Rui Costa was very close to the podium at the end of a great performance that gave him the opportunity to battle for the victory of Liege-Bastogne-Liege in Ans.

The Portuguese star was 4th, beaten in the final sprint of 10 riders by Valverde (1st), Alaphilippe (2nd) and Rodríguez (3rd).

"The 4th place in such an important race and at the end of a very demanding day is a good result, I'm proud to have been there fighting for a top result until the last meter," he said. "The race had begun in a good way for our team, thanks to Ulissi who was in the main breakway with a maximum advantage of 8 minutes. Unfortunately, Europcar decided to chase the attackers and so they succeeded in neutralizing the breakaway.

"In the sector before La Redoute, two of our best riders, Valls and Serpa who could have been very important in the final kilometres, were involved in two crashes. I succeeded in gauging my efforts and meanwhile trying to study the situation kilometer after kilometer, so I could be in the front group in Ans.

"Everybody was tired, I asked my legs to make an extra effort in the sprint, but I could not be on the podium: it would have been a very special prize for the team, for my team mates and my sponsors at the end of the Ardenne week."