Davide Rebellin was again a contender. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
By Gregor Brown & Brecht Decaluwé in Ans
Gerolsteiner was unable to claim the win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège although the team has had a couple of cards to play during the last of the three Ardennes Classics. Markus Fothen was in the early breakaway for a long time, Stefan Schumacher launched a good attack with Andy Schleck on the Côte de la Redoute and 2004 winner Davide Rebellin battled hard to the line with the day's winner, Alejandro Valverde.
"I didn't have a good day," Schumacher told Cyclingnews. The German was unable to hang with the younger of the Schleck brothers during their escape. "Because of my crash in the Flèche Wallonne I couldn't breathe normally and I had cramps during the finale," he explained.
"I have a hematoma above my knee as I had some handlebars [banged] against my legs in the crash. I knew that I wasn't good enough to win today so I tried to anticipate. Too bad I couldn't stay there any longer to get the team in the best position, but I couldn't do anything more than I already did," a disappointed Schumacher concluded.
The last card the German team had to play was veteran Davide Rebellin. The 36 year-old Italian was able to respond to the attack from Fränk Schleck on the new climb of the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons, but didn't have a chance in the sprint against the speed of Alejandro Valverde.
"I thought of trying in the last kilometre, but Valverde could have won that way too," stated Rebellin, who enjoyed a clean sweep of the Ardennes Week in 2004. "I decided to save it all for the sprint. Valverde was left to go in that attack, maybe I could have used a little bit by pulling but I think he would have won all the same."
In fact, Rebellin was surprised Schleck did not attack before the sprint on Rue Jean-Jaurès. "We were there... I thought that Schleck was going to go, but he did not have anything left. It became a very hard race, but I am content nonetheless."
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Rebellin is racing for one more year and thinks he still has a chance of claiming his second win in 'La Doyenne'. "This is my race," he said. "I had hoped to win again, but never say never, there will be another one."
