Samuel Sanchez (BMC) launches an attack to trick others into chasing (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Alejandro Valverde may have won Flèche Wallonne with an unmatchable turn of speed on Wednesday but the Mur de Huy was littered with cameo roles as riders battled up the climb towards the finish line.
Samuel Sanchez, who was instrumental in Philippe Gilbert’s Amstel Gold Race win last week, finished in 34th position on the Mur. He had tried to drop Gilbert off near the front of the peloton at the foot of the climb but the Belgian was left frustrated at the finish and was forced to settle for 10th position.
Garmin Sharp’s Nathan Haas was a little further back from Sanchez, in 58th position, but worked hard to set up Daniel Martin for his second place, with Tom Jelte Slagter rounding out a good day for the American team in fifth. At the finish Haas spoke to Cyclingnews about the race and the Mur.
In this exclusive interview for Cyclingnews Serge Pauwels, who helped deliver Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) to a podium spot, also talks about the Mur and what makes it such a feared and respected climb in professional cycling.
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