Three races, three chances. The Ardennes Classics provide a trio of race templates on which the one-day specialists and Grand Tour riders can pit themselves against each other.
While Alejandro Valverde has won a staggering 50 per cent of the Ardennes races since 2014, the Spaniard is not the only rider to keep an eye on through the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Cyclingnews picks 11 riders to watch ahead of this weekend's curtain-raiser in the Netherlands.
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Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal)
Winning De Brabantse Pijl is not a precursor to success in the Ardennes, as for every Philippe Gilbert there's a Sebastien Rosseler. However, Wellens seems to have coupled his undoubted powers with the talent of knowing when to attack and when to defend.
Once a mere have-a-go-hero attempting long-distance raids, the 26-year-old has matured into one of the most complete riders in the peloton. There's still room for improvement, of course, but the Lotto Soudal leader is flourishing after the departure of Tony Gallopin and has embraced the added responsibility placed upon his shoulders. No Lotto Soudal rider has won more than Wellens (four times) in 2018, while he's already matched half of his victory tally from 2017. It surely helps when you're in a contract year, but Wellens, along with Tiesj Benoot, have shown that there is life after Andre Greipel. That said, Wellens has only made the top ten in an Ardennes race on one occasion, in Amstel back in 2016. It's a poor record for a rider of his quality, and one that he will dearly want to address.
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)
Dylan Teuns (BMC Racing)
Daniel Martin (UAE Team Emirates)
Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky)
Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale)
Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors)
Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida)
Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors)
Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb)
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe)
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/11-riders-to-watch-at-the-ardennes-classics
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