Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), winner of the Amstel Gold Race two weeks ago, fifth in Paris-Roubaix Femme, and La Flèche Wallonne Femme, was one of the favorites to win the Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femme She rode in.

Another win would have made her the second woman (after Anna van der Breggen in 2017) to win all three Ardennes Classics, but unlike Cauberg and Mule de Huy, the 24-year-old Italian was not going to let Annemieke van Fluten (Movistar Team) could not keep up and instead supported teammate Grace Brown. Cavalli was not discouraged by missing out on the historic accomplishment, but admitted that Van Vleuten was strong on the day.

"In the end, I wasn't strong enough to keep up with Anne-Mike. I didn't recover well after two big races and I was a little tired this morning because I had a lot of media work to do. I was in the first group behind the winner and I have no regrets. You can't win every race and this is a good result for Grace.

Brown missed the second half of the 2021 season due to a shoulder injury, making her return to European racing somewhat of a struggle. She performed well and did okay, but missed the podium so far.

"I was relieved to finish the Classic on the podium, as I thought I would be on the podium earlier this season.

In the final, Braun took matters into his own hands and attacked alone. He said, "I got dropped at La Redoute, but I made it back to the pack. I knew I would struggle on the next climb. I was dropped at La Redoute, but I came back to the group and I knew I would struggle on the next climb."

"I felt a bit stronger on my own pace than following the wave on the climb, and I got a good start on the Roche aux Faucons and was able to get into the group that was chasing Annemiek and join the sprint, which was quite advantageous.

FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, despite Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig missing her favorite hill classic with a Covid-19 infection, the entire team stepped up and established itself as a top contender in a very good Classic campaign.

"We are really confident as a team now. Marta won two races and for me to come here and be on the podium is pretty cool. We'll be a pretty strong team at the Tour de France Femmes, and we'll have Cecily. It's exciting," the Australian said.