Featured image courtesy of Bas Czerwinski via Getty Images
The fourth Monument of the year lies ahead, the oldest one-day race of them all, the 108th Liège-Bastogne-Liège to conclude the Spring Classics campaign.
254.7km of almost non-stop climbing, La Doyenne has changed its route over the years, a most recent hilltop finish in the industrial suburb of Ans abandoned post-2018. The race now finishes on a downhill run although for 2022 there’s something a little different.
The hills of the Ardennes play host once again where the past two editions have seen a select group of riders battle it out for glory on the finishing line.
Defending champion Tadej Pogačar does not start so it opens the race wide open to another rider, where the world champion Julian Alaphilippe and a debutant in Wout Van Aert both might fancy their chances.
During the week at another Ardennes epic La Flèche Wallonne, we saw Belgian Dylan Teuns outgun four-times winner Alejandro Valverde to claim victory atop the Mur de Huy, a race that certainly adds to the buildup to La Doyenne.
The route
With an elevation gain of around 4,500m, Liège-Bastogne-Liège can always be associated with a tough climbing stage at a grand tour. Ten official climbs with some unclassified ascents too, at 254.7km here’s the route map.
The first part of the race to Bastogne is relatively easy. The riders take on the Ardennes with rolling roads before turning back at the roundabout in Bastogne where the second part of La Doyenne is difficult for all.
The way back is almost the same as last year, but with a twist near the end. The Côte de la Redoute lies 6km closer to the finish, maybe with an aim to give attackers a shot to conquer the steep climb out of the valley. It’s 16km from La Redoute to the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, which is where the race has come to life in recent years.
But before all the main attacks, the race faces the first of the ten classified climbs on the way to Bastogne. The Côte de la Roche-en-Ardenne appears after 74.3km, a somewhat isolated climb, as is the first one on the way back to Liège – the Côte de Saint-Roch in Houffalize, just before the midway marker.
The point where Liège-Bastogne-Liège should start to warm-up is the Côte de Mont-le-Soie with almost 90km to go. Almost 10km later the route serves three climbs in quite short amount of time, inside 12km to be exact. The riders tackle the Côte de Wanne, Côte de Stockeu and Côte de Haute-Levée before continuing onto the Col du Rosier, which is the longest climb of the day at 4.4km with a 5.9% gradient.
The Côte de Desnié should see some riders fall away and then comes the crucial ascent of La Redoute. The 2km long climb goes up at 8.9%, while the summit lies almost 30km before the finish. A short drop and short climb lead to Sprimont before it’s time for the big finale.
The Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons is supposed to be the last climb of the day but it actually isn’t. Yes the 1.3km ascent at 11% crested with 13km remaining is key but as the riders plunge down, a short drop then continues onto a draining false flat and, ultimately, a climb of 1km at 6.2%. Following a flat section the riders fly down into Liège with 5km to go.
The last 2 km of the race are flat where a sprint between a select few might take place but if someone feels brave enough to attack on the false flat and then the 6.2% climb, a solo victory might be a possibility.
How did the race pan out last year? It was Richard Carapaz who attacked first on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons before Michael Woods countered on the climb with Tadej Pogačar, David Gaudu, Julian Alaphilippe and Alejandro Valverde following along. The five held off the chasers and sprinted for the win where Alaphilippe dashed for the line and Pogačar managed to out sprint him to win the first Monument of his career.
So who are the contenders to take home the final Spring Classic of 2022?
Five previous winners start but like every bike race, who wins is a complete journey into a world of unknowns. Since 1892 riders have been coming to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 130 years of torture on the bike where we’ve seen heavy snow and ice over editions past.
Who will triumph at the 108th La Doyenne?
The contenders
After winning Milan-Sanremo, the Slovenian national champion Matej Mohorič had a relatively quiet Tour of Flanders but came very close to taking a podium at Paris-Roubaix. The key thing to mention about Mohorič is how versatile he is. Riding Sanremo, taking on the cobbles and now featuring in the Ardennes – he’s perfectly capable of winning all three types of race with his power but perhaps one thing that lets him down is his sprint.
Bahrain-Victorious go into Liège-Bastogne-Liège with a co-leadership as Matej Mohorič will be joined by La Flèche Wallonne winner from midweek Dylan Teuns, where it was hardly surprising to see the Belgian win atop the Mur de Huy. A two-times stage winner at the Tour de France including at the harsh gravel summit of La Planche des Belles Filles with gradients of 24%.
Mohorič probably starts as the superior rider but never discount Teuns.
Another Belgian is making his debut at La Doyenne and it’s Wout Van Aert. The Jumbo-Visma rider had a brilliant 2021 especially at the Tour de France and for the Spring Classics in 2022 it was going well before COVID spoiled his Tour of Flanders chances.
Going into Paris-Roubaix there was a suggestion that Van Aert was not in the best shape to compete but actually he surprised everyone to take second behind Dylan Van Baarle.
Never racing La Doyenne before could act as either a danger for other contenders but could also be a blessing in disguise for others. Wout Van Aert will be the rider everyone will want to put in difficulty on the climbs but with teammates such as Tiesj Benoot and Jonas Vingegaard, second overall at the Tour last year, Wout Van Aert is in good company.
Riders like Wout Van Aert and so many more will be hoping for victory as grand tour season starts to come into view. Liège-Bastogne-Liège is also a perfect opportunity for grand tour contenders to stretch their legs as the Giro d’Italia is almost ready to start. One rider who fits this mould is Remco Evenepoel who took sixth at De Brabantse Pijl a few weeks ago and then worked for his Quick-Step teammates at Flèche.
Goodness knows how much Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl need a win right now. Evenepoel will arrive in Liège as a co-leader you’d imagine particularly when world champion Julian Alaphilippe has been the more consistent finisher at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
All the pressure is on the Frenchman to save Quick-Step’s Classics campaign which has been nothing short of a disaster. A crash at Strade Bianche certainly put Julian Alaphilippe on the back foot for the rest of the Spring but to be fair he has managed a stage win at Itzulia Basque Country previously as well as coming fourth at Flèche in midweek.
Second and fourth at this race before it was in 2020 when Alaphilippe came so close to winning but celebrated too early to see Primož Roglič take the crown. Last year was close, so in 2022 can the world champion go one better?
It’s clear that the INEOS Grenadiers are the Classics team to beat at the moment. The team arrive in Liège with three potential winners – debutant Tom Pidcock was dropped at Flèche but can certainly bounce back and the ever present recent winner of Amstel Gold Michał Kwiatkowski has ten previous La Doyenne appearances.
One man who has a decent outside chance for INEOS is Colombian Dani Martínez. A fourth start at this particular Monument, he’s already won Itzulia Basque Country overall, performed strongly at Paris-Nice and took fifth behind Teuns atop the fearsome Mur de Huy.
A strong INEOS team with Carlos Rodríguez, Omar Fraile, Laurens De Plus and Geraint Thomas who is probably more a domestique now rather than a grand tour contender, a chance to enjoy himself on the bike.
Wout Van Aert isn’t the only debutant as BORA-Hansgrohe’s Aleksandr Vlasov comes into the race after a riding his first La Flèche Wallonne and coming third. The Russian has started 2022 in decent form with wins at the Volta a Valenciana and podiums secured at GP Indurain and Itzulia.
Two years ago Vlasov finished third at the fifth Monument of the year Il Lombardia, another chance awaits at La Doyenne.
Other names to watch out for include Alejandro Valverde who turns 42 next week. His final Liège-Bastogne-Liège appearance after taking four previous wins and if the former world champion wins La Doyenne for a fifth time he’ll equal Eddy Merckx’s record tally.
A 16th appearance at Liège, Valverde has the experience and know-how to win this race but can he beat some of the new young guns?
Like Quick-Step, another team who could do with a win is Israel-Premier Tech. Only three wins so far in 2022, Michael Woods is the man who can realistically bring the drought to an end after he took second to Bob Jungels in 2018. A consistent climber, the Canadian can certainly excel on short steep climbs.
One final name who could be a potential dark horse is Søren Kragh Andersen. Team DSM are on their way to the Giro with Romain Bardet in mind but why not back a versatile climber in the Dane?
Only Kragh Andersen’s second appearance at La Doyenne, the only reason why he may not fare well is how he’s fallen away since taking a top-ten at Milan-Sanremo and Gent-Wevelgem – 29th at Amstel Gold and 40th at La Flèche Wallonne.
The five former winners who begin another Liège-Bastogne-Liège include Valverde, 2019 champion Jakob Fuglsang, 2018 winner Bob Jungels, 2016 winner Wout Poels who’ll be supporting his Bahrain-Victorious teammates and for one last time Philippe Gilbert, the local Walloon who has accomplished success at four of the five Monuments, only Sanremo the one that has escaped him. Gilbert is unlikely to take a second Liège title but what a career he’s had!
The final Spring Classic of 2022 set among picturesque Ardennes hills where the climbs get tough and the chasers ride frantically to see who wins and loses. Grand tour season is incoming but who can take some final one-day glory before the yearly three weeks of 21 stages in Italy, France and Spain take place?