The cycling race for professionals Liège Bastogne Liège with start and finish in the city Liege is the most beautiful Ardennes classic in the Netherlands and is part of the 5 monuments: Milan Sanremo, The Tour of Flanders, Paris Roubaix, Liège Bastogne Liège and the Tour of Lombardy.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the race, together with the Waalse Pijl, was part of the Ardennes cycling weekend where a points classification was drawn up. Liège Bastogne Liège also traditionally closes spring, after which the major cycling rounds such as the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France start.
Liège Bastogne Liège is now held on Sunday and the Waalse Pijl the Wednesday before.
Below are some facts and tidbits about this wonderful cycling race
1892: the 1st time Liège Bastogne Liège was organized, winner was the Belgian Léon Houa, he did this 2 more times in 1893 and 1894
La Doyenne: the competition is also called La Doyenne, referring to the fact that it is the oldest classic. Literally translated, La Doyenne means old age blanket. A caveat should be added here, however. The 1st edition was indeed organized in 1892 but was a competition for amateurs, only from 1905 it was the turn of the professional cyclists.
1957: this year there were 2 winners, namely Germain Derycke and Frans Schoubben. The reason is that Germain Derycke crossed the finish line 1st but the 2nd Frans Schoubben filed a complaint because Derycke, together with 4 other riders, had climbed over the closed barriers of a railway. Schoubben's complaint was accepted and his name was written to Derycke as the winner.
Eddy Merckx: who else but the cannibal has won the most victories! 5 times: 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975
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Moreno Argentin en Alejandro Valverde: both riders won La Doyenne 4 times
60: is the number of Belgian victories, Italy follows in 2nd place with only 12 victories, Switzerland in 3rd with 6 victories.
La Redoute: is the executioner in the match. This tricky climb of 1650 meters long has an average gradient of 9.5% with peaks of up to 22%. In 1999, the later winner Frank Vandenbroucke and Michele Bartoli delivered a legendary time here in which Bartoli had to lose out.
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The record time for the ascent of La Redoute is in the name of Philippe Gilbert who flew up the slope in Corona times at an average speed of 20.9 km / h or 4'25 ". A crazy time.
1980: was a heroic edition with Bernard Hinault as the overall winner. In this edition in which it snowed, only 21 riders arrived and the image of Bernard hinault with his thick balaclava will stay with you forever.
Remco Evenepoel: is the last Belgian winner, he won in 2022 in an unprecedented way. He succeeded Philippe Gilbert who won in 2011 after earlier victories this same year in the Amstel Gold Race, the Brabantse Pijl and the Waalse Pijl.
Wout Poels: is the last Dutch winner (2017), only Ab Geldermans (1960), Steven Rooks (1983) and Adrie van der Poel (1988) ever won Liège Bastogne Liège for the Netherlands
2017: in 2017 the first Liège Bastogne Liège for women was organized, the first edition was won by the Dutch Anna van der Breggen, she did it again the following year.
Hardest climbs: in addition to La Redoute, these are the Wanne, the Stockeu, the Saint Nicolas, the Roche aux Facons and the côte de Saint Roche. Not all of these climbs are always part of the course.
Overview winners
| 1892 | Léon Houa | 1965 | Carmine Preziosi | 2020 | Primoz Roglic |
| 1893 | Léon Houa | 1966 | Jacques Anquetil | 2021 | Tadej Pogacar |
| 1894 | Léon Houa | 1967 | Walter Godefroot | 2022 | Remco Evenepoel |
| 1895 – 1907 | no race | 1968 | Valere Van Sweevelt | 2023 | |
| 1908 | André Trousselier | 1969 | Eddy Merckx | ||
| 1909 | Victor Fastre | 1970 | Roger De Vlaeminck | ||
| 1910 | no race | 1971 | Eddy Merckx | ||
| 1911 | Joseph Van Daele | 1972 | Eddy Merckx | ||
| 1912 | Omer Verschoore | 1973 | Eddy Merckx | ||
| 1913 | Maurits Moritz | 1974 | Georges Pintens | ||
| 1914 – 1918 | no race | 1975 | Eddy Merckx | ||
| 1919 | Leon Devos | 1976 | Joseph Bruyère | ||
| 1920 | Léon Scieur | 1977 | Bernard Hinault | ||
| 1921 | Louis Mottiat | 1978 | Joseph Bruyère | ||
| 1922 | Louis Mottiat | 1979 | Dietrich Thurau | ||
| 1923 | René Vermandel | 1980 | Bernard Hinault | ||
| 1924 | René Vermandel | 1981 | Joseph Fuchs | ||
| 1925 | Georges Ronsse | 1982 | Silvano Contini | ||
| 1926 | Dieudonné Smets | 1983 | Steven Rooks | ||
| 1927 | Maurice Maes | 1984 | Sean Kelly | ||
| 1928 | Ernest Mottard | 1985 | Moreno Argentin | ||
| 1929 | Alfons Schepers | 1986 | Moreno Argentin | ||
| 1930 | Herman Buse | 1987 | Moreno Argentin | ||
| 1931 | Alfons Schepers | 1988 | Adrie van der Poel | ||
| 1932 | Marcel Houyoux | 1989 | Sean Kelly | ||
| 1933 | Francois Gardier | 1990 | Eric Van Lancker | ||
| 1934 | Theo Herckenrath | 1991 | Moreno Argentin | ||
| 1935 | Alfons Schepers | 1992 | Dirk De Wolf | ||
| 1936 | Albert Beckaert | 1993 | Rolf Sorensen | ||
| 1937 | Eloi Meulenberg | 1994 | Jevgeni Berzin | ||
| 1938 | Alfons Deloor | 1995 | Mauro Gianetti | ||
| 1939 | Albert Ritserveldt | 1996 | Pascal Richard | ||
| 1940 – 1942 | no race | 1997 | Michele Bartoli | ||
| 1943 | Richard Depoorter | 1998 | Michele Bartoli | ||
| 1944 | no race | 1999 | Frank Vandenbroucke | ||
| 1945 | Jean Engels | 2000 | Paolo Bettini | ||
| 1946 | Prosper Depredomme | 2001 | Oscar Camenzind | ||
| 1947 | Richard Depoorter | 2002 | Paolo Bettini | ||
| 1948 | Maurice Mollin | 2003 | Tyler Hamilton | ||
| 1949 | Camille Danguillaume | 2004 | Davide Rebellin | ||
| 1950 | Prosper Depredomme | 2005 | Aleksandr Vinokoerov | ||
| 1951 | Ferdi kubler | 2006 | Alejandro Valverde | ||
| 1952 | Ferdi Kubler | 2007 | Danilo Di Luca | ||
| 1953 | Alois De Hertog | 2008 | Alejandro Valverde | ||
| 1954 | Marcel Erzner | 2009 | Andy Schleck | ||
| 1955 | Stan Ockers | 2010 | Aleksandr Vinokoerov | ||
| 1956 | Fred De Bruyne | 2011 | Philippe Gilbert | ||
| 1957 | Germain Derycke en Frans Schoubben | 2012 | Maksim Iglinsky | ||
| 1958 | Fred De Bruyne | 2013 | Daniel Martin | ||
| 1959 | Fred De Bruyne | 2014 | Simon Gerrans | ||
| 1960 | Ab Geldermans | 2015 | Alejandro Valverde | ||
| 1961 | Rik Van Looy | 2016 | Wout Poels | ||
| 1962 | Jef Planckaert | 2017 | Alejandro Valverde | ||
| 1963 | Frans Melckenbeek | 2018 | Bob Jungels | ||
| 1964 | Willy Bocklant | 2019 | Jakob Fuglsang |
