The finale of Liège–Bastogne–Liège was revamped in 2019, bringing the finish back to Liège (before that, it was in Ans). In the first years after the change, the race was always decided on the final climb, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, 13.3 kilometres from the line. In 2019, Fuglsang soloed to victory from the false flat at the top, while the next two editions ended in sprints from an elite group that had formed on the Roche-aux-Faucons. In 2020, Roglic edged out Alaphilippe, Hirschi, Pogacar and Mohoric; in 2021, Pogacar outsprinted Alaphilippe, Gaudu, Valverde and Woods in Liège.
As mentioned, the last three editions have all been decided on La Redoute. So, what can we expect this year?
It seems unlikely that the decisive moves will come any earlier than that. From the foot of the iconic climb, it’s still 34 kilometres to the finish in Liège, and after his (perhaps overly) ambitious solo in the Amstel Gold Race, Pogacar probably won’t want to overdo it again. So yes, there’s every chance Evenepoel and the World Champion will go head-to-head on La Redoute. And if they do, don’t be surprised if they ride away together.
A face-off between those two would be a dream scenario for most cycling fans — not just one of the most eagerly awaited duels of the season, but also a clash between the last two winners of Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
This will be the first time Evenepoel and Pogacar tackle La Redoute side by side. When the Belgian won for the first time, the reigning World Champion was on the start list too — but after an earlier crash, he never made it that far.
Just this Wednesday, Pogacar looked absolutely imperious at La Flèche Wallonne. He dropped the field with a vicious attack on the Mur de Huy. That climb is quite similar to the Roche-aux-Faucons, so the Slovenian surely wouldn’t mind if it came down to that 1.4-kilometre ramp at 11.4%. But there’s one big difference: the finish line doesn’t sit right at the top – in fact, any rider who gets dropped still has 13.3 kilometres left to try and claw their way back.
Alongside Pogacar and Evenepoel, just one other former winner will be on the start line this year — Bob Jungels, who took the win back in 2018, the last time La Doyenne finished in Ans.
Favourites 2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
***** Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel
**** Mattias Skjelmose, Tom Pidcock
*** Lennert Van Eetvelt, Ben Healy
** Romain Bardet, Santiago Buitrago, Giulio Ciccone
* Enric Mas, Pello Bilbao, Michael Matthews, Romain Grégoire