Hello and welcome to live comments of the 83rd edition of La Fleche Wallonne, the second of three big races in 'Ardennes Week'. I'm Felix Lowe and I'll be bringing you live updates, analysis, tweets and videos from today's action as Julian Alaphilippe looks to defend his crown after missing out to Mathieu van der Poel in that nail-biting edition of the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday.

Flèche Wallonne Men

Men | 24.04.2019

Completed

Road race

Live

Live Updates

ByKevin Coulson

Updated 24/04/2019 at 14:43 GMT

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Highlights

15:40

Thanks for joining me today for this, the second of three of the Ardennes classics. Be sure to return on Sunday for Liege-Bastogne-Liege when Alaphilippe will look to end France's 39-year wait for a victory in La Doyenne.

15:35

And here's the moment Julian Alaphilippe made his move to net his ninth win of the season - and QuickStep's 25th.

15:30

Here's your top 10 and - shock horror! - there's no place for Alejandro Valverde in it...

0km

Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) rides over to take the final spot on the podium.

0km

Victory for Julian Alaphilippe! The Frenchman from Deceuninck-QuickStep weaves across the road and closes the door on Jakob Fuglsang of Astana before winning by less than a bike length. That was closer than it promised to be...

0.1km

Now Alaphilippe goes!

0.3km

Alaphilippe jumps into Fuglsang's wheel and they open up a gap...

0.5km

They're on the tight hairpin and it's Fuglsang who makes the first move...

0.8km

Kwiatkowski still on the front alongside Vanendert and Diego Ulissi of UAE. Alaphilippe and Valverde are biding their time...

1km

Under the flamme rouge and the gradient is about to start to bite. Lotto Soudal have Vanendert and Wellens on the front now, with Kwiatkowski still there.

1.5km

It's Wout Poels who leads Sky team-mate Kwiatkowski on the front as the riders swing onto the Mur de Huy.

2km

Now Astana hit the front ahead of the tight right-hand turn before the climb. And now Rui Costa comes to the front for UAE setting the tempo for Martin and Henao...

3km

It's Bora now who set the tempo with three riders on the front ahead of the final ascent of the mythical Mur de Huy...

4km

The peloton has split on the descent but it seems that all the big guns are still present. Bora are putting in a big push now through Formolo. Alexey Lutsenko and Carlos Betancur are battling to rejoin the pack after being tailed off...

5km

They're over the top of the climb and things are now all strung out on the descent through the trees.

5.8km

Michael Matthews is fighting to hold on to this main pack, such is the fearsome pace being set by Mas.

6km

Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) has a good record in this race and is lurking in third place behind Mas and Alaphilippe. The Pole has Tim Wellens in his wheel with that man Valverde just behind.

6.5km

It's over for the two escapees as Enric Mas now dances on the front of the pack, pace-setting for his team-mate Julian Alaphilippe.

7km

The leaders negotiate the little cobbled section ahead of the penultimate climb, the Cote de Cherave (1.3km at 8.1%). The gap is down to 10 seconds as Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) puts in a dig at the head of affairs.

9km

We now have two powerhouses out ahead after Mohoric catches Marczynski. They have 15 seconds obver the pack, which is now being led by a rider from Bora.

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