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Does that never stop? I hope not! Marc Hirschi continues to ride a wave of successes. After his stage victory in the Tour de France and bronze in the World Cup, the 22-year-old wins the Ardennes classic “Flèche Walonne”. He is the first Swiss since Ferdy Kübler in 1952 to win the Belgian race with the legendary final ascent, the “Mur de Huy”.
“I’m super happy with the team and myself,” says the Sunweb professional. As usual, Hirschi keeps blood on the 202 kilometers, and seizes the opportunity in the absence of world champion Julian Alaphilippe (28, Fr) and silver medalist Wout van Aert (26, Be). When the last outliers are spotted a good kilometer from the finish, Hirschi remains calm. Veteran-style, he doesn’t panic when veterans attacked Richie Porte (35, Aus) and then Michael Woods (Ka, 33). On the contrary: Hirschi put them in the luggage rack and only deviates 100 meters from the goal to win safely. It’s that easy. OR? Hirschi: “That could look like this. But this slope is so hard that I didn’t notice anything, not even the audience. It was full of lactate. “
“Everything that comes is a bonus”
Hirschi shows once again a great sense of racing. In this case, you don’t want to overestimate this quality. “In the end, it was all about brute force, because the last climb was brutal. You have to be strong in your head to bear the pain. “That is exactly what the young Bernese does. When her victory was assured, Hirschi first let her arms hang at the finish line and then raised her right fist. It seems that the Nutella bread that Hirschi delights in for breakfast continues to seduce wings, regardless of what the nutritionists say.
After his second professional victory and a long competition phase, Hirschi is still not on vacation. First it starts on Sunday in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which is even more important than the “Flèche Walonne”. Will “Flying Hirschi” attack again? “Everything that comes this season is an advantage. First I want to enjoy this victory now, then I will look to Sunday. “
