Why was it beautiful? Because it happened as Simon Gerrans said it would. From the winner we saw a perfect race: patient, strong, reliable, savvy, well-supported… and even a touch of luck. Had it not been for the slip of a rear wheel on the final turn, the 100th edition of The Old Girl, La Doyenne, then Dan Martin would have been the champion again. The Irishman had the title of Liège-Bastogne-Liège in his sight and then it all came crashing down for him. And that’s when the Australian champion jumped to the fore and onward to victory.

Without Peter Weening, it wouldn’t have ended this way. The Dutchman was responsible for the pursuit of two fugitives, Giampaolo Caruso and Domenico Pozzovivo, but he wasn’t riding for himself. On his wheel was a group of favourites… with former LBL winner Alejandro Valverde riding towards the back with a green-and-gold shadow on his wheel.

Around the final turn: Caruso seemed as though he may take a coup; Martin lost the title defence; Valverde knew he had the speed to win; Gerrans continues to show restraint; Pozzovivo faded into the colours of others as he move was soaked up… and the finishing line beckoned.

If Simon says he can, he often does. That’s how it’s been for the Australian championships, the Tour Down Under, the Jayco-Herald Sun Tour, stage wins of the Tour, Giro and Vuelta… that’s how it was for Milan-San Remo when his team claimed its first ‘Monument’. That’s how it was in Corsica last year at the Tour de France when he beat Peter Sagan. And Simon has been saying for years that he can win in the Ardennes. Now he has. Injury free, with support, and onward to Ans to finish the job.

Here is a collection of images from the final of the Spring Classics. Click on the photo of Simon Gerrans (below) to begin the slideshow…

 

[ReflexGallery id=’93’]

 

1Simon GERRANSAUSOGE6:37:43
2Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTEESPMOVat same time
3Michal KWIATKOWSKIPOLOPQsame time
4Giampaolo CARUSOITAKATsame time
5Domenico POZZOVIVOITAALM3″
6Tom Jelte SLAGTERNEDGRS3″
7Roman KREUZIGERCZETCS3″
8Philippe GILBERTBELBMC3″
9Daniel MORENO FERNANDEZESPKAT5″
10Romain BARDETFRAALM6″
11Jelle VANENDERTBELLTB8″
12Enrico GASPAROTTOITAAST10″
13Damiano CUNEGOITALAM10″
14Cyril GAUTIERFRAEUC10″
15Bauke MOLLEMANEDBEL12″
16Rudy MOLARDFRACOF12″
17Tiago MACHADOPORTNE12″
18Anthony ROUXFRAFDJ12″
19Frank SCHLECKLUXTFR12″
20Stefan DENIFLAUTIAM12″
21Przemyslaw NIEMIECPOLLAM12″
22Sébastien REICHENBACHSUIIAM12″
23Pierre ROLLANDFRAEUC17″
24Simon GESCHKEGERGIA19″
25Julian David ARREDONDO MORENOCOLTFR19″
26Jakob FUGLSANGDENAST23″
27Mathias FRANKSUIIAM23″
28Chris Anker SÖRENSENDENTCS31″
29Warren BARGUILFRAGIA48″
30Vincenzo NIBALIITAAST51″
31Samuel SANCHEZ GONZALEZESPBMC56″
32Ben HERMANSBELBMC+1:09
33Alexandr KOLOBNEVRUSKAT+1:09
34Pieter WEENINGNEDOGE+1:11
35Tony GALLOPINFRALTB+1:27
36Thomas VOECKLERFRAEUC+1:27
37Lars Petter NORDHAUGNORBEL+1:29
38Guillaume LEVARLETFRACOF+1:31
39Daniel MARTINIRLGRS+1:37
40Ivan SANTAROMITAITAOGE+2:26
41Simon CLARKEAUSOGE+2:26
42Jerome COPPELFRACOF+2:26
43Tim WELLENSBELLTB+2:26
44Eduard VORGANOVRUSKAT+2:26
45Paul MARTENSGERBEL+2:26
46Pieter SERRYBELOPQ+2:51
47Mikael CHERELFRAALM+2:51
48Jan BAKELANTSBELOPQ+2:51
49Thomas DEGANDBELWGG+2:51
50Angel VICIOSO ARCOSESPKAT+2:53
51David DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJOESPTNE+3:33
52José Joao PIMENTA COSTA MENDESPORTNE+3:33
53Arnold JEANNESSONFRAFDJ+3:33
54Cesare BENEDETTIITATNE+3:33
55Daan OLIVIERNEDGIA+3:33
56Jarlinson PANTANOCOLCOL+3:33
57Iker CAMANO ORTUZARESPTNE+3:33
58Sergio PARDILLA BELLONESPMTN+3:33
59Robinson Eduardo CHALAPUD GOMEZCOLCOL+3:33
60Fabio FELLINEITATFR+3:33
61Louis MEINTJESRSAMTN+3:33
62Bob JUNGELSLUXTFR+3:33
63Maxim IGLINSKYKAZAST+3:33
64Alberto LOSADA ALGUACILESPKAT+3:33
65Tom DUMOULINNEDGIA+3:33
66Diego ULISSIITALAM+3:33
67Jérémy ROYFRAFDJ+3:47
68Matteo MONTAGUTIITAALM+3:54
69Amaël MOINARDFRABMC+3:54
70Nathan EARLEAUSSKY+5:16
71Marco MARCATOITACAN+5:16
72Carlos VERONA QUINTANILLAESPOPQ+5:16
73Thomas SPRENGERSBELTSV+5:16
74Fabian WEGMANNGERGRS+5:16
75Darwin ATAPUMA HURTADOCOLBMC+5:16
76Christophe RIBLONFRAALM+5:16
77Ryder HESJEDALCANGRS+5:16
78John GADRETFRAMOV+6:19
79Pierrick FEDRIGOFRAFDJ+7:10
80Wouter POELSNEDOPQ+7:10
81Matthew BUSCHEUSATFR+8:05
82Alex HOWESUSAGRS+8:05
83Carlos Julian QUINTEROCOLCOL+8:05
84Gustav LARSSONSWEIAM+8:05
85Gorka IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTIESPMOV+8:07
86Jon IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTIESPMOV+8:07
87Jesus HERRADA LOPEZESPMOV+8:07
88Marcus BURGHARDTGERBMC+8:28
89Cameron MEYERAUSOGE+8:52
90Jérôme BAUGNIESBELWGG+9:20
91Reto HOLLENSTEINSUIIAM+9:26
92Laurent PICHONFRAFDJ+9:26
93Francis DE GREEFBELWGG+10:01
94Jonathan HIVERTFRABEL+10:12
95Michael ALBASINISUIOGE+10:43
96Rafael VALLS FERRIESPLAM+11:41
97Mirko SELVAGGIITAWGG+11:41
98Luis Angel MATE MARDONESESPCOF+11:41
99Mattia CATTANEOITALAM+11:41
100Pieter JACOBSBELTSV+11:41
101Dennis VANENDERTBELLTB+11:41
102Bartosz HUZARSKIPOLTNE+11:41
103Nathan HAASAUSGRS+11:41
104Miguel Angel RUBIANO CHAVEZCOLCOL+11:41
105Rory SUTHERLANDAUSTCS+11:41
106Ben GASTAUERLUXALM+11:41
107Kévin REZAFRAEUC+11:41
108Jaco VENTERRSAMTN+11:41
109Eduard Alexander BELTRAN SUAREZCOLTCS+11:41
110Benoît VAUGRENARDFRAFDJ+11:41
111Daryl IMPEYRSAOGE+12:01
112Romain SICARDFRAEUC+12:01
113Alessandro DE MARCHIITACAN+12:08
114Matteo BONOITALAM+12:11
115Christian MEIERCANOGE+12:15
116Eliot LIETAERBELTSV+12:15
117Leonardo Fabio DUQUECOLCOL+12:15
118Frantisek PADOURCZETNE+12:15
119Andriy GRIVKOUKRAST+12:15
120Peter VELITSSVKBMC+12:15
121Romain ZINGLEBELCOF+12:15
122Martijn KEIZERNEDBEL+12:15
123Lieuwe WESTRANEDAST+12:15
124Imanol ERVITIESPMOV+12:15
125Daniel TEKLEHAIMANOTERIMTN+12:15
126Tanel KANGERTESTAST+12:15
127Matej MOHORICSLOCAN+12:15
128Karsten KROONNEDTCS+12:15
129Perrig QUEMENEURFRAEUC+12:15
130Pirmin LANGSUIIAM+12:15
131Daniele RATTOITACAN+12:15
132David TANNERAUSBEL+12:15
133Davide VILLELLAITACAN+12:15
134Preben VAN HECKEBELTSV+12:15
135Bram TANKINKNEDBEL+13:27
136Thomas DAMUSEAUFRAGIA+13:47
DNFThomas DEKKERNEDGRS
DNFRamunas NAVARDAUSKASLTUGRS
DNFJoaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVERESPKAT
DNFDmitry KOZONTCHUKRUSKAT
DNFJosé Ivan GUTIERREZ PALACIOSESPMOV
DNFBenat INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGAESPMOV
DNFSébastien MINARDFRAALM
DNFRui Alberto FARIA DA COSTAPORLAM
DNFNelson Filipe SANTOS SIMOES OLIVEIRAPORLAM
DNFAlexey LUTSENKOKAZAST
DNFStephen CUMMINGSGBRBMC
DNFLaurent MANGELFRAFDJ
DNFJussi VEIKKANENFINFDJ
DNFJack BOBRIDGEAUSBEL
DNFRichie PORTEAUSSKY
DNFIan BOSWELLUSASKY
DNFJoshua EDMONDSONGBRSKY
DNFDavid LOPEZ GARCIAESPSKY
DNFDanny PATEUSASKY
DNFMichael Valgren ANDERSENDENTCS
DNFBruno PIRESPORTCS
DNFMichael ROGERSAUSTCS
DNFJurgen VAN DEN BROECKBELLTB
DNFSander ARMEEBELLTB
DNFBart DE CLERCQBELLTB
DNFTosh VAN DER SANDEBELLTB
DNFJohannes FRÖHLINGERGERGIA
DNFCheng JICHNGIA
DNFThomas PETERSONUSAGIA
DNFThomas LÖVKVISTSWEIAM
DNFJérôme PINEAUFRAIAM
DNFAlberto BETTIOLITACAN
DNFMichel KOCHGERCAN
DNFJean Marc MARINOFRACAN
DNFMichal GOLASPOLOPQ
DNFTony MARTINGEROPQ
DNFSerge PAUWELSBELOPQ
DNFFumiyuki BEPPUJPNTFR
DNFAndy SCHLECKLUXTFR
DNFCalvin WATSONAUSTFR
DNFVictor CAMPENAERTSBELTSV
DNFEdward THEUNSBELTSV
DNFArthur VAN OVERBERGHEBELTSV
DNFOtto VERGAERDEBELTSV
DNFYukiya ARASHIROJPNEUC
DNFNatnael BERHANEERIEUC
DNFErick ROWSELLGBRTNE
DNFDaniel NAVARRO GARCIAESPCOF
DNFEdwig CAMMAERTSBELCOF
DNFJulien SIMONFRACOF
DNFJacques JANSE VAN RENSBURGRSAMTN
DNFIgnatas KONOVALOVASLTUMTN
DNFJim SOGENZORSAMTN
DNFJay Robert THOMSONRSAMTN
DNFJérôme GILBERTBELWGG
DNFMichel KREDERNEDWGG
DNFBjörn LEUKEMANSBELWGG
DNFMarco MINNAARDNEDWGG
DNFJuan Esteban ARANGO CARVAJALCOLCOL
DNFFabio Andres DUARTE AREVALOCOLCOL
DNFRodolfo Andres TORRES AGUDELOCOLCOL
DNSCarlos Alberto BETANCUR GOMEZCOLALM
DNSChristopher FROOMEGBRSKY