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Cycle news Extreme Races Liegi-Bastogne-Liegi 2008
Cycle news Extreme Races Liegi-Bastogne-Liegi 2008
Liegi-Bastogne-Liegi 2008 |
 April 27 2008
With its "sisters" Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and Fleche Vallone represents the true essence of northern classics, those who every rider dreams to put in the palmares of his professional career. Like a World Champion or an important Tour, nothing less. This is the charm of the classics of Belgium, where more than every other thing you breath the charm of the challenge at last pedalled, on runs full of difficult slopes - the côtes as they call them here in these beautiful lands of north Europe - and of the mythic pavé what here is considered a national monument. Of all of them, the Liegi-Bastogne-Liegi is the most ancient, for this reason officially nicked the "Doyenne". The record of victories belongs to the Belgian and "cannibal" Eddy Merckx, that on its finish-line was first for five times between 1969 and 1975. With an only victory less follows him the Italian Moreno Argentin, world champion in Colorado Springs 1986, but among Italians winner of the "Doyenne" are also Carmine Preziosi (1965), Silvano Contini (1982), Michele Bartoli ('97 and '98), Paolo Bettini (2000 and 2002), Davide Rebellin (2004) and Danilo Di Luca, who after win in 2007 will not able to try to win again because the organizers - the same of Tour de France - denied wild-card to his team Lpr. In 2008, the classic of Belgium celebrates its 94th edition, 116 years later the first raced in 1892. More than 260 kilometres to run, with 12 côtes like mythic Redoute, that of Stockeu - 1.100 meters at 11,6% - or the last in Saint Nicolas to few more than 6 kilometres from the finish. The classic of Ardennes waits for its contenders in Liegi on 27th April 2008! Posted by Sonya Argelli 17/04/2008 Gare Ciclistiche 
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