How Dan Martin crashed in the final corner of Liege-Bastogne-Liege is anyone’s guess, but it’s not of supreme importance given he had spent the majority of his biscuits in the previous 200 metres.
It was a valiant effort from the 2013 champion though, and his attack proved the perfect moment for Roman Kreuziger to mysteriously lead out the entirety of the remaining race contenders until they were ready to sprint.
He had provided a service any honest rider would consider paying for.
Given the randomness of the final two kilometres though, the Czech professional was no bought man. Instead, we sat baffled as Kreuziger sated his desire of ridding all that excess energy too soon.
Down the road we had seen Orica-GreenEDGE’s Peter Weening wrestling and punishing his bike in usual fashion, keeping alive not only the dreams of those who don’t believe in core strength and pedalling efficiency, but the hopes of race victory for team captain Simon Gerrans.
As a result, Gerrans got one back on his crafty arch-nemesis, Spaniard Alejandro Valverde.
Valverde and Gerrans have given the cycling world (but mostly the Tour Down Under world) a genuinely unpredictable match-up these past years, both exhibiting an exciting mix of talents through all road cycling’s disciplines.
Sunday’s stroll through the Ardennes was no exception, as they finished one-two.
So we have sadly come to an end on our Spring Classics season, just in time to watch the Giro D’Italia batter us with hail and snow, and then sunburn.
An eye should be kept open for the minuscule Domenico Pozzovivo, the bat-crazy descending Sicilian Vincenzo Nibali, and that bearded British cyclist who finished top 10 in Paris-Roubaix earlier this month.
Boil the pasta, skin those tomatoes, smoke some meat, and pour some wine – Italy, here we come.