Young stars dominate at La Doyenne

Pogačar takes first Monument while Vollering triumphs in women’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège

- James Shrubsall

Tadej Pogacar took another step closer to earning Merckx 2.0 status on Sunday when he added a first Monument to his palmarès in the form of Liège-BastogneLiège. The 22-year-old UAE-Team Emirates rider pipped Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) to the line in a five-up sprint from an all-star breakaway, formed on the final climb of the Roche aux Faucons. Afterwards he said he was “living the dream”.

The women’s race, held the same day, featured a win from another young rider in the form of Dutchwoman Demi Vollering. The 24-year-old SDWorx rider benefited from the best support in the business when world champion Anna van der Breggen, her teammate in the super-squad formerly known as Boels-Dolmans, set her up for the win.

The finale mirrored the men’s race, with a final selection made on the Roche aux Faucons with 13 kilometres to ride. For this entire run-in, van der Breggen rode on the front, protecting her young teammate, and leaving her to successfully deliver the goods in the final sprint. It was payback for Vollering’s similar effort to set up van der Breggen for her record seventh win at Flèche Wallonne earlier in the week.

Vollering, who has been close to a breakthrough win at several races already this season, said the result was “a dream come true” and praised van der Breggen’s “fantastic” work on the front.

Pogacar vindicated