Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 2015 Liège–Bastogne–Liège | |
 | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Late-April |
| Region | Ardennes, Belgium |
| English name | Liège–Bastogne–Liège |
| Local name(s) | Liège–Bastogne–Liège (French) |
| Nickname(s) | La Doyenne ("the oldest") |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI World Tour |
| Type | One-day |
| Organiser | Amaury Sport Organisation |
| History | |
| First edition | 1892 |
| Editions | 101 (as of 2015) |
| First winner |
.svg.png){kind=small} Léon Houa (BEL) |
| Most wins |
Eddy Merckx (BEL) (5 wins) |
| Most recent |
 Alejandro Valverde (ESP) |
Liège–Bastogne–Liège, often called La Doyenne ("the oldest"),[1][2][3][4] is one of the five 'Monuments' of the European professional road cycling calendar.[5] It is run in the Ardennes region of Belgium, from Liège to Bastogne and back.
Liège–Bastogne–Liège was part of the UCI Road World Cup and is part of the Belgian Ardennes Classics series, which includes La Flèche Wallonne. Both are organised by Amaury Sport Organisation. At one time, Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège were run on successive days as Le Weekend Ardennais. Only seven riders have won both races in the same year: the Swiss Ferdi Kübler twice (in 1951 and 1952), Belgians Stan Ockers (1955) and Eddy Merckx (1972), Italians Moreno Argentin (1991) and Davide Rebellin (2004), the Spaniard Alejandro Valverde twice (2006 & 2015) and finally Philippe Gilbert in 2011 as part of a quadruple victory with the Amstel Gold Race and the Brabantse Pijl.
History
Liège–Bastogne–Liège began in 1892 to publicise the newspaper L'Expresse[6] It is because the paper was published in French that the route stayed in the southern, French-speaking half of Belgium. Its equivalent in the Dutch-speaking north is the Tour of Flanders.
The first race was for amateurs, from Spa to Bastogne and back.[2] It was won by Leon Houa, who also won the first race for professionals in 1894. The turn point was the train station in Bastogne, chosen because of its convenience for race officials.[6]
Thirty-three riders started the first race, which was run by the Liège cycling union and the Pesant Club Liègois. Just 17 finished, all of whom were Belgian. Houa, who came from Liège, won by 22 minutes, after 11 hours on the road. The second man, Léon Lhoest, came in 22 minutes after him, and the third, Louis Rasquinet, at 44 minutes.[7] Riders were still arriving for another five hours.
Houa won again the next year, this time by half an hour. He won again in 1894, by seven minutes. The 1894 race was for professionals, and the speed rose from 23.3 km/h (14.5 mph) to 25 km/h (16 mph). The winner of the first Tour de France, Maurice Garin, came in fourth. The race was then not run for 14 years, after which it was sometimes open only to amateurs and semi-professionals.
In 1909 the winner, Eugène Charlier, was disqualified, because he changed bicycles. The winner became Victor Fastre.[7] Two riders shared the 1957 race. Germain Derijcke was first over the line, but because he crossed a closed rail crossing, the second-place rider, Frans Schoubben, was promoted to first as well. Derijcke was not disqualified, because he had won by three minutes advantage; judges felt he had not gained that much time from illegally crossing the railway.[8][9]
Until 1991 the race finished in Liege city centre, with a flat run in to the finish. From 1992 the finish moved to the suburb of Ans, on the northern side of the city. The Côte de Saint Nicolas was added to the final kilometres, along with a final climb to the finish in Ans.
Demands
The British magazine Cycling Weekly said: "In purely physical terms, this is probably the toughest classic: the climbs are long, most of them are pretty steep as well, and they come up with depressing frequency in the final kilometers.[2]
Moreno Argentin said:
- Riders who win at Liège are what we call fondisti - men with a superior level of stamina. [The climb of] La Redoute is like the Mur de Huy in that it has to be tackled at pace, from the front of the peloton. The gradient is about 14 or 15 per cent, and it comes after 220 or 230 kilometers, so you don't have to be a genius to work out how tough it is. I remember that we used to go up with a maximum of 39 x 21 - it's not quite as steep as the Mur de Huy. A lot of riders mistakenly think you should attack on the hardest part, but in reality you hurt people on the slightly flatter section that comes after this.
- Liège is a race of trial by elimination, where it's very unlikely that a breakaway can go clear and decide the race before the final 100 km [62 mi]. You need to be strong and at the same time clever and calculating — in this sense it's a complete test of a cyclist's ability.[10]
Weather
The race has been affected by tough weather. In 1919, 1957 and 1980 there was snow. In 1980 snow fell from the start, leading commentators to call it 'Neige-Bastogne-Neige' (Snow-Bastogne-Snow') . Bernard Hinault attacked with 80 km (50 mi) to go and finished nearly 10 minutes ahead.
The 1980 race
A cold wind that blew across Belgium brought snow flakes and then a heavy fall within moments of the race starting. A feature published by the British magazine, Procycling in 2000, described the infamous race:
- Riders struggled on, with hands to faces to keep a view of the road. The race was an anonymous mass of plastic jackets and windcheaters. Spectators stood in goggles like upmarket snowmen, red-faced in the bitterness. Within the hour some teams had barely a man left on the road. They pulled out two dozen at a time, men like Gibi Baronchelli and Giuseppe Saronni, Lucien Van Impe and Jean-René Bernaudeau.[9]
Bernard Hinault, the winner, was one of few to finish the course. It took three weeks for proper movement to return to two fingers of his right hand.[9]
Route
The race follows a straightforward 95 km (59 mi) route from Liège to Bastogne, and a winding 163 km (101 mi) route back to Liège. The second half contains most of the climbs, such as the Stockeu, Haute-Levée, La Redoute, and Saint-Nicolas before finishing in the northern Liège suburb of Ans. The many hills give opportunities to attack, and the race often rewards aggressive riders such as Michele Bartoli and Paolo Bettini.
| km mark | Name | Distance | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57.7 | Côte de Ny' | 1.8 km | 5.7% |
| 82.0 | Côte de la Roche-en-Ardenne | 2.8 km | 4.9% |
| 128.0 | Côte de Saint-Roch | 0.8 km | 12.0% |
| 172.0 | Côte de Wanne | 2.7 km | 7.0% |
| 178.5 | Côte de Stockeu | 1.1 km | 10.5% |
| 184.0 | Côte de la Haute-Levée | 3.4 km | 6.0% |
| 196.5 | Côte du Rosier | 4.0 km | 5.9% |
| 209.0 | Côte de la Vecquée | 3.1 km | 5.9% |
| 226.5 | Côte de la Redoute | 2.1 km | 8.4% |
| 241.5 | Côte de la Roche aux Faucons | 1.5 km | 9.9% |
| 255.5 | Côte de Saint-Nicolas | 1.0 km | 11.1% |
Winners
| Rider | Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | |
Houa, LeonLéon Houa (BEL) | ||
| 1893 | |
Houa, LeonLéon Houa (BEL) | ||
| 1894 | |
Houa, LeonLéon Houa (BEL) | ||
| 1895- 1907 |
No race | |||
| 1908 |  |
Trousselier, AndreAndré Trousselier (FRA) | ||
| 1909 | |
Fastre, VictorVictor Fastre (BEL) | ||
| 1910 | No race | |||
| 1911 | |
Daele, Joseph VanJoseph Van Daele (BEL) | ||
| 1912 | |
Verschoore, OmerOmer Verschoore (BEL) | ||
| 1913 | |
Moritz, MauritsMaurits Moritz (BEL) | ||
| 1914- 1918 |
No race | |||
| 1919 | |
Devos, LeonLeon Devos (BEL) | ||
| 1920 | |
Scieur, LeonLéon Scieur (BEL) | La Sportive | |
| 1921 | |
Mottiat, LouisLouis Mottiat (BEL) | La Sportive | |
| 1922 | |
Mottiat, LouisLouis Mottiat (BEL) | Alcyon | |
| 1923 | |
Vermandel, ReneRené Vermandel (BEL) | Alcyon | |
| 1924 | |
Vermandel, ReneRené Vermandel (BEL) | Alcyon | |
| 1925 | |
Ronsse, GeorgesGeorges Ronsse (BEL) | ||
| 1926 | |
Smets, DieudonneDieudonné Smets (BEL) | ||
| 1927 | |
Raes, MauriceMaurice Raes (BEL) | ||
| 1928 | |
Mottard, ErnestErnest Mottard (BEL) | ||
| 1929 | |
Schepers, AlfonsAlfons Schepers (BEL) | ||
| 1930 |  |
Buse, HermannHermann Buse (GER) | Duerkopp | |
| 1931 | |
Schepers, AlfonsAlfons Schepers (BEL) | La Francaise | |
| 1932 | |
Houyoux, MarcelMarcel Houyoux (BEL) | ||
| 1933 | |
Gardier, FrancoisFrançois Gardier (BEL) | Cycles De Pas | |
| 1934 | |
Herckenrath, TheoTheo Herckenrath (BEL) | La Francaise | |
| 1935 | |
Schepers, AlfonsAlfons Schepers (BEL) | Dilecta | |
| 1936 | |
Beckaert, AlbertAlbert Beckaert (BEL) | Alcyon | |
| 1937 | |
Meulenberg, EloiEloi Meulenberg (BEL) | Alcyon | |
| 1938 | |
Deloor, AlfonsAlfons Deloor (BEL) | Helyett | |
| 1939 | |
Ritserveldt, AlbertAlbert Ritserveldt (BEL) | Dilecta-De Dion | |
| 1940- 1942 |
No race | |||
| 1943 | |
Depoorter, RichardRichard Depoorter (BEL) | Helyett | |
| 1944 | No race | |||
| 1945 | |
Engels, JeanJean Engels (BEL) | Alcyon | |
| 1946 | |
Depredomme, ProsperProsper Depredomme (BEL) | Dilecta-Wolber-Garin | |
| 1947 | |
Depoorter, RichardRichard Depoorter (BEL) | Garin-Wolber | |
| 1948 | |
Mollin, MauriceMaurice Mollin (BEL) | Mercier-Hutchinson | |
| 1949 | |
Danguillaume, CamilleCamille Danguillaume (FRA) | Peugeot-Dunlop | |
| 1950 | |
Depredomme, ProsperProsper Depredomme (BEL) | Girardengo-Garin | |
| 1951 |  |
Kübler, FerdinandFerdinand Kübler (SUI) | Frejus-Fiorelli-Tebag | |
| 1952 | |
Kübler, FerdinandFerdinand Kübler (SUI) | Frejus-Tebag | |
| 1953 | |
Hertog, Alois DeAlois De Hertog (BEL) | Alcyon-Dunlop | |
| 1954 |  |
Ernzer, MarcelMarcel Ernzer (LUX) | Terrot-Hutchinson | |
| 1955 | |
Ockers, StanStan Ockers (BEL) | Elvé-Peugeot | |
| 1956 | |
Bruyne, Fred DeFred De Bruyne (BEL) | Mercier-BP-Hutchinson | |
| 1957 | |
Schoubben, FransFrans Schoubben (BEL) (victory shared with Derycke, GermainGermain Derycke) | Elvé-Peugeot | |
| 1957 | |
Derycke, GermainGermain Derycke (BEL) (victory shared with Schoubben, FransFrans Schoubben) | Faema-Guerra | |
| 1958 | |
Bruyne, Fred DeFred De Bruyne (BEL) | Carpano | |
| 1959 | |
Bruyne, Fred DeFred De Bruyne (BEL) | Carpano | |
| 1960 |  |
Geldermans, AlbertusAlbertus Geldermans (NED) | St.Raphael | |
| 1961 | |
Looy, Rik VanRik Van Looy (BEL) | Faema | |
| 1962 | |
Planckaert, JefJef Planckaert (BEL) | Flandria-Faema-Clement | |
| 1963 | |
Melckenbeeck, FransFrans Melckenbeeck (BEL) | Mercier-BP-Hutchinson | |
| 1964 | |
Blocklandt, WillyWilly Blocklandt (BEL) | Flandria-Romero | |
| 1965 |  |
Preziosi, CarmineCarmine Preziosi (ITA) | Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune | |
| 1966 | |
Anquetil, JacquesJacques Anquetil (FRA) | Ford Hutchinson | |
| 1967 | |
Godefroot, WalterWalter Godefroot (BEL) | Flandria-De Clerck | |
| 1968 | |
Sweefelt, Walter VanWalter Van Sweefelt (BEL) | Smiths | |
| 1969 | |
Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx (BEL) | Faema | |
| 1970 | |
De Vlaeminck, RogerRoger De Vlaeminck (BEL) | Flandria-Mars | |
| 1971 | |
Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx (BEL) | Molteni | |
| 1972 | |
Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx (BEL) | Molteni | |
| 1973 | |
Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx (BEL) | Molteni | |
| 1974 | |
Pintens, GeorgesGeorges Pintens (BEL) | MIC-De Gribaldy-Ludo | |
| 1975 | |
Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx (BEL) | Molteni-Campagnolo | |
| 1976 | |
Bruyere, JosephJoseph Bruyère (BEL) | Molteni-Campagnolo | |
| 1977 | |
Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault (FRA) | Gitane-Campagnolo | |
| 1978 | |
Bruyere, JosephJoseph Bruyère (BEL) | C&A | |
| 1979 | |
Thurau, DietrichDietrich Thurau (GER) | IJsboerke-Warncke Eis | |
| 1980 | |
Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault (FRA) | Renault-Elf-Gitane | |
| 1981 | |
Fuchs, JosefJosef Fuchs (SUI) | Cilo-Aufina | |
| 1982 | |
Contini, SilvanoSilvano Contini (ITA) | Bianchi-Piaggio | |
| 1983 | |
Rooks, StevenSteven Rooks (NED) | Sem-France Loire | |
| 1984 |  |
Kelly, SeanSean Kelly (IRL) | Skil-Sem-Reydell | |
| 1985 | |
Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin (ITA) | Sammontana-Bianchi | |
| 1986 | |
Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin (ITA) | Sammontana-Bianchi | |
| 1987 | |
Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin (ITA) | Gewiss-Bianchi | |
| 1988 | |
Poel, Adri van derAdri van der Poel (NED) | PDM-Concorde | |
| 1989 | |
Kelly, SeanSean Kelly (IRL) | PDM-Concorde | |
| 1990 | |
Lancker, Eric VanEric Van Lancker (BEL) | Panasonic-Sportlife | |
| 1991 | |
Argentin, MorenoMoreno Argentin (ITA) | Ariostea | |
| 1992 | |
Wolf, Dirk DeDirk De Wolf (BEL) | Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax | |
| 1993 |  |
Sorensen, RolfRolf Sørensen (DEN) | Carrera Jeans-Tassoni | |
| 1994 |  |
Berzin, EugeniEugeni Berzin (RUS) | Gewiss-Ballan | |
| 1995 | |
Gianetti, MauroMauro Gianetti (SUI) | Polti-Granarolo-Santini | |
| 1996 | |
Richard, PascalPascal Richard (SUI) | MG Maglificio-Technogym | |
| 1997 | |
Bartoli, MicheleMichele Bartoli (ITA) | MG Maglificio-Technogym | |
| 1998 | |
Bartoli, MicheleMichele Bartoli (ITA) | Asics-CGA | |
| 1999 | |
Vandenbroucke, FrankFrank Vandenbroucke (BEL) | Cofidis | |
| 2000 | |
Bettini, PaoloPaolo Bettini (ITA) | Mapei-Quick Step | |
| 2001 | |
Camenzind, OscarOscar Camenzind (SUI) | Lampre-Daikin | |
| 2002 | |
Bettini, PaoloPaolo Bettini (ITA) | Mapei-Quick Step | |
| 2003 |  |
Hamilton, TylerTyler Hamilton (USA) | Team CSC | |
| 2004 | |
Rebellin, DavideDavide Rebellin (ITA) | Gerolsteiner | |
| 2005 |  |
Vinokourov, AlexandreAlexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) | T-Mobile Team | |
| 2006 | |
Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears | |
| 2007 | |
Di Luca, DaniloDanilo Di Luca (ITA) | Liquigas | |
| 2008 | |
Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | |
| 2009 | |
Schleck, AndyAndy Schleck (LUX) | Team Saxo Bank | |
| 2010 | |
Vinokourov, AlexandreAlexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) | Astana | |
| 2011 | |
Gilbert, PhilippePhilippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma-Lotto | |
| 2012 | |
Iglinsky, MaximMaxim Iglinsky (KAZ) | Astana | |
| 2013 | |
Martin, DanDan Martin (IRL) | Garmin-Sharp | |
| 2014 |  |
Gerrans, SimonSimon Gerrans (AUS) | Orica-GreenEDGE | |
| 2015 | |
Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | |
Multiple winners
Still active riders are in italic.
| Wins | Rider | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Eddy Merckx | Belgium | 1969, 1971–1973, 1975 |
| 4 | Moreno Argentin | Italy | 1985–1987, 1991 |
| 3 | Léon Houa | Belgium | 1892–1894 |
| Alfons Schepers | Belgium | 1929, 1931, 1935 | |
| Fred De Bruyne | Belgium | 1956, 1958–1959 | |
| Alejandro Valverde | Spain | 2006, 2008, 2015 | |
| 2 | Louis Mottiat | Belgium | 1921–1922 |
| René Vermandel | Belgium | 1923–1924 | |
| Richard Depoorter | Belgium | 1943, 1947 | |
| Prosper Depredomme | Belgium | 1946, 1950 | |
| Ferdi Kübler | Switzerland | 1951–1952 | |
| Joseph Bruyère | Belgium | 1976, 1978 | |
| Bernard Hinault | France | 1977, 1980 | |
| Seán Kelly | Ireland | 1984, 1989 | |
| Michele Bartoli | Italy | 1997–1998 | |
| Paolo Bettini | Italy | 2000, 2002 | |
| Alexandre Vinokourov | Kazakhstan | 2005, 2010 |
Winners by nationality
There have been 101 editions as of 2015.
| Wins | Country |
|---|---|
| 59 | Belgium |
| 12 | Italy |
| 6 | Switzerland |
| 5 | France |
| 3 | Netherlands Ireland Kazakhstan Spain |
| 2 | Germany Luxembourg |
| 1 | Denmark Russia United States Australia |
References
- ↑ http://www.letour.fr/stf/liege/1999/fr/lbl1.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993
- ↑ Cycling Weekly, UK, 7 March 1992
- ↑ "Spring Classics: How to win cycling's hardest one-day races". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ↑ The title "monument" has no official significance; it is often used by the French daily, L'Équipe, to indicate a race's unchanging place on the calendar but the term has become more widespread because of television commentaries, especially in the USA
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 April 2002
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Liège-Bastogne-Liège". Bike Race Info. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ↑ "Liège-Bastogne-Liège's cold memories". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Procycling, UK, May 2000
- ↑ Procycling, UK, March 2001
- ↑ "Liège — Bastogne — Liège: The route 2009". letour.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liège–Bastogne–Liège. |
- Official website
- Palmares at Cycling Archives
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