We came tantalizingly close to adding a foray up the Mur de Huy during our excursion to Liege-Bastogne-Liege during this year’s Keepers Tour. But good sense and the Anti-V prevailed, as they are wont to do, and only two of us were left wanting a dig at the most notorious finishing climb in the Classics season.
I write this, then, woefully ignorant of the ferocity of the climb, particularly when combined with with a few hundred k’s of racing and scaling it several times in the process. Such is the nature of this event, and it doesn’t even have the dignity of holding a weekend spot on the calendar for its troubles.
But the Huy is a brute. Steep, long, and steep. Did I mention steep? We’re talking 26% steep. And long? We’re talking 1.3km. Even the best climbers in the world fade when the effort is dished out too soon. Keep the powder dry was ever thus.
Throw the formulas out the window; its best to resort to your eye of newt for this one. Whoever wins will have good finishing speed on an uphill finish and it also won’t be Andy Schleck. That’s about all the farther anyone can narrow this puppy down, the rest is guesswork. Enter your picks by the time the countdown clock goes to zero.
Good luck, regular rules apply.
I might have posted this last year as well, but this is my favorite finish of La Fléche to date, Pre-Cancerian Pharmy notwithstanding. He takes a flier in the only spot on this climb with some easing of the gradient. Its beautiful work, that.
[vsp_results id=”23108″/]
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
Actually thanks Gerrans for failing to observe Rule #5 as Moser leading out Sagan up the Mur de Huy and the pair not quite doing it and crossing the line together is almost a plausible scenario. Moser does have form this year for going up steep hills at the ends of things quite quickly.
Although in my head the arrival of Vogons is just as plausible - I'm going to bed now.
VSP PICKS:
1. Roman "Double" Kreuziger
2. "Popular Choice" Valveverde
3. Pfast Phil Giblets
4. Peter "Saggin" Sagan
5. Moreno Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Gilbert
3. Martin
4. Porte
5. Sagan
Apparently, the computer system required greater specificity.
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Philippe Gilbert
3. Dan Martin
4. Richie Porte
5. Peter Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Porte
3. Moser
4. Valverde
5. Gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. RODRIGUEZ Joaquim
2. HENAO Sergio Luis
3. KREUZIGER Roman
4. VANDE VELDE Christian
5. ALBASINI Michael
WTF
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Kreuziger
3. Port
4. Bardet
5. Tiernan-Locke
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Valverde
3. Sagan
4. Gilbert
5. Rodriguez
Fuglsang makes me nervous, so Dan Martin's in.
Arghh! Must stop over-thinking...
VSP PICKS:
1. Kwiatkowski
2. Betancur
3. Gilbert
4. Valverde
5. Dan Martin
Tough call but I'll go with Purito hoping he recovered sufficiently after Sunday. De Gendt is a complete wildcard as I haven't heard anything about his season.
VSP PICKS:
1. J-Rod
2. Gilbert
3. Valverde
4. Martin
5. De Gendt
Should have picked a couple more dark horses, we'll see how the popular favorites fare...
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Purito
3. Valverde
4. Vanendert
5. Mollema