Tadej POGACAR. 10 with honors. He was the man to beat, but every good intention remains in the drawer. They try to put him in the middle, leaving him behind, but he doesn't lose his composure, doesn't lose his way, since he's used to finding solutions. He knows that Evenepoel is all talk and a jersey, but he knows that the French boy is the one who could make him suffer a bit and he does tremble a little. He shakes him off in the final, 13 kilometers and 800 meters from the finish line, and then takes center stage, as he usually does, with the naturalness of someone who knows how to be in the spotlight. Victory at an average speed of 44.4 km/h, the highest ever, for his thirteenth monument which makes him increasingly monumental. Five races this season, with four victories, one second place and a dedication: to his former deceased teammate, Camilo Christian Munoz, the Colombian who died two days ago and had been his teammate at UAE from 2019 to 2021. Five races this season, with four victories, Strade Bianche, Sanremo, Flanders and Liège: his fourth of his career. Victory number 112, although at this point his opponents might as well call it 113.
Paul SEIXAS. 10. The angel from Lyon finds the avenging angel in his path. He knows his is an impossible mission, but he confirms he is the new force rising, the vice-Pogacar. At 19 years old he races like a veteran. Calm, serene, lucid like few others. Today he loses, but this young man is destined to become unbeatable.
Remco EVENEPOEL. 5. If there were no Pogacar, if there were no Van der Poel, if there were no Paul Seixas, perhaps he too would be unstoppable. Sure, if those two or three phenomena didn't exist he would truly win everything. If there were no climbs to overcome, he would be the best, but he, who thinks he is the best, always lacks something.
Emiel VERSTRYNGE. 7. The 24-year-old Belgian rider from Alpecin stays in the noble zones of the group and takes home a placement that builds his resume.
Egan BERNAL. 7. We saw him at the Tour of the Alps: the Colombian is in good form. Liège is raced honestly: Egan is returning to levels of excellence.
Pello BILBAO. 7. He is a guarantee: when the going gets tough, the Basque plays with pleasure.
Romaine GREGOIRE. 6.5. The Frenchman is pedaling well and today he shows that in the world elite of cycling there is now also him.
Christian SCARONI. 6.5. He is the first of the Italians, but this is almost no longer news, because for some seasons now Christian has shown he is one of our reference points. Today he races with lucidity and strength: and finishes with the strongest in the top ten.
Tobias Halland JOHANNESSEN. 6. The 26-year-old Norwegian doesn't lose the wheel, but in the final he loses something.
Filippo ZANA. 6.5. He is one of the Italian surprises: Filippo is there. He keeps the tricolor high, he who has also worn it.
Diego ULISSI. 6.5. The veteran of XDS Astana enters the breakaway of 55 from the first kilometers. A surprise move that surprises Taddeo and Paul. With him Remco Evenepoel, Nico Denz (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Julien Bernard, Jacopo Mosca, Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), Menno Huising (Visma | Lease a Bike), Alan Haterly, Asbjørn Hellemose (Jayco AlUla), Sjoerd Bax, Quinten Hermans (Pinarello Q36.5), Michael Leonard, Jardi Christiaan Van der Lee (EF education-EasyPost), Sam Maisonobe, Paul Ourselin (Cofidis), Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), Ewen Costiou, Guillaume Martin, Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ United), Egan Bernal, Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers), Nicola Conci (XDS Astana), Magnus Cort, Alexander Kamp Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), Davide Formolo, Pavel Novák (Movistar), Roland Thalmann, Fabian Weiss (Tudor), Pascal Eenkhoorn, Dylan Van Baarle, Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep), Marco Frigo, Krists Neilands (NSN), Frank Van den Broek, Matthew Dinham, Bjorn Koerdt, Alexy Faure-Prost, Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL), Aaron Dockx, Gal Glivar Hugo Houle (Alpecin-PremierTech), Thibault Guernalec, Alan Jousseaume, Mathis Le Berre (TotalEnergies), Iñigo Elosegui, César Pérez, Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma), Jesús Herrada, Clément Alleno, Josh Burnett, Jambaljamts Sainbayar (Burgos Burpellet BH), Domen Novak (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). There's little sweetness in this move, but the trick is all there.