89th Liège - Bastogne - Liège - CDM

Belgium, April 27, 2003

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Complete Live Report

Start time: 10:00 CET
Estimated finish time: 16:30 CET

Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the oldest classic of them all, Liège-Bastogne-Liège. This year the race switched places on the calendar with the Amstel Gold Race, meaning Liège-Bastogne-Liège is now the grand finale of the major spring classics, and the last World Cup event before the traditional mid-year break when the grand tours take centre stage.

The parcours is 258 kilometres, including ten categorised climbs. The serious climbing is concentrated in the second half of the race, notably with the final four climbs, the Côte de la Redoute (km 223.5), Côte de Sprimont (km 229), Côte du Sart-Tilman (km 244), and the Côte de Saint-Nicolas (km 252.5). The finish in Ans, a suburb of Liège, is also uphill.

10:00 CET, Start
The weather at the start is not quite as nice as the warm sunny skies the riders had for Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne. It rained last night, and the grey skies are still lingering, with winds coming from the southwest. More rain today during the race is a real possibility.

One rider whose participation has been in doubt, Gerolsteiner's Davide Rebellin, was spotted before the start. Rebellin crashed in Flèche Wallonne and injured his shoulder, but despite early reports that he would be out of action for several weeks, it seems a visit to his doctor this week managed to put the Italian back on the bike for the final spring classic.

10:25 CET
The riders began shortly before 10:00am with a neutral ride, still under grey skies. Temperatures are about 10-12 degrees at the moment.

It's no secret Lance Armstrong and US Postal will be looking for a big result today. Just before the start, Cyclingnews spoke with one of the team's classics specialists, Max Van Heeswijk to see how he felt before the race.

"I'm feeling about 80%. Normally it's ok, but after Paris-Roubaix, it's over, the legs are finished," he said. "Today, hopefully I can do the first 150km, it's my job to help Lance to the front. I've never done this race, so I don't know what to expect today. If you're feeling strong, you just follow the best, and in the end it's an elimination race. Except last year, when there were six guys who got away after 200km. You have to take care of that."

10:50 CET, 237 km to go
The first break of the day went clear after just 8km of racing. Five men were in the move: Bortolami, De Groot, Pinotti, Rund, and Zanini. They were pulled back fairly quickly by the peloton, after which a new attack started around the 18km mark, with Albasini, Casero, and Poilvet trying their luck, along with Commeyne and Lopez. These five were also pulled back.

11:10 CET, 210 km to go
Eddy Lembo (Palmans-Collstrop) was the only rider not to take the start this morning.

The race is off to a quick start, as the peloton has covered 42km in the first hour of racing. Up front, a new break has formed and gained a small gap over the field. Marco Pinotti (Lampre), Victor Hugo Peña (US Postal), and Martin Elmiger (Phonak) have 15" over the group.

11:25 CET

Dura Ace 10 speed
Photo: © Jeff Tse

For those of you interested in some new equipment, Cyclingnews managed to get a few photos of Lance Armstrong's new Trek and the Dura Ace 10 speed crankset on the US Postal team bikes.

• Lance Armstrong (US Postal) arrives in Liège on a new Trek frame, equipped with Dura Ace 10 speed
• The new Shimano Dura Ace 10 speed crankset, pictured on a US Postal spare bike
• The new Shimano Dura Ace 10 speed brake lever/shifter

11:50 CET, 189 km to go
The lead group has become a quartet, as FDJeux.com's Benoît Vaugrenard has bridged the gap. The break has around 55" over the field.

12:00 CET, 182 km to go
The leaders' advantage has jumped to three minutes as the peloton has decided to let them go for the moment. The riders are facing a fairly stiff headwind on the way out, meaning the return trip to Liège could be pretty quick. Temperatures have dropped slightly with the wind chill, but are still hovering around 10 degrees.

12:10 CET
When signing in this morning, Lance Armstrong was asked about his rivalry with Rabobank's Michael Boogerd, and whether he would mark Boogerd today. "I'll try to be on the tail of the strongest guy, if he's there then it could be him," he explained. "He was a favourite in the Amstel Gold Race, but I don't know if he was the strongest. There were people who looked stronger; Kessler looked to be really strong. Today I think the strong guys will mark the strong guys."

Some people said he was riding against Michael on purpose. "Yeah," he said simply. "They understand the problem."

12:25 CET, 172 km to go
The break had 3'10" following the climb of the Côte de Saint-Roch over a chase group of three: Kurt Van de Wouwer (Quick.Step-Davitamon), Marc Streel (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago), and Michel Van Haecke (Palmans-Collstrop). The gap from the chasers back to the peloton is another six minutes.

The peloton is ambling along, with no teams doing any real work. Peter Van Petegem, current leader of the World Cup, is at the back of the peloton with two Lotto-Domo teammates, while Lance Armstrong was comfortably in the middle of the field.

12:40 CET, 160 km to go
The break has reached Bastogne, and thus will be turning back for the longer and more difficult return trip to Liège. Their advantage over the peloton is still growing, nearing the ten minute mark. Just to recap: up front we have Marco Pinotti (Lampre), Victor Hugo Peña (US Postal), Martin Elmiger (Phonak), and Benoît Vaugrenard (FDJeux.com).

The chase group of Van de Wouwer, Streel, and Van Haecke is somewhere in no-man's land between the break and the field.

13:00 CET, 148 km to go
Passing through the town of Mabonpré (km 110), the break is still clear, although the gap to the chasing trio is down to 1'49". The four leaders are starting to look a bit tired from their long effort in the wind, but now they're getting a bit of a boost from the tailwind. There have been a few spots of rain, but nothing serious. The peloton is still a long way back from the front of the race.

Things are starting to get a bit active in the field, however, as Saeco's Andrea Tonti and Stefano Zanini (Saeco) lead the charge around 8'00" behind the first group. The main group is more strung out now, so it appears the early dawdling has come to an end.

Frank Vandenbroucke's wife Sarah was seen looking rather anxious on the side of the road in Mabonpré, waiting for the bunch to come through. The classics have not gone according to plan for Quick.Step, so today is an important day for Frank and the team to try to salvage an otherwise poor showing in the month of April.

13:20 CET
Things are stable at the head of the race, as the four leaders hold about a minute and a half advantage on the three chasers. The peloton is many minutes down, but at next time check the bunch should be closing in a bit.

In addition to a stiff wind, the rain has started to close in. Occasional showers are coming down, and if rain persists it could make for an interesting finale.

13:40 CET, 112 km to go
The three chasers (Van de Wouwer, Streel, Van Haecke) have closed to within one minute of the leading group of four, but they're not pulling back time too quickly. The race is steadily approaching the more difficult portion of the parcours, with the climbs of the Côte de Wanne and the Côte de Stockeu coming in the next half hour or so.

Click here for the race map and profile.

14:05 CET, 102 km to go
The Côte de Wanne has sucked the life out of the breakaway, which now holds less than a minute advantage. The peloton is indeed closing quickly, and phase two of the race is just around the corner. It's early for the big favourites to attack, but when the climbs start coming in more rapid succession, the elimination process could begin.

14:15 CET, 94 km to go
The peloton has reeled in the Belgian trio of Van de Wouwer, Streel, and Van Haecke, and the leading four (Pinotti, Peña, Elmiger, Vaugrenard) are set to be back in the bunch quite soon. The rain has stopped, but the roads are wet and the temperature is still a bit chilly.

14:30 CET, 86 km to go
The lead group is done. On the climb of the Côte de Stockeu, a new lead group formed. Included in the group are Bölts, Duma, Elmiger, Julich, Peron, Paolini, Glomser, Sorensen, Marzoli, and (Beat) Zberg. Twelve riders is a fairly big counter attack, and they've managed to create a gap of 45".

14:35 CET, 83 km to go
The favourites are all accounted for in the peloton right now, and Frank Vandenbroucke is riding near the front. Jan Ullrich is also where he needs to be, still in the thick of things.

14:40 CET, 81 km to go
The lead group has 35" on the peloton. Marzoli led this group over the top of the Côte de Wanneranval, followed by Bölts and Duma.

14:50 CET, 74km to go
The lead group is still holding its advantage, though it has lost some ground, while behind Telekom's Mario Aerts has jumped from the group, marked by Unai Etxebarria of Euskaltel-Euskadi. Marcos Serrano (ONCE) and Alexandre Shefer (Saeco) have set off in pursuit.

15:00 CET, 67 km to go
The lead group has grown, as the four chasers have bridged the gap. Quick.Step's Paolini, however, has been dropped from the group. The gap is not substantial, only about 25" to the peloton.

15:05 CET, 64 km to go
The leaders are on the Côte du Rosier, and also included in this lead group is Lampre's Francesco Casagrande. This will almost certainly provoke reactions behind, as Casagrande showed good form in the Amstel Gold Race last Sunday.

15:09 CET, 61 km to go
The leaders will hit the next feed zone soon, following the descent of the Rosier. The chase group was pulled back by the peloton, and there are now several small groups forming in small counter attacks.

Axel Merckx (Lotto-Domo) has put in a sharp acceleration at the front of the peloton, but he's marked quickly.

15:13 CET, 57 km to go
The riders at the head of the peloton are watching each other nervously. Raimondas Rumsas is doing time at the head of the field, which, after the confusion of numerous small attacks, is essentially together after the Côte du Rosier. Peter Van Petegem was off the back of the field on the climb, indicating today will not be his day to mark any more points for the World Cup. He is likely to retain his lead in the series, however, even if he finishes out of the points.

15:16 CET, 55 km to go
Cedric Vasseur (Cofidis) is trying to provoke a move at the head of the field as the race hits the Côte de la Vecquée. Kolobnev from Domina Vacanze is now doing the same, hovering around 20 metres off the front of the group. In fact, he's chasing Oscar Mason of Vini Caldirola-Sidermec, who's attacked alone.

15:21 CET, 52 km to go
Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) is now taking his turn to try a small move off the front. Euskaltel is obviously quite concerned with the upcoming selection for the final Tour de France wild cards, so a good showing today is important. The field is quite stretched out as they continue to climb the Côte de la Vecquée.

Over the summit of the Côte de la Vecquée, four riders were slightly detached, joined by several others trying to form a new break on the way downhill. Christophe Moreau (Credit Agricole) looks to be riding well amongst the leaders.

15:26 CET, 48 km to go
The peloton doesn't want to let another big group go, and is close behind the few front-runners who crested the Côte de la Vecquée with a few seconds advantage. The next climb to come is the feared Côte de la Redoute, which quite often sees the first serious attacks from the heavy favourites.

At last, for those who have been wondering how Der Kaiser, Jan Ullrich has been going, the German is still in the mix and looking pretty good.

15:31 CET, 41 km to go
Three riders have now moved clear: Axel Merckx, Gerrit Glomser (Saeco), and Cristian Moreni (Alessio). Merckx is driving this group, while Glomser is not pulling through as much.

Behind, a small counter attack is in pursuit, with a number of riders scrambling to bridge the gap and get onto the train. Among them, Glomser's Saeco teammate (and Flèche Wallonne winner) Igor Astarloa. They are just under 6km from the foot of the La Redoute.

15:36 CET
The lead group is as follows: Merckx (Lotto-Domo), Glomser and Astarloa (Saeco), Wegmann (Gerolsteiner), Vicioso (ONCE-Eroski), Moreni (Alessio). Behind, Cofidis is trying to stir things up in the field, with Nico Mattan jumping clear. He is 25" behind the leaders and about 10" ahead of the peloton.

15:39 CET, 35 km to go
The lead group is at the foot of the La Redoute, which finishes with percentages of 19%.

15:40 CET, 35 km to go
Mattan is still chasing between the lead group and the field, as the front five are on the first major rendez-vous of the course. As usualy, the fans have parked their cars on the highway overpass to get a good view of the climb. Merckx is setting the pace up the climb, and he looks to be giving it the gas.

15:42 CET, 34 km to go
Casagrande is leading the peloton, which is on the lower slopes of the climb. Mattan is back in the bunch, while Merckx is still pushing the pace up front.

Merckx is hitting the heavy percentages, and the group is climbing in the saddle, sticking together. Casagrande still leads the peloton, and Tyler Hamilton is in good position at the front as well.

15:44 CET, 33 km to go
Armstrong is up front in the group, as Saeco's Shefer sets the pace now. Hamilton puts in an acceleration, marked by Boogerd and Shefer. Armstrong in fourth position.

Things are starting to split in the peloton, and Vinokourov (winner of Amstel Gold) is among those having trouble holding the pace.

At the top of the climb, Moreni takes over the lead after the work done by Merckx to keep the break alive.

15:45 CET, 33 km to go
Armstrong has taken over the pace setting at the top of La Redoute, with most of the big favourites on his wheel. They have created a split in the field, however, and around 20 riders look to be moving clear. Hamilton is up there, as are Boogerd, Bartoli, Casagrande, et. al.

The five members of the break are still clear. Armstrong looks quite good after the climb as he sits up to let the others take over. As he does, Iban Mayo (Euskaltel) takes off on a flyer.

15:50 CET, 29 km to go
The next climb to come is the Côte de Sprimont. The five leaders are still working together, with about 50" over the first split from the peloton. They're hitting the beginning of the Sprimont now and once again Axel Merckx is setting the pace. After a difficult spring, he looks to be hitting good form. Wegmann has been dropped from this group.

In the chase behind, Hamilton is up front with Armstrong by his side.

15:56 CET, 25 km to go
Merckx has broken clear from the lead group, deciding it was time to go it alone. He's looking very smooth and he's created quite a large gap in very little time.

The main chase group has caught the remaining members of the break, so it's Merckx out alone, followed by the big favourites. In typical fashion, Bartoli puts in a strong acceleration up front, then turns to encourage the others to take over. The others are more interested in keeping a steady pace.

15:58 CET, 24 km to go
Merckx continues to cruise on his own, riding in faux-time trial position with his hands draped over the tops of the handlebars. He's passed the 25km to go mark, while behind the group is not particularly well organised in the chase. Merckx has 16" over the chasers.

16:01 CET, 22 km to go
Bartoli is back at the head of the chase group as they descend, spread out all over the road. In fact, Bartoli's created a small gap on the descent with Moreni on his wheel. He's eager to persist with the move, and Moreni is willing to pull through to help out.

16:04 CET, 19 km to go
Merckx is still away, looking good. Behind, a small split has developed. Armstrong, Bartoli, Samuel Sanchez, Moreni, and Shefer are the first group behind Merckx. They look to be working better together now that it's a more compact group.

Merckx is hammering, mouth open, but he's going well.

16:08 CET, 16 km to go
Axel Merckx is climbing the Côte du Sart-Tilman, the penultimate climb if you don't count the short rise to the finish in Ans. Hard not to, though, after 250+ kilometres of racing. Merckx gets out of the saddle to get some extra speed.

Behind in the first chase, Moreni is setting the pace on the lower slopes of the Sart-Tilman, followed by Armstrong who pulls through with Bartoli on his wheel. Moreni, Sanchez, and Shefer aren't doing much work. They're closing in on Merckx.

In the main group behind the chasers, CSC's Sorensen is leading the group, which also includes Danilo Di Luca, who's missed a key move.

Armstrong accelerates and Bartoli goes with him. They've caught and passed Merckx, who's going to have some trouble catching the back wheel of Bartoli. Moreni and Sanchez have managed to follow Armstrong's acceleration.

16:10 CET, 15 km to go
Armstrong is starting put the hammer down, and Bartoli had to drop off his wheel. Sanchez and Moreni managed to pull through, so now there are three leaders on the climb of the Sart-Tilman. Bartoli is hanging in there, but it looks like he might have cracked. The peloton is around 20" back.

16:14 CET, 13 km to go
Armstrong continues to set the pace up front. Slight correction, it's Shefer (Saeco) who followed the move, not Moreni. Merckx and Moreni are getting pulled back by the main field, which still includes the remainder of the big names. Jan Ullrich is still in this group- a fine performance in such a tough race. Vandenbroucke is in the group as well.

Euskaltel's Sanchez is willing to pull through as the lead trio crests the summit of the Sart-Tilman.

Although it's dry for the leaders right now, not too far away some rain is falling on the climb of St. Nicolas.

16:17 CET, 12 km to go
US Postal's Armstrong is talking on the radio to team director Johan Bruyneel. As the Côte de Saint-Nicolas approaches, things are heating up. The lead three are descending now on a wide, straight road at some 70 km/h. They have 27" over the chase group, and they're holding the gap steady.

16:19 CET, 10 km to go
CSC's Niki Sorensen is leading the chase group with Tyler Hamilton in third position. The race is on the outskirts of Liège now. Sanchez looks to be suffering a bit from some leg cramps. Either that, or the bluffing begins. Armstrong also sits up to stretch his back a bit.

Quick.Step is also helping in the chase behind.

16:22 CET, 9 km to go
The Mavic neutral car just had a close call with the leaders, scrambling to get out of the way on the Côte de Saint-Nicolas. Armstrong is leading the way up the climb, and the rain is falling. Sorensen is still doing an enormous amount of work for CSC to bring back the three leaders.

The peloton is getting close, and it seems as though the attacks from this group are coming soon. Danilo Di Luca is well-placed, though his teammate Shefer is still up front.

16:24 CET, 8 km to go
The peloton has rejoined the three leaders! Armstrong is leading the train, but the train just got a whole lot bigger.

It's now or never, and Armstrong launches his attack right as his group is caught. He's completely stretched out the group now with Sanchez sticking tight to his wheel.

Ullrich is popping off the back, as is Merckx.

16:26 CET, 5km to go
Armstrong's attack didn't quite do the job, and he's dropped off the lead. At the summit of the Saint Nicolas, another Euskaltel rider has launched an attack. Lampre's Belli follows, so does Boogerd, who quickly comes over the top and goes clear on his own!

Boogerd is profiting from the wet pavé at the top of the climb, and has distanced some of the Spaniards on the wet roads. He's going for it. Behind, Armstrong has dropped off, it looks like his chance has come and gone.

16:28 CET, 3 km to go
Boogerd has been joined by a number of riders. And from the front group, Hamilton has put in a good attack. The group is getting blown apart as riders try to chase the moves.

Hamilton is approaching the last hill which rises up to the finish in Ans. He's looking good, pushing out of the saddle behind an enormous fleet of press motorcycles.

16:30 CET, 1 km to go
Hamilton has a good gap! Boogerd is trying to chase behind, along with Iban Mayo. Hamilton is on the steeper part of the final climb, giving it everything he can.

16:33 CET, finish
Hamilton is still out front, climbing in the saddle. He's looking for that last left hand turn before the finishing stretch. Behind the group is exploding. Boogerd and Mayo are chasing behind but Hamilton's into the final turn!

With 200 metres to go, Hamilton has got it! An enormous win for both Hamilton and CSC, which has been needing a victory.

Mayo sprints for 2nd place, Boogerd gets 3rd.

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