2024 Liège-Bastogne-Liège Race Preview
The details of this year's 2024 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 the five monuments, La Doyenne heads into its 110th edition with a field worthy of the race's extraordinary history. The winding roads of the Ardennes are set to provide their usual brutal examination of climbing ability and endurance, with the familiar sequence of punishing côtes threatening to shatter even the most carefully laid team strategies.
Tadej Pogačar arrives as the overwhelming favourite, and perhaps the most anticipated start to this race in years. The Slovenian has already claimed Milano-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders in a historic spring campaign, and he will be seeking to complete an unprecedented triple of monuments in a single season. His form is simply frightening, and his ability to attack repeatedly on the steep climbs of the Ardennes suits this race perfectly. UAE Team Emirates will be keen to protect him, though with a rider of his calibre, protection almost feels like a formality.
Remco Evenepoel represents the most credible threat on paper. The Belgian champion knows these roads intimately and carries enormous motivation on home soil, having won this race in 2022. His Visma-Lease a Bike team will be well organised, though the question remains whether anyone can match Pogačar's raw power over the final series of climbs.
Jonas Vingegaard is also in the conversation despite an interrupted spring following his crash at the Vuelta al País Vasco. The Tour de France champion brings obvious pedigree to any race of this distance and difficulty, though his current condition introduces a note of uncertainty around his prospects.
The finale will almost certainly be shaped by the Côte de La Redoute and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons before the largely uphill drag into Liège itself. These final kilometres have broken countless riders over the years, and they will again serve as the race's defining crucible. Expect attacks early and often from the climbers who feel they cannot follow Pogačar in a sprint, with rivals looking to gain time before the finale rather than waiting to be dropped.
Aleksandr Vlasov, David Gaudu, and Felix Gall could all play supporting roles or surprise packages if the race fragments in unexpected ways, while the Intermarché and Bahrain teams may look to disrupt proceedings with early aggression to make the day harder for the big favourites.
The weather in the Ardennes can be brutal and unpredictable in late April, adding another layer of complexity to tactical planning. Rain and cold temperatures would not be a surprise, and such conditions historically favour the most determined rather than simply the most talented.
All roads point toward Pogačar, but La Doyenne has always had a way of humbling even the greatest champions, and the Ardennes will demand absolute respect from every rider who starts in Liège on Sunday morning.
Get our full coverage of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and every race we cover with our mobile app! The apps have over 100 additional exclusive features, including our award-winning Time Machine feature that lets you pause/rewind/replay the entire app to sync with delayed race video, integrated Fantasy Cycling, push notifications, an integrated news feed, live GPS tracking, world-class commentary, and our animated interactive maps and profiles.
