LA DOYENNE & THE TOURS

Tadej Pogačar didn’t quite break new ground in winning Liège and a grand tour, but he’s joined a fairly elite group in doing so. Thirteen Liège winners in cycling history have also won grand tours; Pogačar is one of seven who have won Liège and the Tour de France.

It’s no great surprise that three of the greatest Tour riders - Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault - were Liège champions, but most riders who doubled up with La Doyenne and a grand tour were classics specialists who managed to win a three-week stage race as well.

Of the monuments, Liège is one of the most suited to grand tour riders. It cannot match Il Lombardia, which is virtually mountainous and can boast 25 winners who were also grand tour champions. But the climbing that the peloton faces in Liège-Bastogne-Liège means that there is a certain degree of crossover. Paradoxically Julian Alaphilippe, who Pogačar beat in the sprint this year, should be far better suited to Liège but has still never won it.