Liège-bastogne-liège

Sunday 21 April Belgium

The oldest Monument returns to herald an end to the Spring Classics, with the men’s and women’s races finely poised. The finale to the Ardennes race is traditionally one for the climbers, with 11 categorised climbs for the men, and 10 for the women.

Injury has robbed Liège of a potential hat-trick of victories for Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-quick Step), the rider who has won the men’s race for the last two seasons, but a fascinating match-up between Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecindeceuninck) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is to be expected.

In the women’s race, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-protime) will look to defend her crown, after she won all three hilly Classics – Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne and Liège – last season. However, she will be met with fierce opposition, including from Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-trek), the Tour of Flanders champion, who won Brabantse Pijl last week.

Van der Poel comes into La Doyenne off the back of historic exploits at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-roubaix, where he became the first man in rainbow bands to win both in the same season. His tilt at Liège will be just his second attempt at the race, and although he finished sixth in 2020, it will be a test of his climbing ability, and at the very edge of races he could win. Were he to triumph, though, he would become the first man to win four out of the five Monuments since Philippe Gilbert.

The women’s race looks set to be a clash between SD Worx-protime and Lidl-trek, who have traded blows at the biggest races this season. It has only ever been won by Dutchwomen, aside from Lizzie Deignan in 2020, since its inception.

Both races now finish in the centre of Liège, rather than at the top of the final climb in Ans, which lends itself to a solo rider. The women’s race begins in Bastogne, but is about 10km longer this year, and with more climbing added, it is tougher than ever. It also takes place after the men’s event for the first time.