Dan Martin (Garmin Sharp)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Garmin-Sharp won the best team award(Image credit: Susanne Goetze)
Dan Martin (Garmin Sharp) pulled out of the race with a sore knee(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Preparation is key in professional cycling so it’s little wonder that in the few days between Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne so many teams were out and riding reconnaissance for Wednesday’s race.
Fleche typically comes down to a dog-fight on the Mur de Huy but a slightly altered parcours for this year saw Garmin-Sharp ride over the final 60 kilometres in training. Cyclingnews was given a front seat in the team car, joining Johnny Weltz and Eric Van Lancker as they put the riders through their paces.
The race now starts in Bastogne and the second, penultimate ascent of the Mur de Huy comes much closer to the finish than in previous years.
The team head into the race with a number of options. Dan Martin was fourth last year, missing out on a podium after he was forced to chase back after a late puncture. Although he’s nursing a slight knee injury, he remains a team leader, along with Tom Jelte Slagter. They will look to remain in contention when the pre-race favourites – including Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) and the Katusha pair of Daniel Moreno and Joaquim Rodriguez look to spring into action.
In this exclusive video for Cyclingnews the team ride over the altered route for Wednesday’s while Weltz and Van Lancker provide commentary.
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