Liège: Orica-Scott fully loaded for Spring Classics finale

MILAN — It’s been a bit of a woeful start to the season for fans of pro cycling Down Under with no wins or podiums in the wildly popular Spring Classics which comes to an end on Sunday.

Meaning not one Australian – or New Zealand – rider has made the top 3 in any of the Spring Classics to date, which includes Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne.

A quartet of results from Perth’s Luke Durbridge at Strade Bianche (6th), E3 (4th), Flanders (12th) and Dwars door Vlaanderen (4th), the latter of which is not technically one of the Classics, along with a fourth-place finish from Canberra’s Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) at Amstel Gold have been the only highlights for Aussies so far.

However, all that could change at the 103rd edition of the Ardennes Classics finale Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Australian WorldTour team Orica-Scott unveiled a loaded squad boasting plenty of options, including 2014 race winner Simon Gerrans (AUS), last year’s runner up Michael Albasini (SUI) and an in-form Roman Kreuziger (CZE), along with not one, but two Yates brothers – Adam and Simon of Great Britain – as well as Damien Howson (AUS), Daryl Impey (RSA) and Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN) to complete the lineup.

While Gerrans is a proven commodity at Liège, and Krueziger and the Yates brothers all set to feature, Albasini looks to be the best man suited at the moment heading into the race fresh off a solid fifth-place showing at Flèche and a podium (3rd) at Amstel Gold. Plus, the 36-year-old Suisse rider took a stage at the Tour of the Basque Country (aka Vuelta al Pais Vasco), a race won by thee-time Liège winner Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), who also won his record fifth – fourth straight – Flèche on Wednesday.

“Our strength will be in numbers on Sunday,” said Orica sports director Matt White. “Riders that featured on the podium at Flèche Wallonne, like Valverde and [Daniel] Martin, are the clear favourites.

“Whilst we don’t have one of them, we do have a number of guys that can feature in the last hour and we will be trying to use that to our advantage in order to challenge.”

The oldest of the five monuments, Liège is often considered one of the more difficult one-day races on the calendar due to the combination of its length and terrain. Riders will face 10 categorised climbs and another 10 uncategorised climbs over 258km and six hours on the bike. 

Côte du Pont, Côte de Bellevaux and the Côte de la Ferme Libert replace the traditional trifecta of Côte de Wanne, Côte de Stockeu – already absent last year – and Côte de la Haut Levée, but according to White, the real kicker is Côte de Saint-Nicholas – a punchy and steepish 1.4km climb with 11 percent maximum gradient inside the final 6km.

“Everything happens in the last hour of racing at Liège, that is where the race is won or lost,” said White. “Generally, those who manage to get clear on that final Saint-Nicholas climb aren’t ever caught again.

“The start list doesn’t necessarily have as many of the big names we have seen in the past, probably because a lot of them are preparing for the Giro instead this year, but we know that isn’t going to soften the challenge ahead.”