Journalists often overlook the importance of a second place result and focus on the failure to win rather than the importance of a podium finish.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), who finished second in La Flèche Wallonne, echoed this tone, emphasizing that Marta Cavalli's victory was a good sign for women's cycling.

"I think it's good not only for the Dutch women, but also for women's cycling," van Vleuten said on Saturday.

The Dutch riders have been utterly dominant in recent years, with the now-retired Anna van der Breggen holding the record for seven consecutive wins in Mûr de Huy. The Dutch women have won six of the last ten road world championships, Lorena Wiebes holds the record for most wins in 2022, and van Vleuten has been the number one rider for the past 12 months.

However, other countries are slowly catching up. Italy has the rainbow jersey on Elisa Balsamo's shoulders, Elisa Longo Borghini has won Paris-Roubaix, and Cavalli is closing in on a possible triple Ardennes victory in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

"It's great to see other nationalities stepping up, like Lotte Kopecký's (Tour de Flanders) victory," said Cavalli.

The 39-year-old has complained several times this spring that the races are not selective enough and hopes these teams will help women's cycling develop.

"We need more nationalities and more winning girls, and we need teams to take responsibility in races. I think it's a great sign that women's cycling is developing."

"I think it's a great sign that women's cycling is developing.

After starting the season with a win in her first race, another reason to be satisfied with three second-place finishes in Flèche Wallonne, Tour de Flanders, and Strade Bianche is that she spent the winter recovering from a broken pubic bone from a fall in her debut race in the muddy and dangerous women's Paris-Roubaix. She spent most of the winter recovering from a broken pubic bone sustained in a muddy and dangerous women's Paris-Roubaix debut.

"I was still on crutches in mid-December, so it was already amazing to win my first race of the season, and just two months later I won Omloop Het Newsblad in incredible fashion. I've fully recovered and it's been a great spring.

"I was really happy with my second place in La Flèche Wallonne. It's only the third time I've been on the podium, so it was a really good performance for me. Someone was better than me and I always evaluate if I can do better, but I don't think I could have done any better."

Asked about his ambitions for Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Van Vleuten replied. I want to give my best performance ever tomorrow. I'm always happy when I give it everything and that's my goal for tomorrow."

He replied.

When asked separately about Movistar's race tactics, she gave a wry smile and replied, "I'll wait until the last 200 meters and then go for the sprint." When pursued further, she replied, "People need to get up early to see how the race is won."

The women's Liege-Bastogne-Liege race will start at 8:40 AM local time and finish around 12:30 PM. CyclingNews will provide live coverage of the entire race, followed by a full report, results, news, and analysis of the final spring classic. Click here to find out how to watch Liège-Bastogne-Liège.