One of the riders in last weekend’s U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège had a little bit of an adventure when he got lost during the race and arrived at the finish four hours after the winner Guillaume Martin (CC Étupes).

Dylan Durand was left behind by the peloton at the Côte des Rosiers, 75 kilometres from the finish. He cycled on alone on the quiet country roads south of Liège, but struggled to find his way back. “I saw more signs indicating Maastricht in Holland than for Liège,” Durand admitted afterwards. “I asked people to tell me the route of the race, but unfortunately didn’t get much help.”

The U23 version of the race doesn’t finish at the same location as the pro race, but instead over 6 kilometres away at an outdoor velodrome. The race regulations required the organisers to remove all signage after the last race vehicle passed.

Durand eventually made it into Liège, but didn’t realise that he had to cross the River Meuse. “It was hard mentally to go round in circles in the city centre,” Durand admitted. “I really freaked out when I saw the sun starting to set.”

He was finally helped by a motorist, who took him to the velodrome, where his team UC Nantes Atlantique were waiting patiently. His manager, Pascal Deramé said “The best thing to do was to remain in place, Dylan would find us sooner or later.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here