Cycling star Pogačar wins Liège–Bastogne–Liège for third time. Kim Le Court takes women's race

Cycling star Tadej Pogačar launched one of his trademark uphill attacks to win the Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic race for the third time on Sunday.

The defending champion made his move some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the end of the undulating 252-kilometer (156-mile) trek to open up a gap of 10 seconds at the top, and then kept increasing it all the way to the line.

It was his third victory overall at the spring classic race, which is also one of the five “monuments” in one-day cycling along with Paris-Roubaix on the cobbles, the Tour of Lombardy, Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders.

Pogačar now has nine “monument” victories.

He was so far ahead Sunday that he even had time to turn and smile at the roadside camera filming him, then touched hands with fans near the finish before raising his arms in the air with victory assured.

He won in just over six hours and finished 1 minute, 3 seconds ahead of Italian Giulio Ciccone in second and Irishman Ben Healy in third. They contested a sprint to the line.

In decent racing conditions, Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates teammates increased the speed at the front of the main pack and the peloton caught a small group of front-runners with 60 kilometers to go, and with the main favorites still in contention.

But when Pogačar surged ahead on the Côte de La Redoute climb, no rider could follow him.

It was a similar story on Wednesday, when Pogačar launched a trademark uphill attack to win the Flèche Wallonne classic for the second time.

The 26-year-old Slovenian will aim to win the showcase Tour de France for the fourth time later this year.

It was a disappointing race for two-time champion Remco Evenepoel as the Belgian rider was dropped by Pogačar up the Redoute climb.

The two-time Olympic champion could not gain any time back and instead dropped down to finish in 59th place, 3:11 behind Pogačar.

Mauritian rider Kim Le Court won the women's race for the first time as four riders contested a sprint finish.

The 2023 champion Demi Vollering attacked first but Le Court countered her and then held off Dutchwoman Puck Pieterse, who won the Flèche Wallonne classic on Wednesday.

Pieterse finished second ahead of countrywoman Vollering and French rider Cédrine Kerbaol in fourth.

The four riders completed the 152.9-kilometer (94.8-mile) route in 4 hours, 15 minutes, 42 seconds.

It was the first classics win for the 29-year-old Le Court.

Kerbaol broke ahead near the end and led by 14 seconds with 11 kilometers left and threatened to extend her advantage, but Pieterse went after her.

World road race champion Lotte Kopecky of Belgium could not follow and cracked in the final climb up Roche-aux-Faucons.

But Pieterse, Vollering and Le Court caught Kerbaol with a few kilometers remaining to make it a four-way sprint finish.

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Mauritius' Kim Le Court de Billot of the AG Insurance Soudal team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

First place, Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team, center, celebrates on the podium with second place, Italy's Giulio Ciccone of the Lidl Trek team, left, and third place Ireland's Ben Healy of the EF Education Easypost team during the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

First place, Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team, center, celebrates on the podium with second place, Italy's Giulio Ciccone of the Lidl Trek team, left, and third place Ireland's Ben Healy of the EF Education Easypost team during the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team greets the crowd as he prepares to cross the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Mauritius' Kim Le Court de Billot of the AG Insurance Soudal team, left, crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Mauritius' Kim Le Court de Billot of the AG Insurance Soudal team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Mauritius' Kim Le Court de Billot of the AG Insurance Soudal team, left, crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)