Liège - Bastogne - Liège 2025, 27th April

[AnotherArmChair]

Wasnt a bad race ...glad Healy got on the podium and Ciccone (best looking man in cycling along with WVA and Big Ganna) got his podium too

What can one say about Pogacar ...he is too strong and many fans tune out as he walks it again and again

Not been watching much cycling this season

But really up for the Giro which could be good as the field may be more evenly matched. I know Rog looks best on paper but this is Rog and who knows what may happen

 

[AmRacer]

Wasnt a bad race ...glad Healy got on the podium and Ciccone (best looking man in cycling along with WVA and Big Ganna) got his podium too

What can one say about Pogacar ...he is too strong and many fans tune out as he walks it again and again

Not been watching much cycling this season

But really up for the Giro which could be good as the field may be more evenly matched. I know Rog looks best on paper but this is Rog and who knows what may happen

Rog either wins or crashes.

 

[Samamba]

Just rewatched Redoute. Louis Barré thermonuclear! Behind Remco at the foot of the climb and 9th over the top, made it to the group behind Pog.

 

[Cycling111]

At what kilometer will Alaphilippe attack?

34km to go.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916485244443902085

View: https://x.com/LeGruppetto/status/1916485244443902085



Didn't have a happy ending.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916493829655368065

View: https://x.com/RNBWCV/status/1916493829655368065

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Just rewatched Redoute. Louis Barré thermonuclear! Behind Remco at the foot of the climb and 9th over the top, made it to the group behind Pog.

Yes, he starts moving up at a similar speed to Remco but just before the steep part he moves faster than Remco. Remco then gets boxed in well down while Barré can follow the attacks. Remco picks up speed again on the final part and overtakes a lot of riders but is only 11th over the top with a significant gap to Barré.

 

[Mayomaniac]

34km to go.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916485244443902085

View: https://x.com/LeGruppetto/status/1916485244443902085



Didn't have a happy ending.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916493829655368065

View: https://x.com/RNBWCV/status/1916493829655368065

Ironic since Ala apparently has more of an Obelix livestyle nowadays.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Also:
Ravioli, Ravioli, random good Monument performance by Bagioli!

 

[Bolder]

Wasnt a bad race ...glad Healy got on the podium and Ciccone (best looking man in cycling along with WVA and Big Ganna) got his podium too

What can one say about Pogacar ...he is too strong and many fans tune out as he walks it again and again

Not been watching much cycling this season

But really up for the Giro which could be good as the field may be more evenly matched. I know Rog looks best on paper but this is Rog and who knows what may happen

After investing way too much time in watching races only to see Pog breathing through his nose as he obliterates the field, i can only surmise that the entire peloton should just rip up their training plans and start again.

I enjoyed watching tour of the Alps more than any classic this season except the last two climbs of MSR.

 

[Lequack]

Just watched the replay, and although an expected result at the end, it was still great to see such a strong performance. Shame that Remco had an off day, if he was chasing with Healy and Ciccone, we might have had a repeat of Amstel.

 

[Didinho]

Pogi took the KOM on La Redoute. The testing the legs a little bit was even faster than it looked. The chasers also got in the top 10 so the pace was higher from the beginning I guess.

Louis Barré indeed with a fast time. Only 6” behind Pogi, the 2nd fastest today.

 

[Danskebjerge]

If Healy/Ciccone had been racing for the win, that finale would have played out very differently.

Healy wouldn't gain time on Pogacar on the flat sections even he had ten motorbikes right in front of him. He knows that, and that's why he spends most of his energy on attacking on the climbs. He did this in LBL as well as in Amstel.

 

[tobydawq]

Pogi took the KOM on La Redoute. The testing the legs a little bit was even faster than it looked. The chasers also got in the top 10 so the pace was higher from the beginning I guess.

Louis Barré indeed with a fast time. Only 6” behind Pogi, the 2nd fastest today.

Okay, that's surprising to me. But he did launch early.

Alaphilippe really needs to learn what his limits are, he could have been on the podium today if he didn't think he could close the gap to Pogi on the final third of La Redoute...

 

[Leinster]

Healy wouldn't gain time on Pogacar on the flat sections even he had ten motorbikes right in front of him. He knows that, and that's why he spends most of his energy on attacking on the climbs. He did this in LBL as well as in Amstel.

I think you misinterpreted my point; if there had been no Pogacar out front, the Healy/Ciccone duel would have been for 1st place, and played out differently than it did. The group behind them would also have been racing differently chasing a lead pair, and not podium places.

The whole race being unable to close Pog down is what took away from the race, not the route.

 

[Filippo_3467]

Okay, that's surprising to me. But he did launch early.

Alaphilippe really needs to learn what his limits are, he could have been on the podium today if he didn't think he could close the gap to Pogi on the final third of La Redoute...

Maybe a top 10 by sitting in with the group behind. The way he exploded compared to the others I don't thin he could have been a factor in the attacks in RaF. I think Tudor made a mistake singning him because he will absolutely not help them get to WT in the next cycle. They need riders that ride WT races smart to get a Top 10 here and there and then point farm the small race circuit. Alaphilippe won't do that.

As a viewer nothing to complain about trying today or in Amstel. Like with the ineos move I like people shooting their shot instead of defeatism like Lidl are showing across the spring. Or teams that basically don't show up all spring and make any effort like Red Bull.

 

[Oldman]

The riders make the race. The parcours was switched from the Ans finish because a Valverde sprint was becoming too predictable, and for the first few editions it worked; we got a small group sprint, or a late solo from a small group. We haven’t had a race like that the last few years because each time one rider has been too strong for the rest.

If Healy/Ciccone had been racing for the win, that finale would have played out very differently.

Healy and Ciccone were collaboratively racing for the win. They were there when the fun began on le Redoute so it appears the race might have played out differently if Pogacar crashed. Then the entire field would've been free of the great pack blocking of UAE and they'd chase. Then none of these finishers would've made the podium....
Another observation: which is scarier in a 4 man chase? Julian half-wheeling the last rider in the group and muscling his bike all over the road or having him on the front doing the same thing? Can't imagine how much energy he burns with his hyper-activity but it looks dangerous.

 

[Leinster]

Alaphilippe really needs to learn what his limits are, he could have been on the podium today if he didn't think he could close the gap to Pogi on the final third of La Redoute...

I think we did see Alaf’s limit today. I just don’t think he had the legs, a couple months shy of 33, to go with Healy and Ciccone. Besides which, i also don’t think he’s the kind of rider to settle for a podium, even at Liege; it’s win or blow up trying.

He finished 1 place ahead of Remco.

 

[hayneplane]

Y

Maybe a top 10 by sitting in with the group behind. The way he exploded compared to the others I don't thin he could have been a factor in the attacks in RaF. I think Tudor made a mistake singning him because he will absolutely not help them get to WT in the next cycle. They need riders that ride WT races smart to get a Top 10 here and there and then point farm the small race circuit. Alaphilippe won't do that.

As a viewer nothing to complain about trying today or in Amstel. Like with the ineos move I like people shooting their shot instead of defeatism like Lidl are showing across the spring. Or teams that basically don't show up all spring and make any effort like Red Bull.

Outside of Roglic winning Catalunya Red Bull Bora have been the most disappointing team of the year so far as they made some significant signings and none have really panned out yet.

 

[proffate]

I think Tudor made a mistake singning him because he will absolutely not help them get to WT in the next cycle. They need riders that ride WT races smart to get a Top 10 here and there and then point farm the small race circuit. Alaphilippe won't do that.

ASide from guaranteed entry to the tdf, the WT license is probably net negative. Alaphilippe gets them into the le tour without risking a WT promotion. Win win.

 

[tobydawq]

Maybe a top 10 by sitting in with the group behind. The way he exploded compared to the others I don't thin he could have been a factor in the attacks in RaF. I think Tudor made a mistake singning him because he will absolutely not help them get to WT in the next cycle. They need riders that ride WT races smart to get a Top 10 here and there and then point farm the small race circuit. Alaphilippe won't do that.

As a viewer nothing to complain about trying today or in Amstel. Like with the ineos move I like people shooting their shot instead of defeatism like Lidl are showing across the spring. Or teams that basically don't show up all spring and make any effort like Red Bull.

Lidl are not showing defeatism, lol.

 

[tobydawq]

I think we did see Alaf’s limit today. I just don’t think he had the legs, a couple months shy of 33, to go with Healy and Ciccone. Besides which, i also don’t think he’s the kind of rider to settle for a podium, even at Liege; it’s win or blow up trying.

He finished 1 place ahead of Remco.

Of course we did, but he needs to realise it's there too. He's been blowing up in all his races the last year.

 

[Netserk]

Lidl are not showing defeatism, lol.

In monuments, it's fairly reasonable to ascribe that to them.

 

[tobydawq]

In monuments, it's fairly reasonable to ascribe that to them.

I'd say that it's only yesterday you could say so. In MSR, they didn't ride on the front. In De Ronde, Mads didn't pull for a while when in the front group. In PR, Mads might have had just as big of a chance as Mathieu and certainly bigger than Pogacar, but he punctured.

 

[Netserk]

On second thought, you're right @tobydawq . Despite my distaste for Pedersen's riding style, it isn't quite right to call it outright defeatist. Perhaps functionally defeatist is more fitting for his machismo.

 

[tobydawq]

On second thought, you're right @tobydawq . Despite my distaste for Pedersen's riding style, it isn't quite right to call it outright defeatist. Perhaps functionally defeatist is more fitting for his machismo.

That still subscribes to the belief system that he would either benefit from going long range (which he did so well at last year's Ronde, lol) or that he should focus on other races. Otherwise, he can't do much else.

And in PR, he absolutely did what he should have done.

 

[danielovichdk2]

Super boring race. Horrible tactics by all teams other than UAE. It seems they have retreated before they even start to race. Of course UAE is beatable, just as Sky was it. Visma too. Back to the drawing board on this one. Though I do not find Remco very likeable as a bike racer, the negativity put forward on him is off. Give the guy a break. He is trying to shine a light in the era of a phenomenon. That has to be applauded.