Overview
Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest Monument, first run in 1892, and the final race of the Ardennes classics each April. The route covers roughly 250 kilometers through the rolling hills of eastern Belgium, accumulating fatigue through short, steep climbs rather than one defining ascent.
Also known as: La Doyenne The Old Lady LBL
Known as La Doyenne, the oldest of the five Monuments, first contested in 1892 and defined by repeat winners who mastered its rhythm.
Race Notes
UpdatedMarch 5, 2026
MarketUnited States
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Why this race matters
This is the race that settles the spring classics season and reveals who has the deepest reserves. It does not reward a single explosive moment but rather the ability to respond again and again as the climbs stack up. The route wears riders down through repetition, and the finale often comes down to positioning, patience, and who can still produce power after hours of attrition. Eddy Merckx won five times, Alejandro Valverde four. The roll call reflects endurance and tactical intelligence more than any other Monument.
Route DNA
The race is shaped by climbs that repeat and accumulate rather than a single mountain pass. The Côte de la Redoute and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons anchor the finale, but the exact sequence varies by edition. What remains constant is the tactical rhythm: controlled tempo through the middle kilometers, attacks beginning on or after the Redoute, and a finale that rewards riders who position well into each climb and can still respond when the road tilts up for the tenth or eleventh time. Breakaways rarely survive. The winner usually emerges from a late selection or a small group that forms in the final 20 kilometers, and crashes or hesitation can end a contender's race in seconds. The race has to be shaped before the final acceleration, not simply left to the last decisive section on its own.
Ardennes Climbs
Over 10 categorized climbs through the wooded Ardennes hills. None is long, but they are steep, frequent, and relentless.
Attrition Over Distance
At around 260km, this is one of the longest one-day races. The distance compounds the effect of every climb and wears down all but the strongest.
La Redoute and Beyond
The classic selection point is the Cote de la Redoute with 35km to go. Survivors face the Roche-aux-Faucons before the finish.
Finishing Kick
The race finishes in Liege after a long descent. Recent editions have been decided by solo attacks on the final climbs or by small group sprints.
Iconic Moments
Most recent winner: Tadej Pogacar (2025)
Memorable Editions
2025
Pogacar solos to a third win
Tadej Pogacar attacked solo and won by over a minute, adding to his 2021 and 2024 victories and joining the race's all-time greats.
2022
Evenepoel announces Monument credentials
Remco Evenepoel won his first Monument at just 22, attacking on the Roche-aux-Faucons and holding off the field to start a run of two consecutive Liege victories.
1980
Hinault rides through the snow
Bernard Hinault won in a blizzard, arriving alone at the finish in freezing conditions that caused mass abandonments. One of the most legendary days in cycling history.
1971
Merckx adds to his legend
Eddy Merckx won his fifth Liege-Bastogne-Liege, a record that stood for decades. The Cannibal dominated the race like no one before or since.
Iconic Victories
Eddy Merckx
Five wins (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975) established the record. Merckx treated La Doyenne as his personal showcase.
Tadej Pogacar
Three wins (2021, 2024, 2025) confirm Pogacar as the heir to Merckx in Ardennes dominance, each victory more commanding than the last.
Remco Evenepoel
Back-to-back wins (2022, 2023) showed the Belgian can match Pogacar on hilly terrain and gave Belgium a new Monument hero.
Bernard Hinault
His 1980 snow victory remains the most legendary single edition of any Monument. Hinault won twice and forever marked the race.
Moreno Argentin
Four wins (1985, 1986, 1987, 1991) made the Italian the Liege specialist of the 1980s.
Signature Landmarks
The oldest Monument's route through the Ardennes is a war of attrition: 260km, 10+ climbs, and no hiding place.
Climb Cote de la Redoute
The classic race-breaker. A 2km climb at 8.9% average where the serious attacks begin with 35km remaining.
Climb Roche-aux-Faucons
The final decisive climb before the descent to Liege. Its position with 15km to go makes it the last chance for a winning move.
Climb Cote de la Vecquee
An early Ardennes climb that begins the selection process through the wooded hills south of Liege.
Climb Cote de Saint-Nicolas
A late urban climb in the suburbs of Liege that can catch riders off guard in the final kilometers.
Turnaround Bastogne
The southern turnaround point in the Ardennes, marking the halfway point before the race heads north back to Liege.
Start and Finish Liege
The Walloon city that gives the race its name. The finish has moved several times but the city's connection to the race spans over a century.
