others. "I have always been working for the others in these races," he said. "In 2009, I was working for Damiano [Cunego], and I had my best legs that year. Today, I was following the wheels, because I knew I couldn't beat a guy like Sagan in a sprint. Luckily, I was kind of an underdog and BMC had to do the work to bring back Freire."

Many of today's riders will meet again in La Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday and in Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday. Who will prosper in the Ardennes? Who will falter? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!