Jakob Fuglsang wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege to cap a storming Ardennes Week (+ video of his astonishing save + race highlights)

Jakob Fuglsang, third last Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race and second midweek in the Fleche Wallonne, has capped his Ardennes Week with victory in the biggest of the three races that make it up, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, to take the first Monument of his career - though there was a heart-stopping moment late on when he made an astonishing save to stay upright.

The Astana rider, whose team had chased down an earlier break, got off the front of the leading group on the day’s final climb, the Roche Aux Faucons, with Bora-Hansgrohe’s Davide Formilo and EF Education First’s Michael Woods, both of whom he dropped over the next few kilometres.

With 10 kilometres left ahead of a new parcours to cycling’s oldest Monument that features a flat finish in Liege city centre rather than the former uphill finish in the suburb of Ans, the Dane had an advantage of around 20 seconds over his closest pursuer, Formolo.

As he fought to keep his pursuers at bay, Fuglsang almost lost the rear end of his bike on a short descent with 5 kilometres remaining but pulled off a fantastic save to stay upright on his way to victory.

.@jakob_fuglsang with the best save of the day. #LBL2019 pic.twitter.com/R4oFaXHERt

— Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) April 28, 2019

With the roads still drying out from a downpour that had drenched the riders early on in the 256-kilometre race, it appears that Fuglsang’s tyre skidded on a white arrow painted on the road.

Fuglsang, one of the star riders of the early 2019 season, managed to tease his advantage to around half a minute by the time he went under the flamme rouge to enter the final kilometre and was able to fully savour the biggest win of his career.

Behind him, Formolo finished as runner-up, 28 seconds behind, with his Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Max Schachmann leading home the sprint for third a further 30 seconds back, with Mitchelton-Scott’s Adam Yates having to settle for fourth.

Fuglsang said: "It’s an amazing feeling. This week was a big goal for me and to crown it with a victory in such a race is just amazing.

"I don’t know why it came late. First I had to grow up. This season, it seems like everything has come together. Now it clicks. It took some time but now I hope I have two or three more years to enjoy it.

"Before the downhill leading to La Redoute, I was on the wheel of Luis Leon Sanchez and Julian Alaphilippe was following his guys, I looked to see how he was feeling. He looked back and said: ‘I hope you win today’.

"I think he knew he wasn’t at his best because of the weather or Roche-aux-Faucons could be too hard for him. I had made up my mind and my finish line had to be on top of La Roche-aux-Faucons because if I was in a group I probably wouldn’t win.

"When I looked back at Woods, he was basically dropped. And Davide was two or three metres behind so I figured it’s now or never, you have to die or win, give it all. I don’t know if the new route favorued me.

"But now I do like it.”