 Despite the addition of an additional climb late in the race , a group formed at the base of the Mur . Valverde won his third victory on the climb , with Julian Alaphilippe ( Etixx – Quick @-@ Step ) second and Michael Albasini ( Orica – GreenEDGE ) third ; Valverde went on to win Liège – Bastogne – Liège as well . La Flèche Wallonne was affected by many crashes , which caused the withdrawal of several of the favourites for race victory , including Philippe Gilbert ( BMC Racing Team ) , Dan Martin ( Cannondale – Garmin ) and Chris Froome ( Team Sky ) . 
