Flèche Wallonne

Costa, Visconti, Rojas and Kiryienka lead Movistar Team's offensive race in the finale of Flèche Wallonne, decided again on the last climb. Rui takes 18th

Movistar Team went extremely offensive during the 76th edition of the Flèche Wallonne, the Belgian UCI World Tour event raced on Wednesday over 194 kilometers from Charleroi to Huy. The squad directed by Yvon Ledanois went through a carousel of attacks in the final 30k, after the second passage through the Mur, deciding the race once again with its 1,100 meters and slopes up to 26% gradient. Rui Costa was the first rider on the attack, preceeding the move by Italian champion Giovanni Visconti, who launched his move in company of Slagter (RAB) in an adventure lasting for a handful of kilometers and continued by the attempt by José Joaquín Rojas.

The attack from the Spanish rojigualda was seconded later on by Vasil Kiryienka, leader of the last move of the day before the last-minute attack from Nordhaug (SKY) and Hesjedal (GRM), caught into the decisive 300 meters. There, Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) showed his strength to take the victory from the 60-rider group -without Madrazo and Lastras, who suffered punctures in the finale- including Rojas, Visconti, Kiryienka, Alejandro Valverde –who let the group go in the final climb and will try to shine on Sunday in his favorite race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège- and Portuguese Rui Costa, eventually the best Blue performer just fifteen seconds from the day’s winner.