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Stephen Williams is first British winner of Flèche Wallonne
Cyclist Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) became the first British winner of Belgium's Flèche Wallonne one-day classic on Wednesday, holding off the competition in the final meters of the Mur de Huy on a rain-soaked day that saw numerous abandonments.
© Lusa
Desporto Ciclismo
In the Ardennes, Stephen Williams covered the 123.4 miles (198.6 kilometers) between Charleroi and the Mur de Huy in 4:40.24 to edge out Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-Samsic) and Belgian Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), who were second and third, respectively.
It was the first victory for a British rider in the 88 editions of the Belgian classic, coming three days after compatriot Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) triumphed at Amstel Gold Race, the first event in the Ardennes triptych.
As he did in the 2023 edition, Denmark's Soren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) animated the race and again went clear in a breakaway, but he was caught by the chasing group with just over nine miles (14 kilometers) remaining, and it was a reduced peloton that hit the final ascent of the Mur de Huy.
In a race marked by atrocious weather -- it was cold, wet and even icy at times -- a group of more than three dozen riders reached the bottom of the finishing climb in contention, with Williams attacking inside the final 300 meters and holding off Vauquelin in the closing meters.
The 27-year-old Briton, who earlier this year won the Tour Down Under, crossed the line looking every inch a surprise victor, on a day when there were numerous abandonments, including that of Portugal's Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates).
"What a day. I'm so happy. I've watched this race so many times on TV and I've dreamed of coming here with good legs to try to win it. I'm over the moon," Williams said.
In the end, only 44 riders finished, with several other pre-race favorites, including Pidcock, Mattias Skjelmose and Juan Ayuso, among those who did not complete the race.
Liège-Bastogne-Liège will be held on Sunday.
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