The route of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Ardennes Classic taking place this afternoon, was changed by organisers due to treacherous conditions caused by snow.
The change of course took place while the race was under way, with organisers saying: “Due to the hectic weather conditions, the race organisation has decided to change the planned course.
“Indeed from km 45 to km 75, the riders will head south and return to the normal course just before the first climb of the day, the Côte de la Roche en Ardenne.”
In a nod to the much anticipated premiere of Season 6 of Game of Thrones, they tweeted:
Even if #GoT is back today, there are no White Walkers along the route of @LiegeBastogneL (…for now) #LBL pic.twitter.com/iZVeKWEO6x
— Liège-Bastogne-Liège (@LiegeBastogneL) April 24, 2016
A number of teams including Sky and Katusha tweeted pictures and video from their cars to show just what the conditions were like.
It’s a whiteout at #LBL on the way to the first feedzone. Tough conditions out there pic.twitter.com/utmN7xBEEm
— Team Sky (@TeamSky) April 24, 2016
#LBL This is already a bit dangerous… pic.twitter.com/AJy1aasZLA
— Team KATUSHA (@katushacycling) April 24, 2016
An indication of how tough conditions during the early part of the race have been came with the news that with around 100 kilometres still to ride, around half the 200 starters had abandoned the race.
Images of the snow covered roads evoke memories of 1980, which began in a snowstorm and ended with Bernard Hinault winning after a solo ride of 80 kilometres – and in the process, permanently losing the feeling in a couple of his fingers.
In 2013, the route of Milan-San Remo was shortened while the race was in progress due to a snowstorm which made it impossible for the riders to get across the Passo del Turchino, with team buses taking them down to the coast via a motorway to resume the race.
6 thoughts on “Liège-Bastogne-Liège shortened due to snow”
That’ll bugger up my entry in
That’ll bugger up my entry in the Rapha win a bike competition……
bendertherobot wrote:
this is exactly what my thoughts were =D
It’ll ruin a lot of people’s
It’ll ruin a lot of people’s entries. Some very lucky person with an ordinarily daft guess will clean up! Let’s hope the weather slows them down again so we’re all brought back into it.
Bugger – another ruined entry
Bugger – another ruined entry to the competition.
That was my first thought
That was my first thought aswell, bugger, so I’ve asked Rapha and Canyon about it….waiting for a reply
Argh- I was 1minute and 20
Argh- I was 1minute and 20 seconds out- I guess I would nearly be that person with a ‘daft guess’?
(it wasn’t my guess I told my wife last years finish time and told her to guess this years under the promise that I’d get to keep the bike).