Spaniards fall short in Flèche Wallonne finale

No one had an answer for the blistering acceleration from Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) on the Mur de Huy on Wednesday, not even the combined presence of five Spanish climbers who featured in the Flèche Wallonne finale. While Albert Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) isn't considered to be an expert in the one-day races, men like Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) and Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) surely hoped to out-duel the Belgian on the steep finishing ascent.