Fuglsang of Denmark wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic

LIEGE, Belgium (AP) — Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege, cycling’s oldest classic in the books, after a solo breakaway in the closing part of the race.

Fuglsang shook off the last challengers on the final climb of the race, 15 kilometers from the finish, and easily held on to win by 27 seconds over Italian Davide Formolo. Maximilian Schachmann of Germany was third.

Along with the Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and the Giro di Lombardia, Liege-Bastogne-Liege is part of the five so-called Monuments, the greatest one-day classics on the calendar.

The classic was raced in cold, windy and wet conditions, making the arduous 256-kilometer trek across the wooded hills of the Ardennes in southern Belgium even tougher.

At 34, it was the first major victory for Fuglsang.