Alejandro Valverde takes fourth Liège-Bastogne-Liège title, dedicates win to ‘close friend’ Scarponi
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Published 23/04/2017 at 15:33 GMT
Alejandro Valverde claimed his fourth Liège-Bastogne-Liège title on Sunday, beating Dan Martin in a sprint finish after a tough day of climbs on the hills of Belgium.
Spanish Alejandro Valverde of Movistar Team celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 102nd edition of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one day cycling race, 256km with departure and arrival in Liege, on April 23, 2017
Image credit: Getty Images
The 36-year-old Spaniard went into the race as the overwhelming favourite after winning La Fleche Wallone the weekend before.
And Valverde lived up to his top billing, reeling in Martin after a late attack and powering past the Irishman in the closing straight to add to his titles from 2006, 2008 and 2015.
However, the day was overshadowed by the death of Michele Scarponi on Saturday, with the riders still noticeably affected by the passing of the popular Italian.
A minute’s silence was held in Scarponi’s memory on the start line.
And a visibly moved Valverde dedicated the win to his “close friend”, before revealing that he will donate all of his winnings to Scarponi’s family.
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