Liège–Bastogne–Liège facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Liège–Bastogne–Liège

Liège–Bastogne–Liège logo.svg
Race details
Date	Late April
Region	Wallonia, Ardennes, Belgium
English name	Liège–Bastogne–Liège
Local name(s)	Liège–Bastogne–Liège
Nickname(s)	La Doyenne ("The Old Lady")
Discipline	Road
Competition	UCI World Tour
Type	One-day Classic
Organiser	Amaury Sport Organisation
Race director	Christian Prudhomme
History
First edition	1892 (1892)
Editions	110 (as of 2024)
First winner	Léon Houa (BEL)
Most wins	Eddy Merckx (BEL) (5 wins)
Most recent	Tadej Pogačar (SLO)

Liège–Bastogne–Liège [ljɛʒ.bas.tɔɲ.ljɛʒ] , also known as La Doyenne ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium. First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar; usually coming as the last of the spring classics. It is held annually in late April, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, from Liège to Bastogne and back.

It is considered one of the most arduous one-day cycling events in the world because of its length and demanding course. The most successful rider with five victories is Belgian rider Eddy Merckx, trailed by Italian Moreno Argentin in the 1980s and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde in the 2000s, who both won the race four times.

Liège–Bastogne–Liège is part of the UCI World Tour competition. It is the concluding race of the Ardennes Classics series, which includes the Amstel Gold Race (not technically in the Ardennes, but treated as part of the series) and La Flèche Wallonne ('The Walloon Arrow'). Both Liège and La Fleche are organised by French owner Amaury Sport Organisation, which also organises the Tour de France and Paris–Roubaix.

It generally marks the end of the entire spring classics season, as the one-day races give way to the stage races and grand tours; Liège is generally followed almost immediately by the week-long Giro d'Italia warm-up, the Tour de Romandie. The parcours, with its multiple short, hard climbs, is seen as friendlier terrain for general classification riders and climbers than the gravelled and cobbled classics of early spring.

In 2017, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes was inaugurated and added to the UCI Women's World Tour, becoming the second of the cycling monuments to introduce a women's edition after the Tour of Flanders in 2014. In 2020 a third women's 'monument', Paris-Roubaix Femmes was added, creating a triple crown of women's monuments.

History

Spa-Bastogne-Spa

Like many of cycling's classics, Liège–Bastogne–Liège was first organized by a French-Belgian newspaper (L'Express). The route has always stayed in the southern, French-speaking (and hillier), part of Belgium where Liège and Bastogne are located.

Léon Houa won the first three editions of Liège–Bastogne–Liège in the late 19th century.

The race had its first running for amateurs in 1892, from Spa to Bastogne and back, over a 250 km distance. As bicycles were expensive in the late 19th century, cycling was considered an exclusive sport for the wealthy, and the event was considered a "gentlemen's affair". 33 riders from the Liège cycling union and the Pesant Club Liégois, all Belgians and most of them from Liège, took the start. Only 17 finished. The course halfway turn point was the train station in Bastogne, chosen because of its convenience for race officials. Some tired riders abandoned the race in Bastogne and took the train back to Spa. Léon Houa, a Liège native, won the race after 10 hours and 48 minutes on the bike. The second-place finisher, Léon Lhoest, came in at 22 minutes, the third, Louis Rasquinet, at 44 minutes. Riders kept arriving for another five hours.

Houa won again the next year, over the same course, this time by a margin of a half hour. In 1894 the first race for professionals was held, and the average speed rose from 23.3 km/h (14.5 mph) to 25 km/h (16 mph). Houa concluded his third win, by seven minutes over Rasquinet. Frenchman Maurice Garin, who would later become the first winner of the Tour de France, finished fourth. After the inaugural three editions, the race was not organized for another 14 years, after which it was sometimes open only to amateurs and semi-professionals.

The race was resumed in 1908, with a start and finish in Liège for the first time. It was won by Frenchman André Trousselier. In 1909 the winner, Eugène Charlier, was disqualified because he had changed bikes. Victor Fastre was declared winner. The event was cancelled during World War I but resumed in 1919. The race was mainly won by Belgians, but started to attract more riders from Flanders, the bike-crazed northern part of Belgium, who began to dominate the event. Fleming Alfons Schepers gained three victories in the Interwar period.

Ardennes Classic

Liège–Bastogne–Liège had some interruptions during World War II, but was again a calendar-fixture as from 1945 and began to attract some of the stars of European cycling. In 1951 the race was added to the Challenge Desgrange-Colombo, the competition that combined cycling's greatest races at the time. Swiss Ferdinand Kübler won the race in 1951 and 1952. Belgian favourite Raymond Impanis became the race's eternal runner-up, with four second places but never a victory.

In the late 1950s Fred De Bruyne won the race three times in his first three participations, equalling the former record of Houa and Schepers. In 1957 two riders were declared winner. Germain Derijcke was first over the finish line, but he had crossed a closed level crossing. Derijcke had won by a three-minute lead and judges felt he had not gained that much time from illegally crossing the railway, thereby not disqualifying him. Officials compromised to promote second-place rider Frans Schoubben to first as well. In 1959 Liège–Bastogne–Liège became part of the Super Prestige, successor of the Desgrange-Colombo competition and early precursor of the UCI World Tour, making the Ardennes Classic one of the main cycling events of the year.

Record winner Eddy Merckx won Liège–Bastogne–Liège five times.

In 1969 began the era of cycling icon Eddy Merckx, who gained five victories, three of which consecutive, and a total of seven podium finishes. The 1971 race was run in appalling conditions, with snow and cold ravaging the peloton. Merckx gained one of his most memorable victories. The Belgian attacked in solo at 92 kilometers from the finish and soon had a five-minute advantage over his pursuiters. In a rare display, he suffered a sudden fatigue near the end and was joined by Georges Pintens. Pintens failed to distance a tired Merckx, and Merckx managed to outsprint his fellow Belgian to his second victory in the classic. In 1972 the finish moved to Verviers, 15 km from Liège, but because of fans' protest, this was a one-year occasion. The edition was again won by Merckx. In 1975 The Cannibal sealed his fifth and final victory, making him the sole record-holder of La Doyenne.

French cycling great, Bernard Hinault won the race twice, both times in harrowing weather conditions. In 1977 Hinault made a late escape from a six-strong group including a faltering Eddy Merckx; three years later he won the epic contest of 1980 in torrential snowfall and glacial temperatures (see below).

In the 1980s, Italian classics specialist Moreno Argentin won the race four times, narrowly missing Merckx' record. Argentin also gained three victories in the sister classic La Flèche Wallonne, earning him the title of King of the Ardennes in his day.

Finish in Ans

In 1990, the Pesant Club Liégeois partnered with the Société du Tour de France, the organizer of cycling's flagships the Tour de France and Paris–Roubaix. The partnership led to a more professional organization, resulting in a complete overhauling of the race course: the start and finish moved to different locations in Liège and five new climbs were included.

In the late 1990s, Italians Michele Bartoli and Paolo Bettini continued a tradition of Italian victories in La Doyenne, with two wins each. In 1997, Bartoli and Laurent Jalabert made a decisive breakaway on the climb of La Redoute, 40 km from the finish. Both riders worked together and Bartoli broke away from the Frenchman on the steep slopes in the final kilometer of the race. Jalabert, a specialist of the Ardennes races, finished second two years in a row but failed to win the Doyenne. In 1999, Bartoli sought a third consecutive win, but his effort was thwarted by young Belgian Frank Vandenbroucke who controlled the race and stunned followers with his victory.

Peloton in Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2007 near Tavigny.

In 2005, Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov and German Jens Voigt broke away from the peloton 80 km from the end. Although the escape seemed unlikely to stay away in modern cycling, the two riders made it to the finish ahead of the peloton, with Vinokourov beating Voigt in the sprint.

Other memorable editions were the races of 2009 and 2010. In 2009, young Luxembourger Andy Schleck produced a solo breakaway to beat a strong field and win the race. In 2010, Alexander Vinokourov concluded his second victory by outsprinting his breakaway companion Alexander Kolobnev. The victory was controversial, not only because Vinokourov had recently returned to cycling after a doping ban, but also because it was suggested he had 'bought' the victory. Swiss magazine L'Illustré published e-mail correspondence between the winner and runner-up that suggests Vinokourov paid Kolobnev €100,000 not to contest the final sprint. Both riders were later charged with bribery by Belgian authorities.

In recent years, Spanish allrounder Alejandro Valverde won four times, all sprint victories of a select group at the finish.

Route

Present course

Route map of the 2011 edition.

The route of Liège–Bastogne–Liège crosses the two eastern Walloon provinces, Liège and Luxembourg, from north to south and back. Its distance is more or less fixed at 250–260 km. The race starts in the center of Liège, after which the course follows a straightforward 95 km (59 mi) route southwards to Bastogne, and a winding 163 km (101 mi) route back to Liège.

The second half of the course contains numerous climbs, such as the Stockeu, Haute-Levée, La Redoute, and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, before finishing in Liège. In the final 15 km of the race, the course makes a remarkable transition from the meadowy and agrarian landscapes in the Ardennes to the post-industrial urban scenery of Liège.

Course changes

Until 1991, the race finished in Liège's city center. In 1992, the finish moved to the industrial suburb of Ans, on the northwestern side of the city. The steep Côte de Saint-Nicolas was included in the final kilometres, along with a final climb to the finish in Ans. The move implied profound changes to the character of the race, as climbers with a strong uphill-sprint in recent years often wait until the final stretches to launch their ultimate attack.

The route usually has some minor changes every year, with some climbs skipped and others added, but the traditional finale containing the Côte de La Redoute, Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons and Côte de Saint-Nicolas was a fixture for 27 years.

In 2019, the finish line moved back into the centre of Liège, with a flat run-in towards the finish. Both the Côte de Saint-Nicolas and the final climb to Ans were thereby removed from the route. The Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons is the final named climb, topping out at 13 km from the finish but the climbing continues after a short descent off of La Roche, with the final uphill topping out approximately 10.5 km from the finish line.

Race characteristics

Demands

Profile of the 2012 edition

Liège–Bastogne–Liège is considered one of the most arduous one-day races in the world because of its length and succession of steep climbs. Every edition, about a dozen climbs – ranging in length, gradient and difficulty – are addressed, offering opportunities to attack. The British magazine Cycling Weekly stated:

In purely physical terms, this is probably the toughest classic: the climbs are long, most of them are pretty steep as well, and they come up with depressing frequency in the final kilometres.

Four-times winner Moreno Argentin said:

Riders who win in Liège are what we call fondisti – men with a superior level of stamina. [The climb of] La Redoute is like the Mur de Huy in that it has to be tackled at pace, from the front of the peloton. The gradient is about 14 or 15 per cent, and it comes after 220 or 230 kilometers, so you don't have to be a genius to work out how tough it is. I remember that we used to go up with a maximum of 39 x 21 – it's not quite as steep as the Mur de Huy. A lot of riders mistakenly think you should attack on the hardest part, but in reality you hurt people on the slightly flatter section that comes after this.

Liège is a race of trial by elimination, where it's very unlikely that a breakaway can go clear and decide the race before the final 100 km [62 mi]. You need to be strong and at the same time clever and calculating — in this sense it's a complete test of a cyclist's ability.

Climbs

The foot of the Côte de La Redoute in Aywaille.

The climbs in the 2012 edition

The most iconic hill is the Côte de La Redoute, the 2.0 km climb in Aywaille at an average gradient of 8.9% with slopes of over 20%. For a long time in the 1980s and 1990s La Redoute, at ca. 40 km from the finish, was the breaking point of the race and often the place where decisive breakaways were launched. In recent years the climb seems to have lost that particular role, as many riders are able to keep up with the pace on the climb and race favourites often wait until the last stages of the race to make a break.

In modern cycling, as in many bike races, the decisive stretches have evolved towards the final climbs of the day. The Côte de Saint-Nicolas is the last categorized climb of the race, with the top at 6 km from the finish in Ans. It is a precipitous and atypical climb because it is not part of the forested hills in the Ardennes, but located in the middle of the industrial suburbs of Liège along the Meuse river. In 2016, the organisers inserted the 600 m cobbled Côte de la Rue Naniot following the Côte de Saint-Nicolas, but preceding the finish in Ans. This turned out to be a one-off, however, as the race has not used the climb since.

Since the finish returned to Liège in 2019, the Côte de Saint-Nicolas has been removed from the route, and the decisive climbs are once again the Côte de la Redoute, Côte des Forges and Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

Course changes are frequent from year to year. Climbs are sometimes cut or others included. These are the climbs in recent editions:

Weather

The weather in April is often unpredictable and the race has repeatedly been affected by harsh weather conditions. In 1919, 1957, 1980, and 2016 there was severe snowfall. The edition of 1980 was exceptionally hard: snow fell from the start and temperatures were near freezing point, leading commentators to call it 'Neige-Bastogne-Neige' (Snow-Bastogne-Snow). Bernard Hinault attacked with 80 km (50 mi) to go and finished nearly 10 minutes ahead.

A feature published by the British magazine, Procycling in 2000, described the infamous race:

A cold wind that blew across Belgium brought snow flakes and then a heavy fall within moments of the race starting. (...) Riders struggled on, with hands to faces to keep a view of the road. The race was an anonymous mass of plastic jackets and windcheaters. Spectators stood in goggles like upmarket snowmen, red-faced in the bitterness. Within the hour some teams had barely a man left on the road. They pulled out two dozen at a time, men like Gibi Baronchelli and Giuseppe Saronni, Lucien Van Impe and Jean-René Bernaudeau.

Bernard Hinault, the winner, was one of just 21 riders to finish the race of 174 starters. It took three weeks for proper movement to return to two fingers of his right hand.

Ardennes Classics

Liège–Bastogne–Liège is the concluding race of the Ardennes Classics series, which includes La Flèche Wallonne. Both are organised by ASO.

The Flèche Wallonne ("Walloon Arrow"), although younger than Liège–Bastogne–Liège, was longtime considered the more prestigious event of the two Ardennes Classics, showing how prestige and importance of a race can sometimes change over time. At one time, Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège were run on successive days known as Le Weekend Ardennais, with Liège–Bastogne–Liège organized on Saturday and the Flèche Wallonne on Sunday.

Only seven riders have won both races in the same year: Spaniard Alejandro Valverde three times (2006, 2015 and 2017), Swiss Ferdinand Kübler twice (in 1951 and 1952), Belgians Stan Ockers (1955), Eddy Merckx (1972), and Philippe Gilbert (2011) and Italians Moreno Argentin (1991) and Davide Rebellin (2004).

In 2011 Belgian Philippe Gilbert won Liège–Bastogne–Liège, completing a unique streak of classics victories in a span of ten days. Gilbert had previously won the Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne, thus achieving a historic quadruple of victories in the hilly classics of April. Gilbert beat Luxembourg brothers Fränck and Andy Schleck in a sprint of three.

Winners

		Rider	Team
1892		Houa, LeonLéon Houa		–
1893		Houa, LeonLéon Houa		–
1894		Houa, LeonLéon Houa		–
1895–1907	No race
1908		Trousselier, AndreAndré Trousselier		–
1909		Fastre, VictorVictor Fastre		–
1910	No race
1911		Daele, Joseph VanJoseph Van Daele		–
1912		Verschoore, OmerOmer Verschoore		–
1913		Moritz, MauritsMaurits Moritz		–
1914–1918	No race
1919		Devos, LéonLéon Devos		–
1920		Scieur, LeonLéon Scieur		La Sportive
1921		Mottiat, LouisLouis Mottiat		La Sportive
1922		Mottiat, LouisLouis Mottiat		Alcyon–Dunlop
1923		Vermandel, ReneRené Vermandel		Alcyon–Dunlop
1924		Vermandel, ReneRené Vermandel		Alcyon–Dunlop
1925		Ronsse, GeorgesGeorges Ronsse		–
1926		Smets, DieudonneDieudonné Smets		–
1927		Raes, MauriceMaurice Raes		–
1928		Mottard, ErnestErnest Mottard		–
1929		Schepers, AlfonsAlfons Schepers		–
1930		Buse, HermannHermann Buse		Duerkopp
1931		Schepers, AlfonsAlfons Schepers		La Française
1932		Houyoux, MarcelMarcel Houyoux		–
1933		Gardier, FrançoisFrançois Gardier		Cycles De Pas
1934		Herckenrath, TheoTheo Herckenrath		La Française
1935		Schepers, AlfonsAlfons Schepers		Dilecta
1936		Beckaert, AlbertAlbert Beckaert		Alcyon–Dunlop
1937		Meulenberg, ÉloiÉloi Meulenberg		Alcyon–Dunlop
1938		Deloor, AlfonsAlfons Deloor		Helyett–Hutchinson
1939		Ritserveldt, AlbertAlbert Ritserveldt		Dilecta–De Dion
1940–1942	No race
1943		Depoorter, RichardRichard Depoorter		Helyett–Hutchinson
1944	No race
1945		Engels, JeanJean Engels		Alcyon–Dunlop
1946		Depredomme, ProsperProsper Depredomme		Dilecta–Wolber–Garin
1947		Depoorter, RichardRichard Depoorter		Garin–Wolber
1948		Mollin, MauriceMaurice Mollin		Mercier–Hutchinson
1949		Danguillaume, CamilleCamille Danguillaume		Peugeot–Dunlop
1950		Depredomme, ProsperProsper Depredomme		Girardengo
1951		Kübler, FerdinandFerdinand Kübler		Fréjus–Ursus
1952		Kübler, FerdinandFerdinand Kübler		Fréjus
1953		Hertog, Alois DeAlois De Hertog		Alcyon–Dunlop
1954		Ernzer, MarcelMarcel Ernzer		Terrot–Hutchinson
1955		Ockers, StanStan Ockers		Elvé–Peugeot
1956		Bruyne, Fred DeFred De Bruyne		Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
1957	BEL	Schoubben, FransFrans Schoubben (BEL) (victory shared with Derycke, GermainGermain Derycke)	Elvé–Peugeot
1957	BEL	Derycke, GermainGermain Derycke (BEL) (victory shared with Schoubben, FransFrans Schoubben)	Faema–Guerra
1958		Bruyne, Fred DeFred De Bruyne		Carpano
1959		Bruyne, Fred DeFred De Bruyne		Carpano
1960		Geldermans, AlbertusAlbertus Geldermans		Saint-Raphaël–R. Geminiani–Dunlop
1961		Looy, Rik VanRik Van Looy		Faema
1962		Planckaert, JefJef Planckaert		Flandria–Faema–Clément
1963		Melckenbeeck, FransFrans Melckenbeeck		Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
1964		Blocklandt, WillyWilly Blocklandt		Flandria–Romeo
1965		Preziosi, CarmineCarmine Preziosi		Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune
1966		Anquetil, JacquesJacques Anquetil		Ford France–Hutchinson
1967		Godefroot, WalterWalter Godefroot		Flandria–De Clerck
1968		Sweevelt, Valere VanValere Van Sweevelt		Smith's
1969		Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx		Faema
1970		De Vlaeminck, RogerRoger De Vlaeminck		Flandria–Mars
1971		Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx		Molteni
1972		Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx		Molteni
1973		Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx		Molteni
1974		Pintens, GeorgesGeorges Pintens		MIC–Ludo–de Gribaldy
1975		Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx		Molteni–RYC
1976		Bruyere, JosephJoseph Bruyère		Molteni–Campagnolo
1977		Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault		Gitane–Campagnolo
1978		Bruyere, JosephJoseph Bruyère		C&A
1979		Thurau, DietrichDietrich Thurau		IJsboerke–Warncke Eis
1980		Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault		Renault–Gitane
1981		Fuchs, JosefJosef Fuchs		Cilo–Aufina
1982		Contini, SilvanoSilvano Contini		Bianchi–Piaggio
1983		Rooks, StevenSteven Rooks		Sem–France Loire–Reydel–Mavic
1984		Kelly, SeanSean Kelly		Skil–Reydel–Sem–Mavic
1985		Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin		Sammontana–Bianchi
1986		Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin		Sammontana–Bianchi
1987		Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin		Gewiss–Bianchi
1988		Poel, Adri van derAdri van der Poel		PDM–Ultima–Concorde
1989		Kelly, SeanSean Kelly		PDM–Ultima–Concorde
1990		Lancker, Eric VanEric Van Lancker		Panasonic–Sportlife
1991		Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin		Ariostea
1992		Wolf, Dirk DeDirk De Wolf		Gatorade–Chateau d'Ax
1993		Sorensen, RolfRolf Sørensen		Carrera Jeans–Tassoni
1994		Berzin, EugeniEugeni Berzin		Gewiss–Ballan
1995		Gianetti, MauroMauro Gianetti		Polti–Granarolo–Santini
1996		Richard, PascalPascal Richard		MG Maglificio–Technogym
1997		Bartoli, MicheleMichele Bartoli		MG Maglificio–Technogym
1998		Bartoli, MicheleMichele Bartoli		Asics–CGA
1999		Vandenbroucke, FrankFrank Vandenbroucke		Cofidis
2000		Bettini, PaoloPaolo Bettini		Mapei–Quick-Step
2001		Camenzind, OscarOscar Camenzind		Lampre–Daikin
2002		Bettini, PaoloPaolo Bettini		Mapei–Quick-Step
2003		Hamilton, TylerTyler Hamilton		Team CSC
2004		Rebellin, DavideDavide Rebellin		Gerolsteiner
2005		Vinokourov, AlexandreAlexandre Vinokourov		T-Mobile Team
2006		Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde		Caisse d'Epargne–Illes Balears
2007		Di Luca, DaniloDanilo Di Luca		Liquigas
2008		Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde		Caisse d'Epargne
2009		Schleck, AndyAndy Schleck		Team Saxo Bank
2010		Vinokourov, AlexandreAlexandre Vinokourov		Astana
2011		Gilbert, PhilippePhilippe Gilbert		Omega Pharma–Lotto
2012		Iglinsky, MaximMaxim Iglinsky		Astana
2013		Martin, DanDan Martin		Garmin–Sharp
2014		Gerrans, SimonSimon Gerrans		Orica–GreenEDGE
2015		Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde		Movistar Team
2016		Poels, WoutWout Poels		Team Sky
2017		Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde		Movistar Team
2018		Jungels, BobBob Jungels		Quick-Step Floors
2019		Fuglsang, JakobJakob Fuglsang		Astana
2020		Roglič, PrimožPrimož Roglič		Team Jumbo–Visma
2021		Pogačar, TadejTadej Pogačar		UAE Team Emirates
2022		Evenepoel, RemcoRemco Evenepoel		Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
2023		Evenepoel, RemcoRemco Evenepoel		Soudal–Quick-Step
2024		Pogačar, TadejTadej Pogačar		UAE Team Emirates

Multiple winners

Active riders are in italic.

Wins	Rider	Years
5	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975
4	Moreno Argentin (ITA)	1985, 1986, 1987, 1991
	Alejandro Valverde (ESP)	2006, 2008, 2015, 2017
3	Léon Houa (BEL)	1892, 1893, 1894
	Alphonse Schepers (BEL)	1929, 1931, 1935
	Fred De Bruyne (BEL)	1956, 1958, 1959
2	Louis Mottiat (BEL)	1921, 1922
	René Vermandel (BEL)	1923, 1924
	Richard Depoorter (BEL)	1943, 1947
	Prosper Depredomme (BEL)	1946, 1950
	Ferdinand Kübler (SUI)	1951, 1952
	Joseph Bruyère (BEL)	1976, 1978
	Bernard Hinault (FRA)	1977, 1980
	Seán Kelly (IRL)	1984, 1989
	Michele Bartoli (ITA)	1997, 1998
	Paolo Bettini (ITA)	2000, 2002
	Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ)	2005, 2010
	Remco Evenepoel (BEL)	2022, 2023
	Tadej Pogačar (SLO)	2021, 2024

Wins per country

Wins	Country
61	Belgium
12	Italy
6	Switzerland
5	France
4	Netherlands  Spain
3	Ireland  Kazakhstan  Luxembourg  Slovenia
2	Denmark  Germany
1	Australia  Russia  United States

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes

In 2017, Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes in the UCI Women's World Tour was inaugurated, following the example of La Flèche Wallonne Féminine and Women's Amstel Gold Race. The first Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes, run on 23 April 2017, was won by Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen of the Netherlands.

At 135.5 km, the race is approximately half the distance of the men's event. Hence, it does not start in Liège but in Bastogne, from where it heads north past Liège to finish in Ans on the same location as the men's race. The route features four categorized climbs: the Côte de la Vecquée, Côte de La Redoute, Côte de la Roche aux faucons and Côte de Saint-Nicolas. The top of the last climb of Saint-Nicolas comes at 5.5 km from the finish.

See also

In Spanish: Lieja-Bastoña-Lieja para niños