The 28-year-old Poels achieved the biggest success of his career in Ans to win the sprint of a leading group of four which came on the last slope.
The Swiss rider Michael Albasini finished second for the Portuguese Rui Costa and Spaniard Samuel Sanchez.
Poels was the most successful Dutch rider in 2016. he won in February two stages and the overall classification in the Valencia round and he triumphed last month in the fifth stage of the Tour of Catalonia. That was until Sunday the only Dutch World Tour victory of the season.
Bauke Mollema was the second Dutchman in ninth place, while the only 20-year-old Sam Oomen debuted with a 25th place. Alejandro Valverde, the winner of last year, did not go beyond the fifteenth twelve seconds of Poels
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Snow
The 102nd edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège was run under harsh weather conditions. The peloton was confronted in the Ardennes with cold, rain and even snow.
Therefore, the organization fit between kilometer 45 and kilometer 75 the road a bit, making the total distance 248 was used instead of 253 kilometers. The number ten climbs did not change
Seven riders did not let stopped by the wintry weather:. Pavel Brutt, Jérémy Roy, Nicolas Edet, Thomas De Gendt, Paolo Tiralongo, Cesare Benedetti and Alessandro De Marchi. After a quick chase made the Norwegian Vegard Stake Laengen there in front of an octet.
The eight leaders, like the rest of the riders well packed, drove a lead of a minute or nine together. Under impulses especially Movistar, the team of Valverde, who then advantageous margin walked slowly back.
Voeckler
With only a kilometer or sixty and after a heavy snowfall, Thomas departed Voeckler from the pack. The 36-year-old Frenchman went on the hunt for the leaders, but was called to order again on the Côte de la Redoute.
After the hill 36 kilometers from the finish, the leading group was thinned to a duo, but also the adventure of Edet and De Marchi was just before the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons over.
Carlos Betancur then just trying to drive away, but Etixx-QuickStep gave Valverde the teammate no room , causing a large group began on the Côte de Saint-Nicolas.
Vincenzo Nibali and Simon Gerrans had to solve the last slope, but the front of the favorites were mainly looking at each other. On the Côte de la Rue Naniot, a new climb on cobblestones in front of the line, knew Albasini, Costa, Sanchez and Poels or to create a gap.
On the sloping stretch towards the finish remained quartet the grip of the pursuers. Poels continued after the final turn and sprint to his fellow escapees never came over him
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