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.
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View Comments
@Blah
True. We have a lot to thank Al Gore for. Poor Yates, I want to finish his sentences off to save him bumbling on.
What the fcuk is going on....Ten Dam has gone bonkers all out and Sky have stuck 3 in mix just at the point when I pretty much stopped back them....The Anti V is strong within my picks today!
I am only on the Cycling News ticker feed, anyone have faintest idea where JRod, Purito, Dan Martin, Dirty Bertie or any of other people who were supposed to win it are? I assuming Tiernan Locke was on ballbag duty....good to see Phil Gil in the mix though, even though I did not back him..
dunno...ryder has made it back..cannondale are moving up a bit and bmc are leading the chase to the bonkers ten dam with ermmmm someone else....gap is growing to 15 seconds with 22k to go and dan martin punctured and is off the back
@paolo
Starting to sound like a Phil Gil Purito slaughterfest for the finish line...they seem to have the most support with them..
Dan Martin punctured as well. Note to self: do not buy the tires Gamrin rides.
The ARGOS guy with Laurens ten Dam is Siimon Gechke.
@Deakus I had JLT in for the same reason you did.
cannondale and saxo bank are coming up to bmc....this is going to get very interesting
A Schleck. Phhhrrrrraaaaaaaaap.
I take great pleasure in knowing that I can go off the back with just as much panache as Andy.