Video: Gerrans expects an aggressive Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Australian hopes Gilbert will be distanced before the finish
Simon Gerrans (Team Sky) showed his excellent Ardennes Classics form with third at the Amstel Gold Race last Sunday. Now he hopes to end his spring with a strong performance in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
The little Australia is a fighter and hopes the race will be more aggressive than usual as several teams try to crack Philippe Gilbert before the final climb to the finish in Ans, above Liege.
Gerrans finished slightly off the pace at Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday but told Cyclingnews he has recovered well.
"I think I’d not quite recovered enough to be up there with the best guys but I’m feeling good now and hopefully I’ll be up there tomorrow," he said.
Gerrans often trains with Gilbert in Monaco and their families spend time together. He is ready to accept defeat if Gilbert proves he is the best rider in the race but predicts that nobody will want to ride to the finish with the powerful Belgian.
"I think this is the most prestigious of the three Classics and so whoever wins tomorrow is a worthy winner. If Phil can get up and win another, he’ll prove he’s the man for the job.
"I think every one will have to really race more aggressively if they want any chance of beating Philippe. I don’t think anyone wants to go to the finish with him. I know that if I was coming to the finish (in the front group), I wouldn’t want to be racing against him, I’d want some advantage. I think everyone will be trying to do the same thing."
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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.