After a top-ten finish at La Fleche Wallone, Warren Barguil has expressed his desire to bring an end to the Ardennes Classic portion of the season on a high at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
"I want to finish the Ardennes triptych well and that requires a good performance on the Doyenne which will be my last race before the start of the Giro d'Italia," the 31-year-old Frenchman reveals. "The race is long and the difficulties follow one another until the finale. I know that I can count on a great Team Arkéa Samsic and I had confirmation of this again on Wednesday. I can't wait to immerse myself in the atmosphere of the race."
The aforementioned top-ten finish at La Fleche Wallone was a continuation of the remarkable consistency Barguil has displayed on the Mur de Huy over the years. In fact, the Breton rider has now had six top-ten finishes in the last seven years at the race. "I am attached to the history of cycling and it is always a special moment to approach a Monument like Liège-Bastogne-Liège where I have already finished twice in the top ten," Barguil adds.
"Coming out of the Flèche Wallonne, we approach this monument that is Liège-Bastogne-Liège with confidence and humility. On the roads of the Ardennes, our collective showed great togetherness and the boys were all united," says Arkea-Samsic's sports director Yvon Caër. "By finishing tenth on Wednesday, Warren regained a little confidence that he lacked at the start of the season."
Arkéa Samsic for Liège-Bastogne-Liège:
Warren Barguil, Louis Barré, Anthony Delaplace, Simon Gugliemi, Mathis Le Berre, Lukasz Owsian and Andrii Ponomar.