The large snowflakes settled among the pines like a Christmas scene.
By the roadside, spectators in heavy winter coats watched team cars and motorbikes struggle up one of Liege-Bastogne-Liege's countless climbs, as they pursued one man on a bike.
It was April 1980 and Bernard Hinault, who was almost unrecognisable beneath a big red balaclava, was in the lead and riding on the two wheels beneath him.
He would do himself permanent damage because he was under so much physical strain. He raced through the Ardennes in order to win the race known as "La Doyenne" - the old lady.
The conditions were so bad that several of the best riders never lined up.
After just 70 km of the race, most of the 174 entrants were already in a hotel. Only 21 people completed the course. Hinault had a cold.
Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which celebrates its 130th birthday on Sunday, has been making and breaking the toughest competitors for years.
Hinault was 25 years old. He had already won the Tour de France twice and would go on to win it a further three times, making him an icon of his sport. His five Tour victories are a joint record.
This was a different challenge than the heat and flowers of summer.
The Liege-Bastogne-Liege is celebrated by many as the antithesis of the Tour.
In the hills of east and south Belgium, the peloton is stretched through a thick, damp forest, over short, sharp climbs and across tricky, part-cobbled sections before landing back where it all began in Liege.
When Hinault won the race, it was in very tough conditions.
I considered quitting if the weather conditions persisted. We began to have difficulties. It is difficult in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The account of one of his greatest victories is taciturn. It is a severe understatement. He did not have it all his own way in the racing.
Rudy Pevenage was two minutes 15 seconds ahead of Hinault and a small group of people.
One of the hard men of the spring classics was Pevenage. He was a Belgian with a big lead and many locals felt he was the only one who could master it.
He did not finish the race that separated the men from the legends.
A small group of pursuers caught up with Pevenage on the 500m ascent of the Haute Levee. The bright red balaclava and thick blue gloves that Hinault wore disappeared into the distance as he launched his attack.
There was still 80 km to go.
Hinault was out there for seven hours. He persisted through the cold. It was brutal, but he wouldn't let up. The pursuit of glory came at a price.
He says that the sensation of frostbite is when you no longer feel your fingers.
When Hinault came over the line, he was nine minutes and 24 seconds ahead of second-place Hennie Kuiper, who remembers wondering where all the race officials and press were when he arrived.
Their attention was focused on Hinault.
Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle, the 11th-ranked man, doesn't remember crossing the line. They only recall that Hinault saluted in the direction of the hotel where they were all congregated, as if they needed reminding who was in charge that day.
Even Hinault must have been surprised by the gap he created.
The man known as "The Badger" says that when he found himself alone, he raced.
I had a desire to win when I was young. I didn't ask myself any more questions when I found myself in front.
L&Express - Liege-Bastogne-Liege was established on the same principle as the Tour de France to promote a newspaper. The stuff of legend is Hinault's 1980 win. There is a statue at the Stockeu climb.
Why not Hinault? The Badger won it twice and five times, more than any other rider. He is the sport's most decorated. He is Belgian, not French.
On his most famous victory in 1971, the 76-year-old Merckx beat Hinault by 12 km. In the same weather, The Cannibal took off from his pursuers with 92 km to go, and had enough energy to beat Georges Pintens on the line.
The grand old race reaches its milestone of 130 years on Sunday, and one rider has one last chance to match Merckx.
Alejandro was born one day after Hinault won. He has won the race four times. The day after his friend died in a training accident, he won.
The Spaniard says that the race is beautiful.
The races are beautiful, but the year I won was more special.
I fell in love the first year I was involved. It is a very demanding course. Monuments are always very special and I like the atmosphere. It works well for me.
I would love to win a fifth time. To achieve that is something I want to do.
After the Liege-Bastogne-Liege edition on Sunday, another legend will be farewelled. He will end his career in the year 2022.
The fabric of the race - its roll-call of unlikely winners, its often awful weather, its physical challenges - will continue. Tyler Hamilton, the American rider who retired in 2008, described Liege-Bastogne-Liege as a "cruel, 257 km pain fest" that some consider to be the hardest single-day race on the calendar.
The race is a reflection of Belgian cycling culture, where thousands of fans of all ages gather, some with a strong beer in hand.
Even in the bad conditions people were always by the side of the road.
It is that everyone loves cycling that is fantastic about Belgium.
That is quite the compliment, coming from a Frenchman who still burns his fingers thanks to The Old Lady.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
