Tour de France later this year to Lance Armstrong but I don't think anybody expected this man to be on the start line we were told a couple of days ago he'd broken his collarbone diving dribbling is on the start a quick visit to a a chiropractor here in Belgium and we'll see how he performs axel mercs always a favorite with the crowds one of three leaders on lotto today with their Peter van Peter gum and this rider rickwaa Braga so they've got a three-pronged attack to try and continue the great form being shown in these last couple of weeks by the Lotto riders not least by this man here peter van peter gunn the world cup leader he's had two good positions in this race in the past couple of years so it's a course that he could score more points in the World Cup competition already at the leader that everybody I think expecting a big start here in the years it's a race of 258 kilometers and I think looking here at Francesco Casa Grande a lot of riders feel a little worried about the rain clouds which are threatening this part of Belgium at the moment well they can expect a headwind all the way down to bast and on the way back which is where wheels pick up the action it should be quite a rapid race there are rain storms around and the chill factor is probably making you feel a lot cooler than the 10 degrees Celsius that's 50 degrees Fahrenheit at the moment but all the riders in good form at the start line in the ocean and Seiko also having had some great second places in Milan San Remo and Perry Roubaix finally landing the wind in flesh will on earlier in the week with me kale asked the law that was Daniel Eau de Luca there a man I think it's got a very good chance this afternoon he's also one of the highest ranked riders with five stars to his credit as a possible winner of this bike race a former two-time winner here on the podium though mikela Bartoli wondering how his form is at the moment Phil after breaking his hip early on in the season a man also likely to be in with the challenges towards the end Michael Bogart an ongoing story between him and Rabobank and of course Lance Armstrong yes very annoyed that Lance was chasing down Michael Bogart in the Amstel Gold Race everything he did but a big round of applause here for Lance he says that he's looking forward to the race the weather's the same for everybody very typical comment from the American giving nothing away before the start this morning this was the rollout as the riders now head out onto the race course the whole distance of the race is 258 kilometres 161 miles and by tradition 10 climbs on the route all except one on the way back as we now join the live action I can tell you they've gone over the code to sound rock on the way down to bostonia here's the area around Stav low now in stock oh we're getting the first glimpse at low level of the leaders so this should be very interesting for us now as they start to come through here now this sir is all scurry for the climb and it looks to me as though that Paul the seven leaders have been caught up by five more there because we saw Victor Hugo Pena are just sitting towards the back of the race and the Rabobank rider here right now is Oscar Ferran others a little bit of a surprise was it was it fair I think it was bit Marcos ABARES Bears are betting on the back there and he was looking to try and get across this is what stocker is like 22% at the highest part of the climb it's an average of 9.6 but it's very difficult on the base of the climb because of these this cobblestone section here we're looking at one of the riders who is in the early move this morning and there's been a serious change in the whole of the composition at the front end of this peloton because the the land bow credit rider here we're looking at in fact is Vladimir Duma from the Ukraine well he must have come across the gap for sure this is Duma and it is the Berg just behind him I hit a little stretch of cobblestones shake them back up into life as they continue now to keep the pressure on that peloton is not very far behind and I expect to see them unleash some pressure we've had a sight of Lance Armstrong back in the main field so he's still very much in there as we see the lamprey riders here now this is the remnants of a this is cannot II one of the original breakaways and Pena is still here Almaguer lugar Pena was in that early breakaway this morning obviously sent out on the attack by Lance Armstrong to make sure that the US Postal Service had a rider represented in the early morning breakaway that's always par for the course here at liaised Bastogne he has a lot of riders trying to gain themselves a bit of glory and these riders the seven men who had initially escaped built themselves up a lead at one stage of almost 10 minutes but we're now back with the main field in the middle there you can see the man in the white jersey is mikela Bartoli looking very comfortable here a former two-time winner I think on the left hand side there we also got a glimpse there a frank vandenbroucke are riding fairly close to the front end of the main field as well but this is Martin el mega one of the riders who was in the the leading group earlier on the leading group of seven and he now were almost certainly going towards an early shower yes Emma get out in front 48 kilometres a day we nasty who's still up there and Pena and Vogon are a new name on the Block Fontes deserve new professional for lap team which is having an excellent season there is the monument just at the top there the monument at the top of the stalker and that I think is to stand offers instead he climbing here by hostel I saw the initial selection not coming just keeping the pressure on here this is the climb of the wall the coat the stalker leaves us with about 170 kilometres covered and 88 to go Cedric Vassar on the left-hand side the Frenchman on the coffee his team and at the summit of this climb is a very interesting monument to eddy merckx as well and then he was not very happy when they actually put the monument up there he said I thought they only put monuments here for dead men the gap is only about 50 seconds to what our nine leaders do Murr is up there as a burger get it gloms in the kousonsan Luca Paolini they're the ones we've managed to nail down it looks as though we've got a rider here from Telecom in the frame as well but the gap is nothing yet Bobby Julius arrived from Telecom who's made the junction there with that leading group of nine riders we're now beginning the coat the one around vault 99.4% average gradient about 15 percent of the steepest part and then after that we will drop down into the valley and head along a fairly flat undulating road till we get to the climb of the cote de rozier just pair on on the front it's a barrack up alongside him Bobby julik just at the back there bringing in the referees car there so the gap must be hovering around a 30 to 30 second mark at the moment it's a very difficult roads although these climbs are not the huge big climbs of the Alps or the Pyrenees these roads are certainly what we would call leg breakers at all second that they're on these had some good form this year won't kill a meter to the top then of the koto Van Allen belt which means you're passed through 83 kilometres here these are the nine frontrunners just tagged on the back and get it Blom's up and the gap just over 50 seconds the fact all the cars are coming in there now it may have just cruised up to the minute mark get some idea of the gradient of the climb now as they start to ride this one out of the saddle bombs are sticking sticking to the rear and just in front of him we've got we've got Nicky Sorensen his brother won this race a few years back and it was the last rider to win for Denmark in 1993 that was ralph of course who's now working for Danish television as a commentator it's got the easy job now they've brought in the neutral service car but I think the referees are getting just a little bit nervous there it's surprising to see all of the work that's being done the front end of this main field by team coffee disc because I don't really see them as having a leader fully aged based on the yesterday feel although Nico madtown feels he's got a chance of getting himself into one of the top ten placings but there's still a very large main fields of sticking keeping themselves together I think that's Armstrong down there in about 20th position for the moment just keeping himself to the front end of the main field as much as out of danger as he can and that 30-second time gap I think is probably a lot closer now to 20 I think properties there's a there's a lot of unrest within the team at the moment the Belgian element want to go David Miller's openly criticized the squad he's out with injury at the moment hopes to make his return very shortly and start is build up for the Tour de France the team could do with a good result to wipe away all these all these rumors I think we're looking at the back end of the main field here you get an idea just to see what sort of a race the edge based on the edge is for the moment it very much is a war of attrition with riders just being shot off the back with the incredible pace that's being set on the front end of the main field by the coffee this riders once they eliminate several riders here on these roads which are very difficult roads indeed there will be a serious sorting out when they get to the outskirts of the the town of supremo for the code to the Lara do because I think that's where the race really will start to unfold but these are the guys on the frontier Phil are all taking a very serious look on the situation at liege bastogne is there is Francesco Casa Grande just behind him is even Basso another man from Faso Bertolo who could be a surprise winner of this bike race towards the end he's in very good form right now chance to see that the Sun is trying to come out here at one there you just see the yellow car through the the crowds there that's the neutral service vehicle in fact it looks as if they've pulled the neutral service vehicle from behind for the breakaway of nine riders which indicates the gap must have come down inside of the 30-second mark I shot dare over Bobby julik in that breakaway he's having a good week so cycling he wasn't - in the flesh now an attack coming off the frontier now cough it is very anxious to get something moving here now they can't get what's close in the camera than that cédric by sir jumping up out of the front end of the main field I tell you what in that small group of riders off the front end of the peloton there was a certain man by the name of Lance Armstrong sir he already is paying a serious amount of attention to the front end of the peloton he obviously has a feeling that the race might split up over the summit of the club Derosier these other leaders were with now a nice glimpse there of Bobby julik and just coming through here is a Duma and odo bolt sir he'll be dictating the race pattern here and probably passing over words of wisdom we almost have something in common his birthday's the day before mine I was trying to be polite no Boles is a great bike ride and he was he will be 37 years of age in August but just looking down on the main field there right now you can see they really are putting the hammer down I think rattled a little bit by that acceleration looking down the best place to be you can see is obviously in the first five or ten places because the guys in the back of the main field right now are scrambling to stay on the wheel in front of them and it's a very difficult and dangerous place to be because sometimes you take risks and that's when the accidents start to happen this is the counter-attack and they are certainly riding exceptionally well together [Applause] heavy clouds great but if it is going to be any rain I don't think it'll be too severe passing shower maybe but Seiko now sending up there a good strong Manny Alexander chef from Kazakhstan and to joy and get it gloms are already up there this is a very similar move that they were using in flesh will on and it worked out because the breakaway unusually so never got brought back and asked the lower one the day first time of spanish riders ever won that race can't close the previous year between ihe beriev and Venezuela but spanish-speaking but not from Spain there's the gaps now 13 second so it looks as though this little chase group might bridge but throw a blanket over the lot I think that just now it's all still very close together the main field are not too far behind that counter-attack of four riders and that's a good situation for the main field to be in because those four riders in front are almost like the carrot in front of the donkey and it's not more than ten seconds right now as they accelerate to pull back those men they realize that if those four men can bridge the gap they're now looking at a slightly different situation out on the road because Mario Aerts is a very tough bike rider I would think joining up with Bobby julik at the front end julik would be able to find some extra firepower to dig into the possibility of extending their advantage over the main field I do however feel that it's all going to come back together before we get to the start of the series climb towards the summit of the cote de rozier and of course i think we're going to see a large peloton once again charged into the bottom of the cote de La Redoute and that's where the big names will have come forward and show what they've got in their legs this is down to stop loading and outs of once more waiting for OCA to start now to the next time they should get across for I think when they do bridge they're going to be taking the peloton with them burden I leaders it's slightly more than the gap I think the nature's told us but even so are the telecoms coming up quite quickly on echeverria and pets mr. Ford chases they're anxious to get across and they're working hard I'm sure Brahms is not doing much up there right now he is number 14 third from the back Luca Paolini is the nothing in this breakaway since he joined it but he's just sitting there hoping for reinforcements from the rear as I've got the firepower yet you see the way the conditions starting to change as well because there's a small amount of mist coming down from this very low cloud here and this really does bring down the temperature in this part of the world the Ardennes in factor the highest point of Belgium the highest point of Belgium is not too far away from where these riders are right now you can see that they counter-attack looking over their shoulders they're realizing they're not opening up any advantage over the main field at all and I think that will take the wind out of their sails here's the front end of the main field team of Francesco Kaz a grandiy being very attentive there as ruby era and Armstrong on the far side they're moving themselves to the front end of this peloton I think Armstrong today is looking to try and put the name of one of the biggest classics onto his pal Marez let's not forget he has won a World Cup event in the past he won San Sebastian a couple of years ago and he also won the flesh well on and went on to finish second in Liege based on the age but I think he's looking to try and put a slightly bigger one-day classic on to his pedigree because he's always felt that he's the kind of rider capable of winning a race like this perfect course for him this is the cote de Rossi a next 13 percentage steep this point take this up to 271 I'm are too far away with the leaders were about four K's three or four kilometres from the climb itself there's the peloton and I think when we get there they're pretty much gonna be all together because those are the four riders just out in front about to lassu them and put them back in their place also I'm very attentive and I really do believe that Armstrong certainly is thinking of a good result today you have a little bit of competition I'm sure of that and remember you've got to finish this race you're feeling very strong because of the climb which takes us up towards the finish nice little incursion that the race organization have put in because in fact they leave Stabilo behind them and they do a nice little circuit around Stowe more to go over the top of this climb here that could do Rozier before they drop down into the town of it leg lays and then is where we'll have the final feeding station that will be at 200 kilometers leaving the riders with 54 kilometers to go to the finishing line as you can see the main field just slowing down a little bit the fact that they're bunching across means that the accelerations are starting to subside but as we say that somebody else has decided they want to go off the front end of the main field now they're still trying to reach these four but it won't be long now before they bring them back one of the terrors of doing liaised based on the age my helicopter is you can't always see the riders because we're in some of the pine forests here of the beautiful our den and just up to the left of our picture now that's a lovely pictures they come through the forest here these are the leaders being led by zeeburg and the two CSC boys right behind keeping an eye on things Nicky Sorenson and that there on just behind him still they don't have much more than 15 seconds advantage over the chasing group of for about another 10 seconds back to the main field once they get to the summit of the cuddler Rozier they will plunge back down into the valley which they left only a couple of kilometres ago charged through the feeding station three or four kilometres on the flat and then another very difficult climb but climb over that code allows Vicky Sorensen seems to be really giving in some hammer air-filled for the moment up into third or fourth position there's an rib there on judo bolts you see faults always riding at the front end of this group he knows exactly where to position himself his experience makes up for an awful lot because let's not forget he is 36 years of age one of the older bite riders and we're looking here the average speed of the race so far a very fast average speed at 38 points seven kilometres an hour well they got off that covered 42 kilometres in the opening hour today then they slowed a little bit as the headwind took its toll and the breakaway established itself down to the turn at best on pulling that back again now I think we'll will continue to increase in that average speed as we run to the finish with the favorable conditions and the fact that the peloton has kept up a very high tempo here they've not allowed this breakaway to get clear at all and they're still only a few seconds covering the whole spread of the race still a compact peloton 11 seconds is now the gap well that's absolutely nothing as there on the foothills now of the Rossi a taking this into the last 45 miles and slowly but surely it's all starting to come together that group of four is only 11 seconds behind and the gap back to the main field is not very much more than that either this is an rib there on former world team Time Trial champion looking over his shoulder interested to see whether Tyler Hamilton could do something on a stage on a race like this there is Paolini he certainly was yo-yoing back and forward on that group I think the terrain today certainly not very much to his liking yeah he never was happy in that breakaway he was just sitting there at the back he wasn't able to take part in it at all as the riders now try to bring themselves a little bit closer 11 seconds is nothing to it who shuts the gap down really because at this stage of the race they know the minute they should this gap down there will be more attacks to try and break up the field sitting around here at the front of the race is Francesco of Ruiz Spanish rider on Team Coast setting it up I'm sure today to give you an ORAC a real shot of the high finish I won't say a win but if he did win today then the warning bells would be sounding all over the our den for the upcoming Tour de France well Germany would go absolutely wild I think because they already were pretty excited last week when yeah Nora can you can see all right there just to the right hand side in the light blue strip of team coast riding very comfortably Phil for the moment and when you think this man has been out of competition for 18 months with all kinds of not only physical but psychological problems I think he's maybe got himself back onto the straight narrow because he's riding there like an A Yan Ulrich of old absolutely I think mentally he is back but that the time he's had out he's got a little bit of muscle tower still to rebuild but there's no doubt about that the immense talent of young Orlick and if he finds his true form then Lance Armstrong knows he's the most feared man in the professional cycling peloton Lance was riding about three riders in front of him so maybe the tables are turned at the moment and Ulrich is judging himself by Lance's strength today and he's keeping an eye on him this is still a true as setting the pace for Team Coast so with obviously taking confidence in their leader today in Oelrichs so so tricked by sir having a pretty good ride today he's in third position they're the large coffee dis rider they're just picking up Mario Aerts there and he is back in the main field this bike race is all very much coming back together and I'm certain we'll see the majority of the riders who are in this group charging now into the outskirts of the town at the bottom of the kogda ladder dude Ibanez dot-com deciding to have a go right now and it's rather confusing at the start of the season here because the i'm ernesto calm is almost identical to the Rabobank colors when you see them out on the road looks as though he's got his souvenirs won't be from the race today I shouldn't think but possibly a crash in flesh full on that little group still this is a new group trying to get away and there was a u.s. postal rider tagged on to the back 14 seconds there they are the nine riders who have dictated affairs as since we got over the top of the coatless dr there'll be some changes now I think this is a change of God at the front there's ten riders here now so that was Cadell I think in fact what has happened the four bridged achi Berea it says shiver and Serrano now we didn't see that bridge would they've tagged on to the back because Serrano is certainly down there they on say rider and Scheffer is there as well so that's what's causing concern with the chase group but there's only a few seconds covering the lot well 14 to be precise at the moment it really is a race that is very certainly going to come back together before we go very much further but I think the pressure has been so much on since we came back from bostonia that it's going to be a very decisive attack of the code to La Redoute ear there is Armstrong on the front field looking very attentive and not too far behind is yan Ulrich so it's really quite amazing the way or it has come back this is a move from Francesco Casa Grande now this will cause a little bit of ripple of excitement amongst the riders there's Bobby julik just come back on the left of our picture from the leaders signing is not worth the effort now because there is a strong effort being made by Casa de Randy and pulling clear at the moment now Casa Grande is a feared rider when he's feeling confident and he looks to me as though he's feeling pretty good right now and just tagging onto the back there is Kessler now Kessler is a man where are the other coming up to the breakaway so this is quite a useful groove now but 11 riders well this is actually one of the one of the men who Lance Armstrong said he felt was exceptionally strong last week in the Amstel Gold Race Matty asked Kessler he's a man they don't want to give too much of an advantage of here right now they've jumped across the gap there there is echeverria Serrano moving forward here there these are the the remnants of what was the leading group and in fact the rider from seda Mike here has also written himself across the gap and through onto the attack we're looking at here is Eddie Mads aleni who we've seen on many occasions in the past be a great attacking Rider I will he wrote a great flesh well on he was placed in that and it looks as though Garrett gloms is feeling a bit fresher now he's been hanging around the back but there he was going up with Matt Cellini there because there's a sense here change man look at this the peloton here is splitting and splitting now and trying to get up there amongst it a decisive move here I think as we head towards the cote de los t8 as the head of the peloton now a decision tie for one or two rides I think because it's all your own work day you've got to get out and join that leading group thing to do right now is to accelerate into this corner and just charge down the descent take a few risks to make sure that the whole of the race comes back together one or two riders I think in difficulty there for a few moments because you could see them looking the other way when people were starting to launch counter-attacks so though those are the climbs left to go la vaque la Redoute supremo safty l'amour and Senna Cola and of course the final climb of the day into the cote de oz still an awful lot of climbing to go Phil before we get to the finish and I tell you one thing one or two riders starting to suffer on what has been a very upbeat tempo since we turned around down in Bastogne you he's our old friend Eddie Matt Cellini here the man has got great spring classic form and he's come up but the whole peloton looked as though that almost hooked up now long thin straight line I think we have very good finale today because this is an active race here attack and counter-attack they're aligned no breakaways to gain anything but maybe 30 seconds here comes the next rush off the front now 63 kilometers up from the finish that's Kessler now moving up towards the leaders again very dangerous move here right now they're moving away from the summit of the cote de rozier they'll drop down into the valley and the town overlay glaze go through the feeding zone about three kilometers have flat then then turn off the road and left-hand turn and head up another climb the cote de la vaque before then dropping down and having a fast descent down the valley roads towards the cote de La Redoute it looks very much though Phil as if it's all starting to come back together these are very tricky roads here right now because although it's not raining a lot of these descents because of the forested nature of this race route are still very damp from the rain that's come over this part of Belgium over the last couple of days completely different to all of the other one-day classics we've had so far this is probably the coldest day that the bike riders have had to contend with and how different is the country in the same country of Belgium and yet nothing like the cobblestones of the Tour of Flanders this is a beautiful farm land area of the Arden well if you're good and you feel good this is a perfect course for you because it's a strong man's route as we now return towards Liege still plenty of big climbs to come but it's a tortuous route and you have to really stay on the edge of your mettle you can't afford to make a mistake you must hold your position near the head of the peloton because attack and counter-attack are coming all the time I mean a very very active racing is peloton today so far they've managed to repair the damage but I wonder for how long I think it's been a much harder lead up towards the final climb of the day than in previous years and I think we'll see the results of that when he gets up towards La Redoute that's the speed we're doing at the moment very between 65 and 71 kilometres an hour a gentle speed downhill yeah very gentle about 48 miles an hour so it's not too bad is it really there I think what's happening right now has had been a lot of riders getting left behind and a lot of the teams are actually starting to see that their numbers have been reduced and I'm trying to look down that line and see how many riders are still there from the US Postal Service Armstrong I think towards the end of this bike race is going to have the difficulty of finding himself somewhat isolated as are some of the other leaders too Frank Vandenbroucke is still in there but he doesn't seem to have that many bike riders around him so I think we could see a very serious group of 10 or 12 riders going clear over the cote de La Redoute and that would suit a lot of riders because they don't have the support of teammates over the last 25 30 kilometres the Palatinate is about sixty five riders strong so the field has been greatly reduced since we've made the turn down at Bastogne yet that's become a strong man's field we haven't seen either Michael Bogart and he is the hot favorite for the Rabobank boys we haven't seen too much indeed haven't seen anything of Peter van Peter gone below he is in this group reported the earlier sitting near the back of the group but we'd haven't actually seen him well that's his kind of tactic in the early part of races and he says a lot of people criticize him for that but he says he he's not able to to fight and use all his nervous energy to stay at the front end of the main field he would rather spend the first hundred hundred and twenty kilometres sitting at the back end of the main field and then just move forward when it is much more important I'm fairly sure he still is in this by race because after all he actually finished seventh in Liege Bastogne liaison last year he's a very good bike rider certainly a man who is a superb one-day bike rider and I think that double of Perry Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders went down pretty well in Belgium well if he's near the tail right now he's leaving himself a lot of energy wasting effort to get back up to the front but there's the slowing at the head as they all start to reshape and rethink what's going on the next stop for us will be the climb of the cote de lavit gate that'll be 52 kilometres left to run and there's another attack gone off the front well nobody wants to sit back here this is a good place to attack that looks like axel mercs going off the front right now he's attacking just before the feeding station and if he can go through there with 15 or 20 seconds advantage there will be a general slowing down in the peloton behind and he'll be able to open himself up 30 or 45 seconds before they go to the cote de la Vecchia but somebody's come straight across the gap there right now they realize this is a very tactical maneuver here coming into the feeding station and it looks as if that might be wrong SAS has seen the gap therefore lamprey but the rest of the main field Phil they're not letting too much get off the front now as a love reaction Gerolsteiner also sent a man across the gap here comes the Seiko boys shutting it down if they can still very strong and still very confident that danilot DeLuca can win this one today but the field all regrouping again that two and a half kilometers to our next challenge in their vacay and that'll take us into the last day 50 kilometres or so to the finish but of course the big climb getting closer and closer because after we're over of ecce we've then got a 15 kilometer bridge before we come down in to reminisce aw I start the climb of Valor dude another move my room's a series obviously yeah got it tea legs here this afternoon he wants to try and blow the race apart before we get to the coda La Redoute it's always very difficult the approach there because it's almost like a bunch sprint everybody knows you have to get to the bottom of Lera dudes in the first four or five places because the road is so narrow by the number of spectators who come out to see this bike race at this point Vassar is very attentive to Phil he's been right at the front for the last 10 or 15 kilometres looking for some kind of breakaway to go clear and there wasn't a very attentive Rabobank rider and the man that we've not seen too much of so far that's oscar frere the former two-time world champion so good to see him riding close to the frontier it isn't a race of this nature and again another man trying to pave the way for Michael Bogart perhaps here comes an attack again now from beanie Cal the roller Oh this one certainly isn't vain stained I don't think it's brought alarming could be could be Oscar meson because he's the other member of this team is also firing on all cylinders just now everyone getting very nervous here you see when their riders zigzag across the road like that trying to see if they've got a gap between themselves in the main field it indicates that a lot of nervousness is coming into the pack there but peloton a move going straight through the feeding station there again coming from lamprey it's a very confusing and dangerous place going through the feeding zone here and then a race like this it is so important especially with these weather conditions to make sure you take onboard plenty of food and drink at a point like this it's a room size again yeah she's definitely trying to get a group going here runs us now he's 31 years of age and living under the shadow low absolutely no no proof of any allegations of illegal use of stimulants but of course he has that cloud hanging over him from his third-place finishing the Tour de France but it's only in the last 10 days she's really started to look good again and certainly last week in flesh Fulani Road extremely well and now he wants some results won't flicker the I'm Ernesto dot-com rider at the back of the main field they're covered in bandages from the crash in the flesh well on just a couple of days ago a lot of nervousness on the front end in the main field once they go over the summit of the cote de la Vecchia they have about 15 kilometers down towards the cote de La Redoute and that will be a very fast approach to Lera doot and in fact it's into the town of soon-yi where they get to the foot of the climb just looking here the faces but I'll tell you what Eddy mat Cellini almost got two sandwiches out of that one but he survived his journey through the feeding station that's a she's epic Irina the man that was knocked off by the photographer Eric up on the top of ALP d'Huez a couple of years ago would he got up and he went on to win the stage of the Tour de France there now this is an attack here by lotto and it's not one of the top three riders that they're pinning all the hopes on today either but he's trying to shape something up there's a lot of riders willing to lift the pace here they're sensing that something is going to happen shortly there's a big gap starting to appear here right now what he's scrambling to stay in contact for the moment looking back down you can see there's almost 35 seconds from the front end of the main field to the back of the group but I think these guys now have decided they're going to sit down for a while although it won't be too long before somebody else comes out to launch another attack this is what it looks like at the back end of the peloton this is Flecker on the back there with their white bandages from Ibanez dot-com and the funny thing is that going through a feeding station at this point in the race as fast as that it takes a riders an awful long time to get all of the food into their back pockets now that's only a slight rise but again is hurting the peloton here they try to get a little bit of a gap again I'd give me a belly the lamprey boy near this camera cause a little bit of damage but it's caused quite a lot of damage as it turns out because you split the field here a very good team Ian lamprey with Francesco Gonzaga Randy belly miss Anglia and of course Rome says who seems to be an excellent form right now I think it will all come back together again before they turn off the road it's a think if I remember correctly a left-hand turn to the cote de la Vecchia and still a fairly large group and still this incredible taste that we've had Phil ever since we came back from Bastogne you when we got down to Bastogne there was a leading group of seven riders who elephant had an advantage of almost 10 minutes and that got wiped out on the very rapid approach to the the first major climb that could the one on the way back up towards the edge but looking now down on the main field they really are strung out in one very long line well this is turning out to be quite a charge here as we go through Stu Maul and line up now for the cote de lavit gate still the riders are launching one attack after another here they're determined to crack this field as sooner or later we'll just onto the slopes of the climb now eight percent at the steepest point so it's a nice little leg break at this one and it's a 15 kilometer charge towards La Redoute sort of a very long climb as well almost 5 kilometres in length it looks like Cedric Vassar as the man who's come out of the front of the main field therefore they coffee'd his team is happening exceptional day to day he's been in first 15 places for the last 30 kilometres or so and right now he's trying to open up some gap between himself and the rest of the main field probably trying to get the team a little bit of sponsorship after what has not really being one of their great so one day classic Compton campaigns know it's got the ever-present psycho riders to come and give him a hand now this one is a bit of an important move because this is Egor as the Laura game-winner a flesh will on very confident he told the world at the end that he felt he was a rider for the classics well he's one warning he's had a couple of good second place is now in classic races so maybe and still they're reflecting in the form of last Wednesday but once more a lot of riders marking the move here and all came back together again well there's Michael Bogart on the left hand side the Rabobank rider he's a man who expects to ride well here this afternoon at a certain a lot of a certain amount of animosity and rivalry coming on between him and Lance Armstrong who chased him down almost every time he attacked in the ansel girl race just a week ago now a Vinny Calder illa again going out on the attack but I tell you one thing Phil there are now appearing to be an awful lot of riders completely on the rivet in this main peloton because a few moments ago everybody was jumping onto every attack that came out of the front but now they're starting to count their efforts and make sure that the efforts they make are ones that are going to pay well this could be a scam s on this time or the other on for man in this squad is Steve's MP Eddie the Swiss rider we're gonna find out now which one it is and he goes past here it's Oscar meson so he's the other rider like Matt Cellini who shares the good form and well he might have hit them right because there's a little bit of a lull now as there have been so many attacks as Paul has said this is a long climb up here through the forest and it will be a chance to try and build a little bit before you got that long no-man's land hike across the Larry doot which hangs up near the main auto root down through Liege and always draws the biggest crowd of this race don't mean over I can't see now putting the hammer on at the front end of the main field this is a very difficult climb that could to Levesque a four point eight kilometers in length an average of our owned about five and a half percent but is eight percent of the steepest parts this is the leader Alexander calab Neff the Russian rider on the Domino vacancy team looking over his shoulder to see what sort of damage he's done but basically for the moment everybody just sitting there in his slipstream well these are the boys remember that they're racing to for a share in the ordinay weekend group prize colored Neville so in the breakaway throughout flesh wall on and would feature very strong as a man that could be seen as the the winner of what they call the Arden a weekend ocarina at the front end of the group they're also being very attentive for Team Deutsche Telekom trying to pull it all back together look at this just getting out of the saddle Yan Alric just going to show us how strong he is after 18 months out of the sport yeah it's the big question mark but one can feel the excitement here that we might be seen ya know Luke returned to his great form this have been a tough race over these last thirty kilometres and if you're still holding position near the front and I think it's fair to say you're having a good day Gessler they're looking very good and when the Kessler to claw was placed in this race last year he made sixth place finish in about less than half a minute behind the tinea line we've got a very good season so far he was very aggressive in Perry nice and just a couple of weeks ago I got himself a win in the Grand Prix Miguel Indurain in Spain and he's a man who Lance Armstrong reckoned it was very strong indeed in the breakaway last week in the Amstel Gold Race Oh Lance tends to pick his men and keeps an eye on them that's how he rides his races he looks for the men on Form who can be a threats names aren't so important as the men who have the current condition and you never know where at this time of the year riders racing with different targets alarm strong is a very good judge of men on Form but the moment that bookmakers here in Belgium because in Belgium you can actually bet on bike races the bookmakers have Lance Armstrong down here as the number one favorite to win this bike racer with odds of 5 to 1 then queuing up behind him a Bogert & Deluca at 61 and just behind them Bartoli and Frank Vandenbroucke at 9 to 1 all rig is a long shot at 22 to 1 but I tell you what watching this bike race I would think those odds are starting to come down quite a bit right now Phil I think if you weren't commentating for you could nip out and brother properly books on for me because all rich looking rather good a completely different number of teams coming to the frontier in this byte race right now after seeing that though the men dominate the flatlands this is a man we saw a lot of earlier in the season especially in para nice Samuel Sanchez from Pocatello Scully very good bike rider these races suit the Spanish riders and it's always a changeover from the one-day classics riders to the the stage race riders when we come to race is lightly Amstell girl recently ace best on the edge because these are the kind of races where those men come to test themselves for the first time and very often in the past Miguel Indurain Greg LeMond they used to use these races as a pointer to make sure that all of their pressure preparation was on form for the big races like the Tour of Italy coming up and of course for men like Lance Armstrong to make sure that he's on track for the upcoming Tour de France reforming of the group de tete those in front or is this a little bit of the over stretching of the elastic a big crowd their line in the left-hand side of the road and they're seeing a very active race today these guys obviously don't want to wait for the cote de lara do because they're just now going over the summit air of the code de la vaque and from here 276 kilometres covered we have about fifteen kilometers to charge off the summit of this plateau here down towards the cote de La Redoute and I tell you what this has been hammer on for the last 15 or 20 kilometres everybody tried to get a small group off the front right now had chance to see another rider from Team Coast who's looking for trying to get himself into this small breakaway a lot of these riders feel they must have had a very difficult find getting time getting themselves psychologically prepared to race this year because it's it's been an on/off situation the team was suspended they were allowed to race again there is still the dispute on riders who were in the team last year who haven't received wages and even Yan Ulrich up until the last moment wasn't sure whether or not his license was going to get issued but right now I think the performance of Yan Alric last week will give the team a lot of psychological advantages and a boost to let them realize that they're the main man is back on form and firing well there's no doubt in Allen's illa left and moved across the Phonak it let he left the team rock-bottom morale but they seemed to have come round a big time now they've convinced I spoke to spent Totenberg about two weeks ago on the team coast and he said Bullock will be asked at threatening the Tour de France he said he won't win but he will be on the podium in Paris so there's a man who understands his German teammate pretty well so we wait and see if that's going to be the case this is Christoph Brandt here on the left for lotto there's a nice smile at the camera I've also seen Nico Martin still there for coffee this and always a good outside the chance of a win very aggressive bike rider but this is life at the rear of the peloton just now and it must be pretty drafty back there Oscar Farah twice the world champion working hard at the other end and with him too happy a Pascal Rodriguez for Ibanez though it nice to see the Spanish rider these last couple of weeks are really getting to grips now with his one-day classic races winning flesh will on and taking second for the first time the other day these attacks certainly are stretching out the main field all of the time and there's going to be some very tired bodies when we get to the bottom of the cote de lara duke nice to see the Sun coming out as well but it is going through this part of Belgium very tricky on some of these descents Phil you can see the road conditions that slight dampness on the surface makes it very risky when you plunge down some of these descents and nobody quite certain or not whether they've broken the stranglehold on the main feel they keep looking over their shoulders to see what sort of a gap they have over the main field unless you're moving a man into the break this is Lauren do fo who's got a cross there for Alessio no stranger to Liege based on the age at breakaway is establishing three six nine ten as shortly to be eleven now just below us there those that's the telethon no yes I think it is more or less at regrouping here the chase back as they all come back together again sitting there on the front 201 as tyler hamilton CSC so he seen his tits CSC teammates out in the early moves now looking to take part in a few himself yeah bollock nearest camera there he is probably the best shot we've had of him for about two years but it certainly isn't he really is being very attentive here fill in this bike racer bike racer which an on form yeah nor it could very easily win and i'm surprised to see him riding so well after such a short comeback but I think he's obviously had a very serious winter mentored by Rudy paralyzed no stranger to liaised best only is in fact Rudy feather and I wrote that really as best only as when only about thirteen riders finished and burn I you know was the winner all the number ones in the number in the race are coming to the front now there's been a core off 31 for Team Telecom he's the leader of that squad axel mercs again trying to put a bit of pressure on he's an unbelievable bite rider axel he's got no fear at all of trying to go out on the attack he's looking extremely strong that yet again dad will be proud of him that's doing the commentary on Belgian TV get it gloms has been up in the action today but quite a long way I'm moving up there Christian Malini and also another ridings on form in the Alessio squad but I saw medical celestina also second in Milan San Remo riding very close to the front it looks as though Seco have got such a strong team today they're not making many mistakes yet and we haven't seen danilot de Luca if you catch him in we're number 13 well one man who seems to be missing out a little bit in all of this action is Lance Armstrong who we haven't seen at the front end of the main field for a short while and I think the big problem with Armstrong is he doesn't have all his teammates around him right now he's been isolated I think by the fact that this race has been very difficult as we left Bosh Danya it'll free up group getting clear that led by the aggressive acts or max sitting at the back here is now gloms up who's been marshalling every break that he could get himself into not contributing a lot to it but keeping an eye on it I don't think he's meant to be the man to star today somehow for the team but that's Marini who is now in the middle but Berks firing well and driving on now that vato got some good riders in this race today they've got three official leaders one is axel the other one is rigged for Braga and of course their team leader in the World Cup Peter van pizza dough axel is a huge bike rider and look if not to seek then he's got out there he's done an awful lot of discussions with his dad and in fact his dad very much against the movement away from steel a couple of years ago and I think it was only because axel started racing that Eddy decided to move across and start making titanium frames and then carbon fiber and since then I think he's changed his views on the things that bike should actually be made out of good charge thereby viseo so he's also had a couple of wins this year from X Callum a rider and this again is superb effort by these riders the Gerolsteiner rider here is a vet come on fabian avec mon from germany he's also coming across the gap is gonna give us five hard workers well this is a tough bike race and I tell you what there's gonna be some this is another serious counter-attack coming off the front here Marik's a stroller Glossner Morini and Wegman a stroller film I don't really know where he came from but they must have just charged across the gap well that's to Seiko down there so he obviously made the gap but I never saw him come maybe you all did there we are we've got five six riders now going clear with asta Laura who is it so full of confidence as is the whole of Seiko they'll drive on now because remember the breakaway with asked the lower in succeeded in flesh will on they were away for a long way and the peloton never saw them again now you caught a glimpse of the cote de La Redoute that is the next climb on the horizon we get there and it stands out like a sore thumb on the Belgian countryside it's a brute it's a brute and it will be lined from top to bottom top from top to bottom by huge Belgian crowds looking back down you can see the riders flipping across the road here it is a bad way out here come here cost the gut and so on also on excellent form and he's passed by our TV camera so you'll join the leaders and that will give us now as seven riders this is how breakaways form they've had a lot of attacks and they've marshaled all the names now one or two names have got into this move now if it was mayo he hasn't come into the bottom of our picture yet he hasn't made the junction for the moment those six right at the front are working exceptionally well together and the fact that Seco got two riders in the group means that they will put a lot more pressure into the success of this breakaway and it is a huge advantage to go to the bottom of La Redoute in a small breakaway like this you don't have to battle at the front end of the main field if you're in the main field it ends up being like the charge of the line in the final kilometer of a bunch sprint because you know you have to get around the corner at the bottom of La Redoute in the first five or six places because the road narrows almost immediately as soon as you start to kick up Rebeca man number 97 who had a good chase to scurry onto the back and he's still recovering from that chase I think the Seiko riders are hammering home the advantage here and just look at these boys putting the pressure on everybody else you'd think the sprint was down the road here Paul as just trying to break this group up William sig Long's has got the word there from astral oh he's putting up the hammer down as much as he can there on the a slight decline now as we go down towards the cote de La Redoute and they will try and make sure they can keep hold of this advantage because it is a huge advantage to start the climb even with 20 or 30 all clubs who nearly took out his teammate there I think he just caught the edge of the road there and bumped into the shoulder of a stroller and that was it almost a complete wipeout forsaken that really would have been not very good for the books it would have been embarrassing let's face it and now grumpster coming through on his teammate asked the lower again followed by axel Burks never afraid of a work-rate axel as he now continues to push on knowing his wife he's watching him on television always a good inspiration Fabian Beckman also across the gap little bit of messing around going on here just now Vichy Oh so having to close down the driving on the front this must be a lot of concern and as Paul has said we haven't sir caught a glimpse of Lance Armstrong there since the last climb so maybe he's taking a breather knowing that La Redoute could indeed this year be the springboard for the riders in this group well it's greeny on the front and this is a huge acceleration from Nikhil Matt town coming right now charging down they want to bring it all back together it's about 24 seconds from the leading group of six to the main field and it really is not a very big main feel right now either in that group are all of the big names then like Armstrong are still in the group yan or if he's still in this group as well and they do realize that this is a very critical point in the bike race because we charging down right now Phil towards the start of the cote de La Redoute nickel matt has opened up a pretty serious gap over the main field but he has a six-man breakaway just in front of him win of the prologue time saw him Perry nice and a great fifth place for him in the tour of llamas which is always a one of the result of your Belgian but right now the field gathering strength behind and allowing him to run just a little bit I think they'll come back for him he's got across the gap up the road is that group of six riders here they are and still flying on him right on the front they're the two Seca riders drive on Beck's for the moment sitting at the back but it's only while he waits to go through and charging now down towards the rim of Shaw which is where the cote de La Redoute starts and these riders are all taking advantage of this small group they've got because if they can just get to remove Sean with 20 or 30 seconds lead over the main field they don't have to go through the battle to get into the foot of the cote de La Redoute mercs very keen to keep the tempo nice and height this for the moment is a group that's starting to look rather dangerous because there's some pretty serious names in here and the man seriously off form is Astra Laura after his win in the flesh well on there he is wearing number 11 always regarded himself as a one-day classics rider and getting the win that was I think the first time Spain ever has won that race Phil yeah with a nice second-place votes all right a bit of picture break up there that's it for their a naughty signal coming out of the trees but there's the breakaway and a chance now for a relationship with the Maine feel this year they are obviously making a reasonable progress she's our way down the valley and there's only one way out of it as far as this race is concerned and you see the autoroute crossing there where we go right up alongside that over to the right one again around the Battlement Renishaw this is the show soap he was the man that was once disqualified after a stage win in the tour of Spain was in Spanish they got the win actually got the winner got disqualified no he got the win and no he got the win as a result of that's right it was be a job Conti was disqualified after switching everybody all the way across the road so there's the gaps 25 seconds and at 37 seconds sent to the main field so it's still not not not right I think I think he was the one disqualified was nipple I think he was actually I think there was a bit of confusing heat that's in fact if I remember correctly night he took everybody across the road it wasn't really that vicious as print and then the judges decided to take him away from first position and he was not very happy about that well no in fact the riders weren't either there's a little bit of a strike next morning Conti who was given the result but they all felt that the judges have been a bit harsh but that's a long time ago ah now these are the breakaways this is the town of Remagen and when we make them go away now back into the climbs there'll be a little turn threw the towel up under the bridge and then we start the climb nice little er hostelry here and a good I gained another an excellent base if ever you want to come into this reason the Belgium to ride in the our den all these guys now I've got a very serious advantage I would say this is the race situation right now it's 26 seconds back to nico martin and 38 seconds back to the main field but they have the advantage phil of starting the climb without having to battle for position and that is a serious advantage because once they turn right here they'll pick their way through a few little back streets of the town of a rimu short and then the climb will start in earnest and as soon as they get out of town the road steepens up to about 23% in certain points but the difficulty with this climb is it is so narrow made a lot narrower by the fact that a huge crowd turns out to see this point in the race in which everyone regards as being very strategic well the couple gears as low as a 25 on the back for this climb now because it gets very steep 25% in places and the six riders who are hitting the town first or axle mercs get it gloms up christian Morelli and he'll viseo so fabian Beckman and Igor asked the law and this is the nuance a man on the block the CEO so on the back he was with Kel mate it says one in five is the steepest point 19 percent up near the top where it really kicks in great view by the way once you're up there I think gloms are here on the front has obviously decided to do as much as he can to keep their advantage to the foot of the steep part of the Codel era do because there you can see in fifth position astral are quite happy just to let his teammate do all of the takes making just nicking round here the Gerolsteiner rider who is actually looking rather good just a few moments ago Fabian Wakeman but in fact look at this clumps are now just disappearing from the front he's done his job for his teammate for coming to the steeper part of the climb here right now and that by the way that's an otter route which is amazing and obviously the police have now agreed after being forced into decision over the years that they can now Angle Park the cars on the author have to come out and offer a lot of tickets today that's for sure very difficult to stop the Belgians see in a bike race because they really do enjoy getting out to see the event and well the laws have to be bent slightly I think in Belgium when it comes down to bike racing it looks as though they've closed the motorway just because there's no cars moving there while the race gets through this is Nico Martin I think he's still chasing on his own here trying to reach the leaders it looked as though the youngster Fabio Vic Mon get all Steiner is going to be the first victim of the breakaway on the climb there's the autoroute complete carpark obviously allowed this time by the Belgian authorities and Rick Wanda just hooked himself back up to the tail here of the co so gloms had disappeared from there we did a huge effort at the bottom of the climb and decided to put the white flag up in surrender so chasing out on the road at 43 seconds is the group and I think that will start to be reduced somewhat look at them work mercs effort here though he really is getting out of the saddle and trying to make sure that he takes advantage of what is a seriously good move here for these riders Nichol mitat only has about ten seconds over the main field but this is a great move by Axel he's very comfortable here on the early slopes of the cote de lara do but it does get steeper as you get up towards the surf the summit it certainly does although they may not see the gradient too quickly because of the crowds of mercs on the front they've lost get it clumsy his job quite clearly was to try and get this group clear and keep it clear for asta law he's the man on form and he's done that part of his job very well indeed now he's got a hang on and just ride home but asked the lower in a perfect position here now well it would be a wonderful thing if it could be the double for a stellar with the flesh full on and the years based on the age Matt Anne wisely going back into the field here this is the start of the climb really this is a toughy a very difficult climb you can see everybody now realizing that they want to move to the frontier there is Danny Lowe DeLuca in the first four or five places Armstrong in eighth place running to the front there you can see yan Ulrich in fact I'll rig an arms from very close together Burke's is signing he wants to set the place the pace all of the way of this climb right now and this is probably the best thing to do because you can set the pace which is comfortable for yourself second position there astra lower third place Vichy also at the back there Wegman the Gerolsteiner Rider Phil seems to be in a bit of difficulty yes I'm not surprised because he's probably the one with the least experience in this breakaway Merck's knows exactly what he wants to do here now these last couple of years this hasn't served as the decisive springboard and mercs is thinning the group out a little bit it's mercs hasta la vie Co so many just about tagged on Redmond struggling with holding them in sight and not prepared to give up without a fight so good for him very international breakaway this a Belgian swiss-italian two Spaniards and the German although we've lost one of the would lost the Swiss rider now this is back in the main field Tyler Hamilton very close to the ferry right in the middle so he's doing well now I have a feeling in my town we will find him at the back of the bucket race right now in fact with the yellow car being there I think his effort was just to get himself on TV for a short while because he went straight through the main field and out the back well it's a shame but we can't really show the gradients of this climb on television it's like when you watch Formula one motor racing you don't realize how fast those cars are going this is a very very steep climb I never cease to be amazed by the way these riders seem to flatten out the countryside this look at mercs here he's got his gears right down but he's got himself a very fast pedaling cadence and I think they've cracked wet when he is just trying to hang on in the distance but axle is really on fine form here this afternoon because he's setting a very tough temper there on the front and these riders will conserve most of their advantage over the summit of this climb 46 seconds armstrong moving to the front of the group there Phil he's looking very comfortable very sick very nicely situated in second position there as they start the serious part of the coda louder doot well the Seco rider they're trying just to keep them all back off this group because Astle are going up towards the summit her in first place has tremendous form here comes a move by Tyler Hamilton now where is Lance he won't like this with another American dictating affairs and so he's gonna have to try and close it down huge effort here by Tyler Hamilton who has great form had a wonderful race in Spain just a couple of weeks ago counter-attack now coming from Boger they're in the bread and the orange in blue strip of Rabobank he now wants to try and open up the gap Armstrong is very comfortably there though Phil still in 4th position at the front end of the main field and responding to all of these attacks and you can see looking further down the main field this image here gives you a chance to see just how difficult it is and here is Vinokourov I think in a bit of a dip problem at the back Michael Bugattis had a runner up slotting in the edge is also finished if now this is a the big effort now as you watching here the carnage at the back of the race as the steepness of this grade this is the steepest climb on the race route it's not the longest but it's long enough as we gradually halt our way to the summit that's the line down on the left of our picture and they'll turn right as they come over the top and make their way back around towards it's primo and the next climber which is the code to spree bomb well they're going over now the summit of the cote de La Redoute and I have to say that their advantage has been dramatically reduced thereby that acceleration it was Marini who was on the front end there and in fact Wakeman done a very good job there Phil to recover and pull himself back up to this leading group of five riders astra lower Marik's morenae Vichy Ursa and Wegman now leading by I would say next time we get a time check not very much more than 25 seconds turning over the summit here of the caudal era due to small road now taking towards the outskirts of the town of spreem on the coda supremo is not really a very difficult climb but just enough to hurt the legs as we go back to the main field in Armstrong accelerating now now Armstrong has done well they're positioning yourself well on the climb because the right hand it's very narrow around here and our motorbike is giving you the best shots a ride in amongst it is Hamilton Grizzlies teeth grabbing the wheel in front now these riders it's normally now when the effort is bogart going through an unbelievable turn of speed by Armstrong there's a Francisco Kaiser grandi going through boys now this is a big now there's the split look at this rebel in is there as well so the big names are still in here with a chance for the moment but that was an incredible turn of speed by Arthur I think really just testing the waters for the moment Phil because they're just getting onto the back here Laurent do folk I think if Armstrong wants to win this bike race he needs to make in a huge effort on the coat to San Nicola towards the end looking down here the colors of these trees are almost like the autumn colors and we're actually in the early spring here in Europe but what a great turn of speed coming from Lance Armstrong there just a few moments ago so the leading group of five do not have very much more than a 25 second advantage I would say and one man who we've not seen an awful lot of is the man whose name is emblazoned on the road here right now vide big Frank Vandenbroucke Hamilton moving further forward francesco casa grande and they're on the front of the group there is the US Postal Service ride at Lance Armstrong know a teammate's at all in this group to help him out and I think the reason he accelerated there was to try and reduce the numbers of the other men at the front end of the peloton looking very calm and concentrated right now come on somebody else do some work at the front end of this group Bogert is here and who finished second just a week ago in the Amstel Gold Race and watch out for the counter Texas Spaniards always waiting for a moment to get out on the attack and try and open up the pace Hamilton responding the hammer tool actually in very good form here in the early part of this season for a very good start in Perry nice where he in fact the king of the mountains competition and the leading group of five now about to turn onto the main road just in the outskirts of primo Merckx first round the corner followed by astra lower tete de la cosa the front end of the bike race that's Christine morenae followed by white men and vechio sir we've now covered about 225 kilometers of this bike race so about 25 kilometres to go to the finish the five leaders are around about 1.8 kilometers to the summit of the code to spring horn the code Esprit more phil is not really a tough climb we find it kind of undulates on a plateau here before we drop down to the next two difficult climbs the ones that I think are the most decisive ones that Kota SAR til more and of course the code to Sandy : and that's the one that's where you scurry for the line and I suppose it might favor the live little lightweight climbers if they've survived to that sort of pressure that looks like Mayo again on the attack who's trying once more to bridge the gap the only man we've lost from that breakaway is get it gloms er who really gave it a hundred and ten percent to open the gap and give the advantage to ask the lower on a small group financially splintering off the front end of the main field right now our Tyler Hamilton getting himself with that group there's a group at 20 seconds and the main field at 48 seconds I think the group of 20 seconds is the group containing Lance Armstrong and they're only about 20 or 30 meters behind this counter-attack of 5 as the viewers scream all very fast section of the course that's the front end of the bike race there with the yellow car the neutral service vehicle and not too far behind we should get a chance to see that counter-attacked with Iban Mayo and Tyler Hamilton but not too far behind there as the group also containing Lance Armstrong Bogert daniel eau de luca francesco casa grande they still fill all of the big names are in with the chance here at leas Bastogne liege they are but they'll be getting increasingly concerned by the fact that asked Aloha the winner of flesh will on he's now putting himself in a breakaway of this importance now the last man to do the double by the way was Moreno Argentine back in 1991 and that would be an incredible performance especially by a rider for coming from Spain to win the Arden a weekend there they are four or five of them just to give you the names again axel mercs a Christian more any help the co so Fabian Amer come on and Igor asta la here they are close up and that's big man suffering but hanging on and staying with them at the moment suffering but still they're a kilometer now to the summit of the codeless primo it's just a small little excursion of the main road which is normally in the old days was the main road down towards the edge they zigzag now intially edged to make the race just a little bit more difficult as if it wasn't hard enough already Wakeman always put it to difficulty but he sees running pretty sensibly here because he's allowing himself to ride at his own tempo and when he can he just accelerates just to sprint onto the back end of the group every time that they come to these slight climbs he is losing ten or fifteen meters I tell you who is on fine form today though is axel mercs this is the next group on the road Hamilton's group now has been caught by Lance Armstrong Armstrong is now becoming a lot more attentive film look like a man that could possibly win this race right now there is Lance things working out very very well and right with him now is Tyler Hamilton two Americans dictating a FERS here concentrating and looking very very strong now let's have a look down that line this is it quite a nice little group that they're getting going in the team cars are in between our motorbike is also in the way I think and I got a feeling there Lance told our boat about which way to turn yes I think he was asking him to ride on the left hand side road please that was something like that anyway this leading group is now down to just four riders Rickman has disappeared this time Phil Axel Merck did a very long turn on the front and I think there in fact about ready to pull out that neutral service vehicle so it looks as if it may well all come back together before the start of the code to sati and more and that's in fact there you can see pulling out the neutral service vehicle that is also as always a psychological blow to a group like this because they know that the main field is starting to come back for any form aware of the pink jersey and the giro d'italia 20 seconds back to the group containing armstrong but then the remnants of the main field just at 48 seconds so this race is still very much not a nodder turn not a done affair well hats off to axel works he's written a superb race today those long gangly legs of his have been pumping well and he attacked an attack an attack before he finally got this Jeep clear as they raced into remission and there they consolidated on the climate ladder Deut and too far from certain they're going to survive to the finish but he's really taken the race to the rest of them today Mikaela Bartoli he also was looking fairly aggressive right now he's won this bike race twice in the past Armstrong is in fourth position and I think her started to look like a pretty serious contender here right now and the reason Armstrong attacked at the top of the chord ladder isn't moved by mercs who wants to go on his own right now oh this is amazing Millia mercs has moved across more any swung off his we Lambert's is now going for gold settling down into his tartare position I didn't look over his shoulder to say hey what happened guys but he's going clearly has had a 5th in this race back in the year 2000 that's his best ever finish it is of course for him but I think he does need to come home alone well in fact he finished seventh as well in 1996 when arms Iran finished second but this is a great move and getting a little bit close there to the motorbike what is the advantage to the attacker right now on it looking at the speed here I would say axel is touching 60 65 kilometres an hour and looking very good indeed shades of his dad here Eddy Merckx who's the record holder in this race pleased as punch to see his son doing this so because he loves an aggressive bike rider and knew certainly axel mercs today has been all of that he's being chased by the cream of the race as well let's not forget that there they are down there Armstrong Hamilton Bartley and there's a very agitated calm is they're trying to move everybody out of the way because it's all beginning to reform and the pressure is really I think the peloton for might well be out of the hunt now well I tell you what that was a very good move by axel but the problem is the chasing group now containing Armstrong Bartoli all of the big names is really not very far behind at all so axel probably only has about 10 seconds advantage but if they do start to watch each other then he can build up a lead because very shortly he's gonna take a left-hand turn and take in a long descent down towards the start of the next climb of the day that code does sati l'amour and if they can only start to match him to mark each other in that group behind then he can start to build on his advantage but there's an awful lot of big names in this group well it's not for the lack of trying that axel Merkers never won a bike race for two years because this man is always in for the prizes just didn't seem to get it working out his way now let's hope he can dangle a bit longer off the front we can have a look where he is now as we shoot off at the road about 15 20 seconds let's give him 20 second at the moment it's a good move and all he needs really is for those guys in the back to start to maneuvering around and looking for tactical situations I don't think they're going to because they dare not with the main field being only around 30 seconds behind them it looks very strong here right now he's got a great position on the bike considering how tall a bike rider he is eben mayo here trying to accelerate on the front end of the main field they're all over the road right now they've got the yellow neutral service vehicle in there one or two team cars have got across the gap as well so obviously the gap back to the main field that must be hovering around the 30-second mark still as we rejoin axle at the front - what you were saying a few moments ago Phil about axle yes he he doesn't win very many bike races but when he does they're usually pretty good ones and those bands on his jersey they're indicated that one of those wins was the Belgian national championships he's won a stage in the Giro as well a always a rider who has to win a bike race on his own if he can because he doesn't really have a great turn of speed when it comes down to a sprint towards the end well he's working at it now he's around about in miles about 15 that's all from the finish about 40 minutes of racing left to go for him and the gap 15 seconds I can't see him holding off the group that you never know because this group contains a number of the race favourites and what you've got a number of race favorite set things can happen and that's exactly what's happening now because they're not getting the results here that they really want this is this fabian veteran going again it looks as if it may well be there was a first move came from me Kelly Bartoli looking a bit further down the road there is mercs we're going through the town of Dolan brew and he in a few moments time come up against a very sharp descent and just a bit of respite for a kilometer or so before he starts to coat the Tsar til more but what he has to do now is to get into a very fine effort an effort which he has to hope he can endure for the next 25 kilometres and three very difficult clients because one climb is not in fact indicated as a climb on the course but the climb up to the finishing straight the climb in the outskirts of horse is old slower rather a difficult climb especially after 258 kilometres in the saddle and if you're making all the effort itself there's the 25 kilometres to go board change a direction this is on you approach into the age these days now our mercs is going like a train concentrating hard as a love reaction here I somehow don't feel that the peloton can get themselves back into this race not why these riders are riding like this however this groups surely are going to pin back axel mercs at some stage now it's Oscar my son I'm at Cellini be one or the other as they come round that right hand that's pretty strange race right now these guys there are so many big names in that group they all are trying to rip off the front on their own and nobody wants to organize themselves and that's the good thing for axel right now because nobody wants to control the races hardly anybody in that group has got a teammate to sacrifice in the chase down of a lone leader and in fact I think axel mercs may well have just stretched out as advantaged by a few seconds yes you could have added a five seconds gap here we are that's our camera alongside him here's the images from it axel now riding on obviously felt good today right from the start when he enquired about what time French television were taking a picture so he could tell his wife I think that's a sign of a man who intended to be in front of the camera lenses towards the end and that's exactly what's happening here 16 second is the gap a little bit of a difficulty with that big body of his in the center of gravity getting round the corners but he's still upright well in fact you see how he got his knee out a long way there that's very typical of the kind of descending Sean Yates used to do an axle despite the fact that he's a very large bike rider is very well proportioned on the machine and he that goes downhill pretty rapidly right now all he's got to do is just ride his own pace and just hope that they start to mess around in the group behind which they seem to be doing right now there's Kristin Moore any he was in the counter-attack with mercs just a few moments ago he banned Mayo looking down the group they're all in here still mikela Bartoli just moving onto the back of the group there as well in fact it was on the coat desatting more a couple of years ago that he laid the foundations for one of his two victories here in liege bastogne liege there's an idea of the speed that we're facing there's them at the moment 65 kilometres an hour I'm running down towards the last 20 kilometres to go because these last five kilometers have been largely downhill and saying 24 but that's for this group because it's a while since we went past that 25 barreling out 18 seconds that gap not a lot but a chance just a chance and these are perfect roads for a lone escape the problem is once he gets to the bottom of this descent he's got a kilometer or so this is mikela Bartoli he's taking advantage of the motorbike there to try and pick up the pace and in fact he's got himself an advantage over the chasing group enjoined by Christian Moore any the Italians now are deciding to try and nail back Lance Armstrong a little further back somebody else trying to call them work themselves across this gap he's been in the Dalton so while me Kelly but it looks as though he might well be coming out of it a little bit of annoyance expressed that again at the camera crew there they tried to take the line on the way down this hill I can't believe has got the legs to stay with him for that long now having been in that earlier breakaway did he'll give him a hand if he can meanwhile down below somewhere is liege bastogne liege as we searched amongst the trees but that there was a Seiko rider crossing the gap there now the one Sato rider we haven't seen Paul is dilucca and I don't know where he is no I do where he is I would expect him to be in that group because he's in fine form right now with rejoining axel mercs taking an unbelievable turn around that corner they're not losing any of his momentum at all keeping the pace high 60 kilometres an hour a quick charge through town here and then he will start the the next climb of the day that code the SAR team on which comes at 244 kilometres it's not a very steep or long climb but after this long effort by mercs it really is gonna hurt this is the lovely little town of tilth where they ran Danae the tourist trial tilth past on tilt where largely follows the same route his liege bastogne the age was just down the road from the edge for the tourist route EA riders and now again the in battle is continuing there's a stir law off to the right I don't see any signs at all of DeLuca so this is interesting now it looks like asta Laura is gonna have to do something about it Donna Hamilton yeah this coupe as well and one man who seems to have got caught out in all this tactical maneuvering is Lance Armstrong who is obviously in the group just a little bit further back she's only how to be rather a strange tactical race here right now the gap is 18 seconds to mercs and here is Armstrong himself was stuck on 18 seconds not not a lot but they're not gaining anything even male coming to this year I think about to deliver all the promise that everybody says this young riders had over the years Mayo has been very aggressive today and he's got himself into the move now so the Spanish riders are penetrating the European early classics now for the first time probably ever and this is the oldest classic of all let's not forget that and a Spanish cyclist liking flesh will honours never won this right race either Armstrong is looking very keen right now there's 20 kilometres to go that's gonna take these riders around about half an hour on a on a route like this because we've still got three very difficult climbs axial mercs for the moment is managing survive by around about 18 seconds but I have a feeling Phil once we start the ascent of the cote dasar till more those 18 seconds are going to get wiped away pretty rapidly because the guys in that group behind Armstrong Estrela mikela Bartoli Tyler Hamilton they are big names and they have not had to put into the kind of effort that axel has had to put in since the summit of the code De La Redoute well you're right there are big names and this is Samuel Sanchez just in front now also giving them a handout here they are big names and that the good await now I think for the climb to try and break the breakaway in fact that wasn't a male that was up here it was his teammate Sanchez who's joined this chase group and very nice of workman group with Tyler Hamilton in here and also of course Lance Armstrong this is a good group now as we head up towards the penultimate climb of the day Alexander Scheffer has got himself into this group this is the face of Armstrong on the big days isn't it feel completely concentrated just looking around at the other riders in the group expecting them to come through and do their share of the taste-making and I think psychologically they will be waiting for Armstrong to hit them with a very hard attack and I wonder where it will come him is going to be on the next climb of the date or whether he will wait until the final climb that cote de san nicola still holding on to an advantage though axel murk's a former champion of belgium and i wonder what his dad's thinking right now of his dad though is a realist and he realizes that a man like lance armstrong wants to win this bike race and in fact before the start of the day is his father eddy merckx admitted that the number one favor for this bike race today was going to be lance armstrong yes and that mercs having to ride a difficult race here 740 meters to the climb of the starting more and the gap has come down to around about 12 seconds they say it looks a little bit further than that I think there's the group of five of a select group Armstrong Hamilton Bartley Sanchez and Alexander Scheffer Seco tried desperately to keep their run of fortune in the classics but they keep changing the men in the breakaways and had gone now for the moments at least he's asked the lower did you see how quickly mikela Bartoli got onto the wheel of Lance Armstrong there Phil as soon as there was an acceleration from the American whoosh and he was straight across and that sir where he gets his nickname from ill cat oh the cat he is so used to pouncing across a move like that getting themselves sorted out they're just crossing the river right now and very shortly they will begin the climb to start off it's not that difficult but then it really does start to turn left and right exon mercs himself is already on the early slopes of the climb and he certainly has not lost any of his impetus at all it's at 3.6 kilometre climb it's 9% at the steepest part but only three and a half percent the average grade [Music] you can hear the crowd just shouting for Axl Burks here as he starts this climb now it's gonna be crucial this one because surely this is going to be the next piece of decision in this race Armstrong and Bertha Lee gonna mark each other now and Hamilton is going to try a profit from the in fight and the other two well they're just gonna take a backseat and watch what goes on here Lance is now stamping on these pedals on the climb well well well the peloton is still Paul and it's quite large and it's not that far behind it certainly isn't that far behind right now there is the group of Armstrong and me Kelly Bartoli and I would expect to see an acceleration coming from the main field in a few moments time Bartoli's swinging off and I think the reason they're messing around here right now is to set themselves up for some kind of a counter-attack coming shortly nice little tempo rider but we're looking now at at axel Merck's as he continues the climb dare not look over his shoulder they haven't given up by any manner of means there he is the tempo of a man we so often see in the Tour de France doing a similar style of riding Bartley looking like he is finally finding his old self again looking very very smooth at the front the peloton and those cars will have to keep looking over the shoulders because it is there you can see them in the distance they are coming up very very quickly mercs looks to me taller so he might be slowing down he's slowing down a bit and probably because he's looked over his shoulder and realized that the Express train is coming right now the big advantage here for him is to try and sit up and recuperate a certain amount and then try and get onto the train behind strange to see CSC on the front end of the main field chasing down there man Tyler Hamilton who is in a brace winning situation for the moment well I'm not too sure what they're doing here but after they don't realize that that Hamilton is in that group because that doesn't make sense here's Armstrong continued in fact doing most of the work on this climb to great effect as well he's hauling back in axle mercs now Micheli both Lee could profit from this because he might well try to jump away can't go up to the finish line I don't think today with Armstrong he looks very strong think Armstrong this is a move coming on acceleration come from Armstrong right now I not sure whether he's tranquility in fact he's got rid of everybody else only miquellee Bartoli has stayed with him and that really goes to show how good Armstrong is this afternoon I wonder if we look across at acts alone shout a word of encouragement no thank you goodbye I'm off this is pretty impressive there's a remove there Alexander Scheffer is recovered he has come back up also coming forward there as well they Sanchez Sanchez has come across well that will give us four and mercs has gone off the back he'll recover I think on this occasion at least they've hit him at the hardest time and the climb but he's not far from the top if he can just hang on but you know it have a decision to make now because the peloton are also hovering and not too far off the pace still a lot of riders in this race with a real chance there's axel murk still looking full of fight will be a little bit angry that Armstrong has brought up that little group of the most difficult part of the climb here is the race behind still CSC riding hard now I haven't seen at the word about at Tyler Hamilton but as far as I know he's just in front of that bunch and so I don't know why SES here doing that but this now is Lance Armstrong his final test as he brings the classic season to a close and then he'll start his final preparation that for the Tour de France to fight hurt I mean to fight he just hung on there but look at this arm so I'm looking for no help now in fact Bartoli cornholed it he's had to sit up and he's willing to drop off for the moment oh that hurt so much for Bartley knew yet to stay on the wheel of Armstrong Armstrong is not attacking here right now he's trying to blow everybody off his wheel he is cracked Micheli Bartoli who let's not forget at the start of the season fractured his hip in a training accident but Armstrong right now is still got three riders with him this is Sanchez deciding that he too is going to accelerate keep them off the front of the main field they cannot mess around too much Phil because the main field is not much more than 30 seconds in arrears and I think the reason that CSC have come forward is because Tyler Hamilton has disappeared from the group we didn't see him caught but I'm pretty sure now that he was swept up pretty soon after this climb started now miquellee partly made one effort there to hold Armstrong and his legs blew him off the mountain now he's having to try and recover getting back sir get himself back into line because that was the absolute limits for him today and Armstrong looking for no help on this climb the saw till more Sanchez a style like Armstrong himself not just the way he's peddling but his situation the way he sits on that bicycle and looks pretty comfortable just now well there's Hamilton there in third position so he was brought up the broth caught up very rapidly by the main field there is Michael Bogart on fourth position so this race is far from over right now Phil there is a ban is even Basso for fast abort oh he won't do very much unless he gets the information that in fact his teammate has cracked there is yan Ulrich still looking very comfortable and I would think will be very satisfied to be in a group like this at the end of a 258 kilometer bike race this is what he wanted he said he wanted to finish in a good group near the front he's not looking for the wind today just as well I think because Lance Armstrong is showing us he's got terrific form Sam Sanchez up alongside him prepared now to give him a hand out as well and so he's continuing the trend now of the men from Spain in the Arden classics that's the face of Bartoli still ahead of the main chase group VDV up VDB rather on the road Frank Vandenbroucke whatever happened to him well we've hardly seen anything of him at all I think he was still in at the bottom of the cote de La Redoute riding pretty sensibly right now is a mikela Bartoli he knows that he wasn't able to match the acceleration of Armstrong and all he will hope is that Armstrong just eases a bit but by the time we get to the summit of the climb but I have a feeling he will get caught by the main field as another move that was axel murk's about to get caught by the main field and so mercs back in the fold with Christian more any if they look at each other as if to say what's going on where's Lance Armstrong gone and he really has it laid them flat now it looks to me as though the final three for the podium are off up the road as they continue here this is still Nikki Sorenson has done a lot of work today for CSC but I'm afraid Tom Hamilton wasn't able to deliver the goods when he got himself in a position to do just that Samuel Sanchez goodness knows what language he's speaking to Lansing but it doesn't matter Lance he's saying nothing well Lance actually speaks pretty good Spanish so I think he's able to communicate with the two Spaniards and I think what he needs to do right now well if the other ride at the back is not a Spaniard he's in Kazakhstan but I think he's probably telling lies that they need to work together to get to the bottom of the next climb of the day because there's still only 36 seconds ahead of the main field as they come here to the summit of the code does safty Lamar sitting on the back here Alexander Scheffer who is in absolutely superb form here at the start of this season and after a very difficult start of the season Seco now starting to get themselves on a much more regular basis into the results this will be an incredible result for Sanchez if he stays with this group right up to the finish no wins last year got 14th in the classic dis out which is a good Mountain event in the Alps and he's got a little climb before the finish as well this is over the top now the SAR team on so we're now heading down towards liege itself and then across over to the cote de san nicola and that is where it's all going to be decided these three riders are clear now Lance is doing the line shared the work so he must feel extremely good Sanchez willing to go with him me Kelly Bartoli is over the top doesn't look like a man who's waiting but he may as well because the right off his shoulder there right behind him not more than 10 seconds right now so the best part of valor for him would be to sit up and wait for the main field hope to recover a little bit on this descent but when you pop like that the writing is on the wall that you're probably going to pop again especially when you come to the final climb of the day which is a very difficult ascent to the summit of the cote de san nicola I would think Armstrong a bit worried about the presence here of Samuel Sanchez and everybody's talking back to the team managers what their word next well I think it's obvious work as hard as you can to the bottom of the code to see Nicole at San Nicola and then just sort it out like real men that's probably what's gonna happen here watch out for alleys under Shefford - he's been around quite a long time been a pro since 93 so this will be is indefinite season now but Infernus we remember him racing as an amateur - and he's a very strong bike rider and has got better really as he's got older they actually were just trying to encourage him to come forward and he's shaking his head saying no no no probably because Danny load DeLuca is in the group behind he's trying to play the Seiko card right to the limit here he's going to sit on these riders and hope that he's got enough to stay with them because there will be a very serious attack where they come to the when they come to the climb of the cote de san nicola and i have a funny feeling that this man here Samuel Sanchez may well be able to stay in contact with Armstrong our songs tired to ring home they're judging by the fact he's pushing his earpiece in well I think we're going to see the Battle of San Nicola that'll decide this year's layers based on the A's this group now freewheeling a little bit beginning to show signs of the beaten peloton and one or two riders still trying to sprint across the front more any at the back now he was in the early move over the Lera Deutz this is Sanchez and who's Goodell riding extremely well they've done enough to impress the Tour de France for their ride in the Tour de France this year remember this race organization is also the associate a turtle de France same organization Scheffer yeah I think you're right Paul he is playing the Seiko card to the limiter there's not much they can do about it Seiko had a man in the mood almost every classic this year and I've been well rewarded with two seconds and a win with REO Pierre getting second in Milan son Remo second in Perry Roubaix the rain starting to come down but it's not going to affect the outcome of the bike race right now that's a pretty precarious position that Sammy Sanchez is in there right now getting down as low as he can and these guys Phil they really need not mess about too much because that gap has come down to 27 seconds they really need to work together and there are only two men in this leading group of three deciding to dedicate themselves to the success of the breakaway it's the man in orange they're Samuel Sanchez and of course Lance Armstrong at the back Scheffer is banking on the return of his man Daniel o de Luca and I think Armstrong is just trying to encourage him forward to do a slight turn of work well there is the city of liège and indeed Lance Armstrong is now whether he wanted to or not has totally committed himself here having split that breakaway up on the climb is some solid riding might even be a little bit surprised that somebody like Sanchez has held him but I think more than held him I think Sanchez is actually feeling pretty good today CSC now sent back to the engine room and have to drive this race forward well it's a bit surprising to see CSC the team doing most of this pace making on the front because in fact apart from Tyler Hamilton I can't really see a man in the list who's got a chance of winning this bike race I would have expected to see some work coming from the the riders from rubberband because still in the group is Oscar Ferreira who's a man knew who could possibly get himself over the climb there's the football ground for the standard Elliott a very well known team in Europe and that's where Lance Armstrong Samuel Sanchez and Alexander Scheffer are about to pass in a moment and that would give them I think about two kilometers to the start of the very difficult final climb of the day that cote de san nicola puts us inside at ten kilometers from the finish Sanchez here stretching out those legs into cramped baby I don't think he'd advertised it though by riding at the front of the breakaway Lance look at him you're still on the inside like a rabbit straight into the lead again as Scheffer is the passenger I would be very careful of eyes on the Scheffer he is a man who can go on this last climb it was a great climber and we're now looking at 2.3 kilometers to the cote de san nicola their advantage is hovering at 25 seconds over the chasing group and as long as those neutral service vehicles stay inside they've got a chance of survival once they move out that indicates that the main field behind is starting to pull themselves closer armstrong very keen I think Phil right now to get to the foot of the climb he's actually getting rather nervous by the fact that the other guys in the breakaway are not digging quite as deep into their reserves as he is as you say I think he's right to pay attention to the presence here of Alexander Scheffer who's had a pretty easy ride since the Code disart till more he's never had a podium finish never had a good finish in a single day classic ever Alexander's Chevy's tended to be a good stage race hard as a few good places and stage races over his career but now he has a real chance at the classic finish in the oldest classic of all David Kenyatta on the front there so obviously Frank Vandenbroucke a must be in this group and it is still very close together this 24 seconds the advantage of the three leaders over what is a fairly large group right now let's not forget Yann Ulrich is in this group it's going to be a very interesting climb to the finish because it is reachable you know if this group can hold at less than half a minute it is reachable we got Frank vanderbrook we just spotted him in the group here as the three leaders go now vandamm Brooker if he gets to the climb might well be where he makes his final move because he is a man neighs the last Belgian rider by the way to have won this race he did it back in his great year 1999 nervous moments right now they're pulling out the neutral service vehicle that's in India Wow thank you very much a bit tight it was a bit tight there in tiller now or San Nicola which is basically the Little Italy of Liege a lot of Italians came up here to work in the period between the wars it was a huge steel town and right now there you can see the Italian flags the Germans tried to as well but they were repelled by the Americans they certainly were Armstrong right now realizing it's coming to him pretty rapidly 16 seconds they really do need to work together Phil Sanchez I think trying to conserve as much energy as possible they all realize that Armstrong must attack this climb and here is the main field charging into town a lot of worked on the front here by the the man who is looking after his leader Tyler Hamilton Nicky Sorensen but I really wonder if this is a good move for these guys at the frontier because at the moment they're closing down to 15 seconds on the leading trio they're about I would say not much more than 500 meters to the right-hand turn and the climb really does kick in and the rain has started just in time for the finish of liege bastogne liege armstrong just get on with the job whenever he senses a slacking of the pace he just goes through and carries on setting the pace Scheffer has sat at the back watching these two riders in tandem let's pull back they're closing in that has been a violent chaser largely by Sorenson of CSC but we know now they are bringing some big names back into play here Bogart is down there yan Ulrich is down there so too is the return of Tyler Hamilton off to the right of our picture and me Kelly Bartley is still in that group and of course Frank Vandenbroucke as we now hit the slopes there's got to be a huge attack coming off this peloton well there's got to be a huge move right now all of these riders feel that there's a chance of winning this bike race once again Michael Bogart is right in the middle they're all looking over their shoulders to see who's going to be the first to move moving up there into second places at Chavarria going off the back riders have been working to try and pull back the attack of Lance Armstrong there's not more than 50 meters Phil Armstrong is on the front setting the tempo but it's all quite possibly going to come back together little David echeverria ruse the day in the year 2000 when he was picked on the line and he finished only second now can he make amends this time around that was batini who'd beat him then and batini was also the winner one year ago but times change he's out at the moment with injury as the split is on and look at this well Lance has made his move Paul and it may turn out now to be the wrong one it looks as if it was a little bit too early right now because the whole of the group have come back to Armstrong he was not getting any help at all from Alexander's Scheffer if Sheppard or no acceleration is now coming from Armstrong he's decided just as the main field decides to come back to his will that he wants to go for it look at the face of him now he's let them onto his back wheel and he's putting them all back on the defensive again but still the Samuel Sanchez is holding at that wheel and for me is still a big danger very strong Sanchez on this bike race this afternoon and coming up another riders come onto the tail of Sanchez right now difficult to see from this altitude who has made the contact Armstrong knows it's a do or die effort right now he's been on the front for about 15 kilometres and he knows if he wants to win this bike race he has to go alone but in fact it's one of the Ibanez TOCOM riders well you know it's this is a fearful show of strength a game by Lance Armstrong he's let the whole peloton out yeah Ulrich is a little bit of bother here at the back as now Armstrong puts in that continued acceleration but he has been joined it is far from over done and dusted there's a number of riders across the gap Sanchez not prepared to help at all but this is a long line of riders that Bogart has also got there now and now this could become the battle is a great rivalry existing at the moment between Bogart and that Lance Armstrong well this is unbelievable Armstrong has made a huge effort right now and in fact Philly's disappearing from the leading group of six riders Hamilton is getting onto the back of the group here but this is a great move by Domino Vacanti at slow that's Kabul EV I'm sure that is Kabul EV here the Russian who is on Form is now trying to break away as well a win liaison lays this race today will not be decided until the final sprint at the line and it could well be a sprint here well Michael Berger now accelerating up through the inside it's a very difficult part of the climb here right now Boger trying to make amends for finishing second last week in liege bastogne liège in Amstel Gold Race sorry how used to be but now it's the LBL that finishes the season as an hour continued attack again I think this is another effort now from Sanchez to become over the top of the last official climb the cote de san nicola and there is Jan Ullrich who has as shown us again today he is making his steady return to the top of his career well this is Bogert again looking over his shoulder trying to see if we can get the gap right now Armstrong's seam so it disappeared but what a cool move there over the cobblestones by Michael Bogart a slight bit of daylight between himself and Oscar Oscar tell Oscar thee moving up there it looked as if it may well have been the presence of Frank Vandenbroucke as well we'll be just the typical move by Frankie that was the case as we get here the roads here a little bit slippery got to be a bit careful now on these roads at the moment because they're not good and that is Sanchez still in a position of delivering the finest result of his career well this man here Bogert has opened up a lot of advantage now over the dangerous part through those cobblestones that was a nice move by him well that was a risky move but it may have paid off because he took one or two chances sweeping away the memories of the abyssal gold race a second place there for him but now Michael Bogart at 30 years of age is looking extremely sharp now he hasn't been placed in this race when since he finished fifth two years ago but this would be he's been fifth on a couple of occasions he's had a second but he's never had the win and you know he's chasing now a best result for Holland Paul since a dream Vanderpol back in 1988 well that would be absolutely superb little jump at the back wheel there these roads are very tricky on the outskirts of Leo's we're charging out now towards us and it is a very long difficult climb up to the finishing straight as well Phil we're inside five kilometres to go right now he's looking over his shoulder and he's about to get caught and I have a feeling if I'm not mistaken Armstrong has got himself onto the back end of this group six riders a KO bit more than six has one or two more coming into our picture now this could well be the biggest sprint we've seen in the A's for many many years these riders are reforming well this clearly is quite remarkable it looked as if Armstrong had the race sewn up for about ten kilometres ago and all of a sudden it came back together on the final climb of the day another move going off the frontier this again is the Domino vacante rider going forward right now but it looks to me as if Armstrong has made the junction there Phil and he's back in this group just at the tail end there eight riders Lance Armstrong is the last one to hook up as again someone has flown off the front of this group were running out a distance now any one of these attacks could be the final one three kilometres to go three kilometres to go right now but I tell you what it's a long climb up towards the finishing straight and then once you to the Phoenicia this is Tyler Hamilton as well who's trying to pull himself back into the bike race well Hamilton it is but I think he's trying to pull himself away from the bike race because I think this is the man from the helicopter we've come down below and Hamilton has been brought back into the race so the fine face making which we actually criticize because we thought so on some was chasing Hamilton down was in fact doing the job to bring him back into the action there on the slippery stones again now and the reaction has come once more and Armstrong is on the counter-attack right now which is a pretty impressive move for our Latino present for Hamilton absolutely not there's no love lost between them although they trained together when it comes down to racing it's a question of American pride here for the moment there is Hamilton just off the front of the bike race right now he's got an advantage of 20 or 30 meters I think over Michael Bogart in second position it looks like Sanchez is coming across again but they've still got the long one and a half killing me to drag up towards the finishing straight well Tyler Hamilton is he the man is he gonna be the winner of this extraordinary race because if it is it will be without doubt the finest victory of his career and he's moved across to the Danish CSC team to do it as he now continues to cut a lone trail here the flotilla of motorbikes in front they really are getting themselves in a bit of a mess just ahead of Hamilton now he settled down the slick roads here he can't afford to make a mistake as the komiser now goes through Jame LeBlanc to push everybody out of the way to clear the road it could this be Paul the first American to win it's going to be very difficult to catch a man like Tyler Hamilton he's a brilliant time trial is Michael Boger just sneaking up the inside and the motorbike camera there in fact it wasn't it was the ibonus TOCOM who moved there the jerseys are so alike this year it's difficult to to see the difference between them Hamilton is still holding on Phil - not a very great advantage but he's a very good individual time trial is he started off with second in the prologue of Perry nice earlier on this season after six months out of competition and he's the kind of rider who is not likely to falter towards the end well I think that I Banesto rider is I tour gongs Ollis and if it is remember he placed second in the flesh he could do extremely well on the weekend now when they put both races together for an overall prize this is huge now Tyler Hamilton at 32 years of age second in the prologue in Perry nice second overall in the Tour de p-bass six in the critérium international no wins this year yet well I think Tyler Hamilton is gonna get it because he's not too far away from the kilometer banner right now the two riders chasing him are eben mayo and Michael burger this is Frank Vandenbroucke who is in the group as well there are all kinds of permutations in this bike race but I think the man who's going to come up with a win right now is Tyler Hamilton because he still has the advantage although if it does all come back together it's going to be absolute chaos eben Mayo Michael Bogart they are about 20 meters off the front end of that group and Tyler Hamilton digging very deep now inside of the final kilometer huge effort by Tyler and let's hope the man from the USA can now do this because he he showed us all their he dropped off on the climb and the sort team um and the Pacers hit him too hard he's recovered his team raced him back into the action he's made his move on the final climb of the day that has got to be a winning move he's got a big gap right now eben mayo is getting no help at all here from michael bogan and I think that may well be that all Tyler Hamilton needs all he needs to do is just to get up and you another two or three hundred meters and he will turn left onto the flat finishing straight of liege bastogne the edge Mayo and Bogart are about 30 meters behind him for the moment and not very far in front of this group here right now on the front of the chasing group here is at Chavarria there is a group with Armstrong this is an unbelievable finish to a 258 kilometer world cup race the oldest white race on the calendar liege bastogne leash just what is Tyler thinking here now he's desperate he can't go any quicker but I do think in his favor the two chases are as 110 percent they've got no more effort left in those legs Tyler has the feeling now of the inspiration of winning the greatest classic the oldest classic liege bastogne the edge I think Bo got would have gone now if he had the legs poor he cannot move around he really is fring I think everybody's on the complete ribbit right now Hamilton looking over his shoulder I think he still got a lot under the under the bonnet of his motor there because he's still managing to dig deep he knows that in a short moment he's had to do that's fine that's a long way back to the to chases all he's got to do right now is take the right at the left-hand turn well he's had some terrific stage racing result but this without doubt his finest ever ever finished in a single day event because it is a win Lee as bass Don Lee edge is going to be a victory in the 89th edition of the event he becomes the first American cyclist to win this race and he's done it on a day when he's taken on America's finest in Lance Armstrong Tyler Hamilton gets the victory for CSC absolutely superb the big sprint for second place though he's going to go to a ban Myo as he accelerates away from Michael Bogert a superb right though filled by Tyler Hamilton put into difficulty on the codis are till more recovered taste backed by his team and coming up with a counter-attack that gave him the winning move and how fitting the flag flying on the left looks like cobble leathers come up into fourth place as the riders now just sprinted out across the line as a grande coming in there mayor phil bartoli in that group as well might have been belly Paulita snacks there for lamprey but this is the field now completely decimated on that final drag that's not an official climb by the way the finishing Bob the face of Lance Armstrong who rode a brilliant race today no it didn't work out in victory but he's shown us he bang on course for a great ride in the summers Tour de France just look at the face here of Tyler Hamilton as he drives those last few meters to the greatest win of his career the mono has finished on the giro d'italia with the pink jersey um has written so well in that race but this one is going to be something very very special the first American to win the oldest classic of them all so congratulations then to Tyler Hamilton and we can now eavesdropped on the the interview with him congratulation who owned the full victory today maybe the most beautiful of your life yes for sure my most beautiful victory of my career I didn't believe it I really didn't believe it until you know maybe 50 meters to go when I looked around and for sure somebody gonna catch me and I just last 2 kilometers were probably the hardest two kilometers in my life but I was really suffering a lot but I didn't give up and just stay focused what's happened on the end you know that I'm son was strong today and you want to to go first was very strong today I think he was probably the strongest and when he went before the second last climb you know I didn't chase him because I thought it would have been I would have been happy if he won but once the group behind caught us we I had two teammates three teammates with me and and it was in our best interest to have to chase and and I kind of felt bad doing that but you know we you know CSC is here to win the race and so I had we had to do it but Lance I think was the strongest he was still very strong in the last climb there you know maybe if the role was a little different you could have won today before people asking me you go alone yeah before the finishing climb I went alone I a lot of people guys were looking at each other and I thought why not why not trick when I try it and I just put my head down and when as hard as I could and last questions you know that you are the first American to win it here I didn't know that when I cross the line but it's very special this is this is an incredible race I really loved Belgium and the first time I did this race was in 1997 and ever since then it's really had a special place in my heart thank you so there is the result a win for the United States and Tyler Hamilton ahead of Iban Mayo of Spain a Michael Bogart taking third Scarponi it was he came in in fourth place Francesco casa Gandhi fifth and Samuel Sanchez had a brilliant race towards the end he finished in sixth place competing the top ten even Basso finishing in tenth place he finished third in this race last year so as we look down on the finishing line I hope you've enjoyed the courage of the 89th years based on the age we think it has been something special this is the latest standing now as we close the spring classic set for the World Cup competitions or after the Tour de France BAM ptitim still the lead up there with his 200 points but this is the face of the American winner today the first time is excelled in a one-day classic race and he's finished right on top Tyler Hamilton becomes the first American ever to win the age based on the age [Music] [Music] Sofie held high by Tyler Hamilton of the United States as it salutes the photographers and I'd bet with about 15 miles to go today he never thought he was going to win this but he certainly came good and those last few kilometres to the finish I hope you enjoyed this special video on behalf of well cycling productions I filled it with pour show in saying see you next time [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Classic Cycling

Views: 28,447

Keywords: Tyler Hamilton, Michael Boogerd, Liege - Bastogne - Liege, Ardenne classic, cycling monument, bicycle racing, one day race

Id: dnYGa5-ptqs

Length: 120min 59sec (7259 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 02 2019