"Today wasn’t my day" - Ion Izagirre on final Liège and crashing in the moment Remco Evenepoel escaped the peloton

It wasn’t the fairytale finish, but it perfectly captured Ion Izagirre’s career: combative, resilient, and honest to the final kilometre. The Basque rider, in his last appearance at Liège–Bastogne–Liège before retiring at the end of 2026, fought to stay with the best despite a day defined by misfortune.

A crash in the opening phase completely shaped his race, forcing him to battle against the tide from very early on. This was the very same fall that split the peloton and led to Remco Evenepoel's breakaway. Inadvertently, the veteran ended up being a key part of the race's story.

“It was a very crazy race,” Izagirre summed up as he crossed the line, the effort still etched on his face. The pace was sky-high from the start, with dangerous moves and splits that demanded total focus. In one of those critical moments, just as the race began to fracture, the incident struck.

“I crashed at the beginning, when the group split,” he explained, underlining the ill-timed nature of the setback. In a Classic like Liège, where every detail counts and every effort bites, an early crash is close to a sentence. Izagirre knew it. Not only for the immediate physical toll, but for the extra energy needed to reconnect with the bunch once the race is at full tilt.

“I had to recover for a few kilometers,” he noted, referring to that delicate phase when the body is still absorbing the impact while the race refuses to wait.

Even so, true to character, the Basque rider didn’t give in. He made it back to the main group, showing the legs were responding despite the tumble. “I’m glad I was able to follow the big group,” he said, valuing that invisible effort that often goes unnoticed in the final standings but defines a rider.

He was part of the group that battled for the podium, having the legs to be part of the main chasing group, but not to make the difference as he did earlier this month at the GP Miguel Indurain where he was the winner.

The final 21st place sits far from the top 10 he flirted with at points, but the result is almost secondary in the context of his display. Izagirre was there, fighting, trying to survive in an especially demanding edition, marked by relentless pace and constant attacks.

“Today wasn’t my day,” he admitted matter-of-factly. A simple line that captures cycling’s harsh truth: there are days when everything goes against you, and in a Monument like this, the price is high.

Curiously, after crossing the line, pain wasn’t the most pressing concern… at least not immediately. “It’s hot now, I don’t feel pain, but I’m sure I’ll feel it in the coming days,” he confessed, anticipating the physical payback from the crash. A well-known reality in the peloton: adrenaline numbs it during the race, but the body sends the bill afterwards.