Liv Racing had to settle for an eleventh place from Soraya Paladin in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday. On the Roche aux Faucons, our Italian rider just didn’t have the strong legs to join the decisive attack. Demi Vollering took the win.
The team started the hilly classic, which had more altitude metres this year than previous editions, well and courageously. “On the Côte de Wanne, the first climb, there were some attacks from the team. Pauliena Rooijakkers was in front for a short time. We wanted to make the race hard right away”, says team leader Lars Boom.
In the remainder of the race, Boom sometimes missed the sharpness of his riders. “On the Col du Rosier seven riders got away, a strong group. But unfortunately, we were not part of it, because we were not positioned well enough at that moment. We then started to ride at the front and tried to close the gap in order to create a different situation as a team.”
With about fifty kilometres to go, the peloton was back together. At La Redoute the race completely exploded. Soraya Paladin was riding well at the front and moved with the first group. She had to go deep to survive the Côte de Forges which was the next hill. On the Roche aux Faucons, the final climb of the day, Paladin witnessed how the five strongest riders in the race escaped.
Boom: “Soraya was good today, but she lacked that little extra she had in earlier races this spring. Other riders are just a bit faster. That’s unfortunate, but she can’t reproach herself. She did what she had to do.”
Photo credits: Cor Vos