Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026 preview - A blockbuster Monument with Pogacar, Evenepoel and Seixas

Liège-Bastogne-Liège, also known fondly as La Doyenne (The Old Lady) is the oldest of cycling's five Monuments, first held in 1892.

Across 111 previous editions, there have been 82 different winners, with Eddy Merckx standing head and shoulders above the rest with five victories. 

Both Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel have dominated Liège in recent seasons, with the duo winning the previous five editions between them, Pogačar taking three and Evenepoel two.

Last year, Pogačar successfully defended his title, powering clear on the Côte de la Redoute and soloing the final 3km to the finish. Giulio Ciccone outsprinted Ben Healy to take 2nd place, over a minute behind Pogačar, and just seven seconds ahead of a larger chasing pack.

Pogačar returns once more to defend his title and will be aiming to win Liège for the fourth time in his career, where he could join Alejandro Valverde and Moreno Argentin. 

Additionally, Pogačar could become the first rider to win three consecutive editions since Argentin in 1987.

Key information: 

• Date -  Sunday, April 26
• Distance - 259.5km
• Start Location - Liège
• Finish Location - Liège
• Start time (CET) - 10:00
• Fastest expected finish (CET) - 16:02

Follow all the action live at Domestique with our live report!

The 2026 route is largely similar to the 2025 edition, though the race organisers have made some tweaks. The first of which is that the overall distance is marginally longer this year, with 259.5km 

Beginning in Liège, the route heads south towards Bastogne, before returning north towards the town where the race begins.

In total, there are 11 categorised climbs that shape the route, with the Côte de Saint-Roch being the first, with 175.8km remaining. 

A long stretch of nearly 50km follows before the next climb, the Col de Haussire (Stèle Claudy Criquielion), before another prolonged period of 40km, before the next climb, and where the action starts to come thick and fast. 

The Côte de Wanne, with 88km remaining, marks the moment where the climbing intensity increases tenfold, with each passing ascent becoming more significant. It’s one of the more shallow climbs on the menu in terms of gradient, but it’s shortly followed inside the next 10km by the Côte de Stockeu, which is one of the steepest climbs, averaging 12.5% over 1.1km.

The Côte de la Haute-Levee, Col du Rosier, Col du Maquisard and Côte de Desnié that follow will accumulate fatigue as the race builds towards one of its most recognised climbs. When the riders crest the Côte de Desnié attention will quickly turn to the frantic battle for position on the run-in to the all-important Côte de la Redoute.

In recent editions, the climb has established itself as the key point in the race. The race winning moves since 2022 have been established on the 1.6km climb which averages 9.4%, or over the top of the climb.

Last year, Pogačar rocketed up the climb accelerating from the bottom, immediately opening a gap over his competitors. Everyone will be bracing themselves for the race to kick off on this climb if it hasn’t already, and the question will be if anybody can match the World Champion, something which hasn’t been the case in the previous two editions.

The route doesn’t ease over the top of the climb as the road continues to drag, and as Evenepoel proved by dropping Tom Pidcock in 2023, race-winning differences can be made in the kilometres that follow. 

With 23.3km remaining, the riders will tackle the Côte des Forges, which is 1.3km at 7.8%. This is the penultimate climb of the race, and while it hasn’t seen race-defining attacks in recent years, it has served as an opportunity for the solo leader, whether that be Pogačar or Evenepoel, to maintain and even extend their advantage

A brief plateau and a fast descent follow to the foot of the final categorised climb of the race, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. 

The 1.3km climb that averages 11% is an opportunity for those who have the most strength remaining to launch an attack. Significantly, following the initial steep ramp, the road continues to rise with a false flat ascent, where gaps can open up as the legs falter, meaning that the riders have to keep something in reserve to avoid blowing up.

Those who have managed their efforts well will begin to descend their way towards Liège. The first kilometres of downhill are relatively shallow, before the gradient steepens and the descent becomes technical. As Jakob Fuglsang nearly found out in 2020, the race can be won or lost on the technical section.

When the road flattens, the riders will be heading back towards Liège through the city, where wide open roads provide the opportunity for the race to become tactical if there is a group together. 

From here, the riders will head under the flamme rouge and along the long, wide straightway on the Quai des Ardennes, where the winner of La Doyenne will be decided.

Riders at Liège-Bastogne-Liège can expect near ideal conditions on Sunday, with plenty of sunshine, light winds and temperatures rising from around 6°C in the morning to 15°C in the afternoon.

The minimal wind, at roughly 6 km/h, is unlikely to play any significant role in the race.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG arrive in Liège with a clear plan and a single leader: Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian has already claimed victory in 2021, 2024, and 2025. He missed the 2022 edition following a personal tragedy, while a crash forced him out in 2023, the years Remco Evenepoel took his two wins.

Skipping both the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne should benefit Pogačar this time around. Last season, he tackled both races after Paris-Roubaix, which appeared to impact his recovery. This year, he lines up fresher and backed by a team fully committed to his ambitions.

His most obvious rival remains Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). The Belgian has yet to defeat Pogačar head-to-head in this race, but capitalised on the two occasions when the Slovenian was absent. This edition, however, presents a different dynamic.

Evenepoel arrives with a point to prove. For the first time in a while, his preparation has been largely uninterrupted, and with a strong team around him, he has the platform to challenge directly.

Decathlon CMA CGM Team also bring serious ambition through Paul Seixas. The French prodigy has adapted seamlessly to the professional ranks and has been remarkably consistent this season, with his victory at Flèche Wallonne serving as a clear statement.

Still, caution remains. Pogačar and Evenepoel operate on a different level, and matching them will be no simple task. Even so, Seixas stands out as a leading contender for a place on the podium.

Lidl-Trek line up with a compelling duo in Giulio Ciccone and Mattias Skjelmose. Ciccone finished second here last year and returns to one of his favourite races looking to go one better. His season started slowly due to illness, which forced him to miss the UAE Tour, but his form has been steadily building.

He showed encouraging signs with a sixth place overall at Tirreno-Adriatico and played a key supporting role for Mads Pedersen at Milan-Sanremo. His ride in Catalunya suggested a measured build up towards the Ardennes, followed by an altitude camp to fine tune his condition. Like Pogačar, he skipped both Amstel and Flèche Wallonne to focus fully on Liège.

Alongside him, Skjelmose offers another serious option. His season has been disrupted by injury and illness, but he turned things around at the Amstel Gold Race, where he was the only rider able to follow Evenepoel. Although he lost the sprint, it marked a significant step forward.

Together, they form a dangerous pairing. Victory may be a stretch, but a podium finish is certainly within reach.

Bahrain Victorious also bring depth, with Lenny Martinez enjoying the strongest season of his career so far. Santiago Buitrago, third in this race in 2023, returns after a solid block of altitude training in Colombia following the Volta a Catalunya. That preparation should see him line up in peak condition.

Pello Bilbao remains another key figure. He showed strong form at Itzulia before misfortune struck at the Amstel Gold Race with a puncture, costing him a potential result. That setback is likely to fuel his motivation here.

Afonso Eulálio also offers them a very interesting option. The young Portugese finished in the top ten in the World championships road race in his first ever pro season last year. That's a very unique performance, as you need a super big engine for that, which normally only comes after a few pro seasons. He's definitely a rider to keep an eye on.

The Ineos Grenadiers will also be looking for a nice result here, mainly with Kévin Vauquelin. The Frenchman never had what was needed to perform here. However, he is evolving very strongly as a rider, so he could make the next step here.

With Axel Laurance, who finished 8th here last year, they will be looking for a similar result again, out of the group sprinting for the places of honour.

Groupama-FDJ United will centre their ambitions on Romain Grégoire, who has been one of the most active riders of the spring. Despite a heavy racing schedule, he appears to be maintaining his form well.

Support comes from Ewen Costiou, who recently finished in the top ten at the Amstel Gold Race, and Guillaume Martin, who has a solid history in this race, including a sixth place in 2023.

Team Jayco AlUla also fields a well-balanced squad. Mauro Schmid is enjoying perhaps the best form of his career, already surpassing his previous UCI points tally for a full season and finishing sixth at the Amstel Gold Race and second in the Flèche Wallonne.

Andrea Vendrame and Alan Hatherly provide additional options. Neither has a standout record in this Monument, but both arrive in strong condition and could challenge for a place of honour.

Uno-X Mobility rely on Tobias Halland Johannessen and Andreas Kron. Johannessen has often been hampered by injuries in the spring, but this season he arrives without setbacks. Kron, who has also endured his share of bad luck, will be eager to rediscover his best level.

EF Education-EasyPost turn to Alex Baudin, with Ben Healy sidelined through injury. The Frenchman is enjoying a strong campaign and could take another step forward here.

Lotto-Intermarché hope Lennert Van Eetvelt can return to form after a disrupted season marked by crashes. A solid training block may allow him to compete again at a higher level.

XDS Astana Team brings depth, led by Christian Scaroni, who has taken a step forward last season and will be looking to confirm that. Clément Champoussin and Simone Velasco could also feature in the fight for the minor placings.

Pinarello 36.5 Pro Cycling Team are working to bring Tom Pidcock to the start line in optimal condition following his crash at the Volta a Catalunya. His participation in the Tour of the Alps serves as preparation, though whether that approach pays off remains to be seen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pogacar

⭐⭐⭐⭐  Evenepoel

⭐⭐⭐  Seixas

⭐⭐  Ciccone, Schmid, Skjelmose, Johannessen

⭐  Buitrago, Baudin, Cosnefroy, Pidcock, Scaroni, Grégoire, Tulett, Vauquelin