The Spring Classics - 2015

['Dale]

Simon Gerrans was already struggling to get back on, and the 2014 winner has fallen once again, and his race is over. We haven't seen how he fell, but he was in the centre of the road with no other riders around him. A forlorn Gerrans sits gingerly on the pavement with his head in his hands.

['Dale]

Kangert drops back on the Redoute, as Scarponi and Chaves press on without him at the front of the race. The small bunch is at 22 seconds - Nibali, Rodriguez, Valverde, Kwiatkowski, Gilbert, Enrico Gasparotto, Roman Kreuziger and Louis Meintjes are all still aboard.

['Dale]

 

Frank Schleck and Nairo Quintana were also caught up in that earlier crash, incidentally. We have had no news of Dan Martin since that crash, either, and it will be exceedingly difficult to latch back on to the peloton at this point, particularly given how slow he was get back to his feet.

['Dale]

35km remaining from 253km

 

There is a slight lull in the bunch after La Redoute and Scarponi and Chaves gratefully stretch their lead back out to 36 seconds. Kanstantin Siutsou (Sky) tries to set off from the pack in lone pursuit.

['Dale]

 

The road is constantly rising and dipping from here, though just two categorised climbs remain. The Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.5 km at 9.4%) comes with 19 kilometres remaining, before the Côte de Saint-Nicolas (1.2 km at 8.6%), whose summit is just 5 kilometres from the line. ASO never categorises the finale on the Côte de Ans as a climb but as Michele Bartoli showed Laurent Jalabert in 1998, it should be...

['Dale]

 

Tejay van Garderen (BMC) was reportedly also caught up in that earlier crash. Scarponi and Chaves still have 31 seconds on the bunch as Siutsou tries to bridge across alone.

['Dale]

29km remaining from 253km

 

Scarponi is taking decidedly longer turns on the front than Chaves, and their advantage is beginning to be pinned back once again by the peloton. Led by a coalition of Movistar and Katusha riders, they are just 18 seconds down on the two leaders, having swept up Siutsou.

['Dale]

 

Once again, we're set to have a sizeable group hit the slopes of the Côte de Saint-Nicolas together. Joaquim Rodriguez, Vincenzo Nibali and - perhaps - Philippe Gilbert will surely have to try and rid themselves of Valverde there.

['Dale]

 

We'll see, of course, whether somebody dares to force the issue as early as the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons this time around. The recent precedent has been for the selection to come from the back rather than the front at this juncture of Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

['Dale]

24km remaining from 253km

 

Katusha's Tiago Machado has put in a huge turn on the front, and that's done for Scarponi and Chaves, who are pegged back three kilometres shy of the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

['Dale]

22km remaining from 253km

 

There are still around 45 riders in this peloton on the approach to the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, and Astana, Movistar and Katusha are all present in numbers.

['Dale]

22km remaining from 253km

 

There are still around 45 riders in this peloton on the approach to the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, and Astana, Movistar and Katusha are all present in numbers.

['Dale]

 

Katusha take up the reins once more at the front, with Alberto Losada keeping things ticking over. His tempo is shedding riders from the back of the group. Carlos Betancur is among those struggling.

['Dale]

20.5km remaining from 253km

 

Enrico Gasparotto is prominent as the leading group hits the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

['Dale]

 

Nibali, Kreuziger, Majka and Romain Bardet are all well-placed near the front but for now at least, nobody dares launch an attack.

['Dale]

 

Michal Kwiatkowski muscles his way towards the front. He still has Julian Alaphillipe and Zdenek Styar for company in this sizeable leading group.