Preview Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2025 | Pogacar and Evenepoel as top favorites in last spring classic

Liège-Bastogne-Liège has been back in Liège for a few years now after Ans was previously at the finish line for the fourth Monument of the cycling year. This is also reflected in the list of winners, where only the strongest have won in recent years. Not that this wasn't the case before, but in the editions won by Alejandro Valverde and Simon Gerrans, for example, it often came down to a sprint.

The last four seasons have been Pogacar, Evenepoel, Evenepoel, and Pogacar again, but not once did it come down to a duel due to circumstances. Will that be the case in 2025?

2024 Tadej Pogacar
2023 Remco Evenepoel
2022 Remco Evenepoel
2021 Tadej Pogacar
20 Primoz Roglic
2019 Jakob Fuglsang
2018 Bob Jungels
2017 Alejandro Valverde
2016 Wout Poels
2015 Alejandro Valverde
2014 Simon Gerrans

The route of La Doyenne has hardly changed. From Place Saint Lambert, where the team presentation will also be held on Saturday, the riders head towards the province of Luxembourg. After that, we quickly return to the route we know from previous editions, with the steep Côte de Saint-Roch (1.0 km at 11.2%) as a hill in a kind of no man's land. The biggest change in the first half is the addition of the Col de Haussire after 119 kilometers, which is already a tough climb at 3.9 km at 7.2%.

From around 95 kilometers from the finish, the race heats up, with nine steep climbs in quick succession, setting the stage for the final stretch of this Liège-Bastogne-Liège. After crossing Vielsalm, the Côte de Mont-le-Soie (1.7 km at 7.9%) leads into a section with the Côte de Wanne (3.6 km at 5.1%), Col de Stockeu (1.0 km at 12.5%) and Côte de la Haute-Levée (2.2 km at 7.5%) coming one after the other, where the Stockeu in particular, with its steep gradients, could cause some damage.

Via the longest climbing section of all, the Col du Rosier (4.4 km at 5.9%), we pass through Spa and head for the Côte de Desnié (1.6 km at 8.1%). This is also an important climb followed by a dangerous descent to the well-known Côte de la Redoute (1.6 km at 9.4%). If the battle for victory has not started yet, you can count on it happening now.

What's left? First of all, the Col des Forges (1.3 km at 7.8%), but more importantly, the Côte de la Roche-aux Faucons (1.3 km at 11.0%), about thirteen kilometers from the finish. There are also some climbs to overcome on the way to Liège, but the last eight kilometers are mostly downhill.

Climbs
70.7 km: Côte de Saint-Roch (1.0 km at 11.2%)
119.4 km: Col de Haussire (3.9 km at 7.2%)
158.7 km: Côte de Mont-le-Soie (1.7 km at 7.9%)
167.0 km: Côte de Wanne (3.6 km at 5.1%)
174.5 km: Col de Stockeu (1.0 km at 12.5%)
177.7 km: Côte de la Haute-Levée (2.2 km at 7.5%)
192.0 km: Col du Rosier (4.4 km at 5.9%)
205.3 km: Côte de Desnié (1.6 km at 8.1%)
218.0 km: Côte de la Redoute (1.6 km at 9.4%)
228.7 km: Col des Forges (1.3 km at 7.8%)
238.7 km: Côte de la Roche-aux Faucons (1.3 km at 11.0%)  

Weather
On Wednesday, the weather was still miserable during the Flèche Wallonne, but on Sunday, the sun was shining again in the Ardennes. 18 degrees Celsius, no rain, and hardly any wind—that sounds like music to our ears.

Times.

We cannot ignore the two top favorites based on the last four editions. One goes by Tadej Pogacar and rides for UAE Emirates-XRG; the other is Remco Evenepoel and wears the Soudal Quick-Step jersey. The previous four editions were evenly divided between the two top riders, but in 2025, one of them could retake the lead.

So, how are the odds stacked for this edition? After the Amstel Gold Race, Evenepoel said out loud that he felt he was the better rider, but in the Flèche Wallonne, Pogacar responded with his pedals. Based on this spring, we have to give the Slovenian rider a slight advantage, but you can bet that the Belgian will also aim for victory on Sunday.

In the Amstel Gold Race, the outsider—Mattias Skjelmose—took the victory, but the Dane from Lidl-Trek crashed badly in the Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday. Skjelmose complained of elbow pain after the race, so it remains to be seen how fit he will be on Sunday. Lidl-Trek still has options available with Giulio Ciccone and certainly Thibau Nys.

Based on Valkenburg and Huy, we already know who is on form and who is not. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Tiesj Benoot (Visma | Lease a Bike), Joe Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech), and Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) were successful in both races, so we can expect them to be in contention.

Recently, Liège has increasingly become a climbers' race, so we can include the slim riders for Sunday. Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL) finished on the podium last year, as did riders such as Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ), Lenny Martinez, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Enric Mas (Movistar), and Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla).

In terms of punchy riders, we have already seen some great things from Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto), Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty), Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost). At the same time, even Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) has managed to get far in the past.

Top favorites: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)

The broadcast will start at 12:30 PM local time (06:30 AM EDT) on Eurosport's main channel and online platforms. Sporza will start an hour later at 1:30 PM local time (07:30 AM EDT) and continue broadcasting until after the finish of the women's race at around 7:00 PM local time (noon EDT), while NOS will also include enough time for the race in the afternoon.