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Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana) attacked out of a small chasing group to catch Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) within sight of the flamme rouge and take the win in the 2012 Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Nibali had jumped from the field on the penultimate climb and tried to solo in the last 20km, but the Kazakh gave chase to claim his first Classic win.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/liege-bastogne-liege/results.
I like to think of myself as a fan of professional cycling. I had my favorites for the day. None figured in the finale. I was left asking, who the hell is Maxim Iglinskiy?
“I have raced Liège seven times and I can finally win,” said Iglinsky. “It was a surprise that I could catch Nibali. I could see he was suffering and I attacked him because I could see he was finished. I just buried myself and I could win.”
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/race-report/iglinsky-wins-liege-bastogne-liege-over-nibali_214585.
His palmares are such that the fact I did not have this man’s name on my short list of potential winners comes as no surprise (see full list, in French. http://www.cyclingbase.com/palcoureurs.php?id=2896&idtitle=1). I mean to take nothing from his success, he just took the biggest win of his career. Congratulations are in order.
Best quote I’ve read today:
A less than spectacular race became a free for all of awesomeness with Vincenzo Nibali’s great move on the Roche aux Faucons.
http://pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=10308&status=True&catname=Latest%20News.
You can’t spell Nabali without BALLER.
“I attacked myself on La Roche aux Faucons because I wanted to make a decent move, and it would have been hard to make a selection on the Saint-Nicolas because everybody was still up there. We would all have been up there waiting. I was just missing a little bit in the end,”
Nibali was quick to praise the Kazak rider, who in overhauling the Italian before the line, had secured the biggest win of his career.
“He’s always been an excellent rider, but maybe if a Gilbert had come past me, I would have been happier.”
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibalis-last-minute-liege-bastogne-liege-attack-falls-short.
Dude. If Gilbert had come past you, I would have been happier too. Instead, this:
And, this:
Gritty vid of last 10k with English commentary:
My riding today consisted of chasing a four year old boy and a six year girl old around neighborbood. It was the time of my life.
I love me some April. I’m about to watch the race on the television. So, goodnight.
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@BJ
Watching these hard arses duke it out is great, but your last picture expresses the sheer awesomeness of cycling best.
thanks BG for always having race info posted! you’re my idol!
…so, gianni…looks like you had your emotional ass kicked on a bike ride today…
…& re: the pros – thanks for the links but where was the nbc sports (ex-vs channel) broadcast early this morning…
Long live Kazakhstan.
I have to agree 100% with Hurben.
I look forward to seeing Nibali in whichever 3-weeker he chooses to do.
Umm…you cannot mis-spell Nabali without Baller. Nibali. Just sayin’.
it hurts just looking at that photo of Nibali getting passed by Iglinskiy— brutal.
2 foghorn leghorn: Nabali is from Messina. His name means, roughly translated, “He who balls.”
Dude brings the fire. He was the best thing about that race.
Well, that and the Schlecks riding like a couple of 12 year old girls.
No disrespect to the site’s many 12 year old female readers. Stay down, girl. Don’t Schleck it up.
Schleck is Algonquin Indian for “shaved pussy”….and they rode like some today.
I’m gonna have to go ahead and agree with Mr. Leghorn on this. Mr. Nibali spells his surname “Nibali.”
Iglinskiy is Kazakh for “eagle in sky”….which is just how he flew by Nibbly. Fuggin owned that shit
I love this time of year. Seeing who’s up, who’s down, who put the time in all winter. Who the hard men are.
Thanks for posting the best parts of the classics…coming to DC and getting flemish commentary is one of my life’s simple pleasures. That this one was actually in my native tongue: even more rad.
@ 09 – hilarious. But when it’s really cold out like that, the schlecks should really get some merkins. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin
This would have been a great race to watch if it were not for that fucking piece of shit station formerly known a versus fucking up the air time.
He did it ‘The Vino Way’. Make of that what you will…