UAE reveal Liège-Bastogne-Liège line up as Pogacar targets three in a row

UAE Team Emirates-XRG have announced their line-up for the 112th Liège-Bastogne-Liège with defending champion Tadej Pogačar headlining.

The World Champion has won the previous two editions of La Doyenne, with three in total, and will be looking to win his third Monument of the season, adding to victories at Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders. Pogačar accomplished this feat last season, and alongside Eddy Merckx, who has done so four times, is the only rider to do so.

Supporting Pogačar is an unsurprisingly strong UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad. Benoît Cosnefroy is an Ardennes specialist, and the Frenchman has enjoyed a strong spring. 

3rd place finishes at Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race, plus 4th at Flèche Wallonne, suggest that Cosnefroy could be key in setting up the World Champion in his bid for glory. 

Fellow Frenchman Pavel Sivakov will line up for his third La Doyenne and finished 14th back in 2023, the year Pogačar crashed out with a fractured wrist.

Domen Novak was part of both Pogačar’s previous victories in Liège and the loyal Slovenian was already part of a winning Monument team this season, at Milan-Sanremo.

Tim Wellens continues his return to form after fracturing his collarbone at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne at the start of March. The Belgian champion has ridden Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold, and Flèche Wallonne, clocking important race kilometres in the legs.

For the first time this season, Vegard Stake Laengen features in a Monument squad for UAE. The veteran Norwegian has experience having raced Liège six times previously. 

Finally, Rune Herregodts also lines up for just the second Monument in his career, following the 2021 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The 2026 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège takes place on Sunday, 26 April, with Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) among the names who will be trying to spoil the UAE hat-trick party.