World Champion Tadej Pogacar soloed to a decisive victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday, continuing a season in which the 26-year-old Slovenian has dominated the sport.
Italian rider Giulio Ciccone outsprinted Irishman Ben Healy to finish second, while home favourite and two-time winner Remco Evenepoel failed to compete with Pogacar in front of the Belgian crowds.
In the women’s race, Kim Le Court became the first ever Mauritian to win a Monument, timing her sprint perfectly to overcome a high-class lead group that included Dutch pair Demi Vollering and Puck Pieterse.
Jacob Whitehead dissects the key moments of the day.
Introducing La Doyenne
First run in 1892, Liege-Bastogne-Liege is the most venerable of cycling’s five Monuments, its history betrothing it with the moniker of La Doyenne — roughly translated as the Old Lady. Closely following the Amstel Gold race and Fleche Wallonne, the trio are collectively known as the Ardennes Classics, with Liege-Bastogne-Liege its jewel.
The 260km route passes through the short, sharp hills of southern Belgium (French-speaking Wallonia) towards Bastogne on the Luxembourg border — a location initially chosen so 19th-century race organisers could hop on a train to staff a midway checkpoint.
A succession of climbs intensifies in…
