LIÈGE- BASTOGNE- LIÈGE
In 2019, Liège-BastogneLiège broke with its established finish on the climb to Ans and moved the climax back to the centre of the city. That decision single-handedly revitalised the race. The previous decade and more had largely seen defensive tactics win out - a series of uphill sprints ensured several wins for Alejandro Valverde, who was matchless in that context. But this time around, the climbers could not just wait for the final ascent; at the same time they still had plenty of territory further out on which to make their move, and it resulted in a more aggressive race and a solo win for Jakob Fuglsang. The Dane had come close several times already - second in Strade Bianche and Flèche, third in Amstel - so there was no argument about him being the deserved winner. Admittedly, the sample size of races on the new course is one, and ironically the last race to finish in Ans, in 2018, saw an equally deserved solo winner from a longer-range attack in Bob Jungels.
But the most important thing, whether it’s the route or some other factor, like smaller teams, is that the oldest race in the WorldTour, which dates back to 1892, has rediscovered its mojo.
The USP of Liège is its hills - the atmospheric forested climbs of the Ardennes. They’re a little too long for puncheurs to be really comfortable, but not quite long enough for pure climbers to be confident on. And the repetition of effort makes for one of the most gruelling days of the entire calendar, watt for watt. It used to tilt towards the puncheurs, with that Ans finish, though Valverde, along with other recent winners like Dan Martin and Wout Poels, is capable of climbing with the best in the mountains of the grand tours. Fuglsang was in a slightly different mould - an established grand tour climber with a relatively underwhelming record in oneday races until 2019. But he’s no puncheur or sprinter, so he had to attack to win. In 2020 the organisers will be hoping for more of the same.