2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège Race Preview
The details of this year's 2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The oldest of cycling's five monuments heads once again into the Ardennes hills, with the roads around Liège set to host one of the most anticipated classics of the spring season. La Doyenne, as it is affectionately known, has a habit of producing memorable finishes, and the 2023 edition looks no different given the calibre of riders on the start list.
The route stretches over 258 kilometres from Liège to Bastogne and back again, taking in the brutal sequence of climbs that have defined this race for generations. The Côte de Saint-Roch, the Côte de Wanne, and the fearsome Côte de La Redoute will all feature, but it is the final climb of La Roche aux Faucons and the drag to the finish in Liège itself that tend to sort the true contenders from those merely surviving.
Remco Evenepoel arrives as the defending champion following his dominant victory in 2022, and the Belgian will be highly motivated on home roads. His Soudal Quick-Step team will build the race around him, and his form through the spring has given no reason to doubt his status as the favourite. However, the mountains have a way of humbling even the strongest riders.
Primož Roglič will be targeting a third monument victory and will have the considerable resources of Jumbo-Visma behind him. The Slovenian thrives on the steep, punchy climbs that this race demands, and he represents perhaps the clearest threat to Evenepoel.
Tadej Pogačar has circled this race on his calendar, and the UAE Team Emirates leader has the explosive climbing ability to win from a reduced front group or with a long-range attack. He has unfinished business with the monuments and this course suits his aggressive racing style.
Tom Pidcock and Aleksandr Vlasov offer further threats, while the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty squad could cause disruption through their aggressive team tactics. Weather and tactics will play their part, but the final kilometres are where this race will truly be decided.
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