Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2024

The road

At the start

Pogačar's return to La Doyenne

The 110th Liège–Bastogne–Liège: 258 kilometres and eleven climbs in the Ardennes, and Tadej Pogačar returns to the road that broke his wrist a year ago. He has raced little this spring and won nearly all of it — Strade Bianche off an eighty-kilometre attack, then Catalunya — and the Giro starts in a fortnight. A second Doyenne would be his sixth Monument, level with Van der Poel, who is here off Flanders and Roubaix.

How it was won

1. 199 km to go

   UAE fracture the race

   On a savage uncategorised ramp before Mont-le-Soie a crash splinters the bunch and catches Van der Poel behind. UAE seize the moment, driving the front group and leaving the Dutch favourite chasing 90 seconds in arrears.

2. 269 km to go

   Van der Poel drags himself back

   Spurred by Pidcock and Vansevenant, Van der Poel's group finally hauls back across with 70km to go — but the effort has cost him, and the questions about his legs have already been asked.

3. 335 km to go

   Pogačar erupts on La Redoute

   On the lower slopes of the Côte de la Redoute, 35km from Liège, Pogačar explodes clear and in a few brutal pedal strokes has 25 seconds. The chase disintegrates, Van der Poel is spat out the back, and the race for the win is over in an instant.

4. 419 km to go

   Bardet chases a ghost

   Over the Côte des Forges and the Roche-aux-Faucon, only a smiling Romain Bardet can even hold Pogačar in view, riding solo in a race for second as a torrential downpour soaks the survivors.

5. 5At the line

   Pogačar's sixth Monument

   Resplendent in the Slovenian champion's jersey, Pogačar rolls into Liège 1:39 clear for his second La Doyenne and sixth Monument. Bardet takes a lonely second, and Van der Poel salvages third from the sprint 2:02 down.

The result