Liège - Bastogne - Liège 2025, 27th April

[Netserk]

New parcours please, tired of these solo's + bunchsprints behind.

Not that we would have a different winner of course, but at least you get more interesting things behind in the final.

What do you have in mind? Maybe Saint-Nicolas wouldn't lead to as much of a waiting game without the finish in Ans?

Yet another Liège finale

41.4 km, +740 m. Bike ride in Luik, Wallonië

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[gregrowlerson]

Greg, the race is over. You peaked too late.

Horrible timing. The classics are over and it's doubtful I could hold this form through to week three of the Giro. I've taken lessons from Richie Porte.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

That must have seemed like quite a mountain to climb. Time can create quite a groove in those comfortable seats. Someone should create a poll on how you did it. A lot of people probably reckon you're clean, but I'm going with; "Appeared to use a thumb to press a button".

It would probably have been easier to get up if I hadn't been crouching down inside of it Van Aert style. But I think it will help me to arrive at the Grande Partenza in peak shape, and by that I mean that my body will resemble the shape of a mountain top.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

What do you have in mind? Maybe Saint-Nicolas wouldn't lead to as much of a waiting game without the finish in Ans?

Yet another Liège finale

41.4 km, +740 m. Bike ride in Luik, Wallonië

ridewithgps.com

Admit I don't remember the exact route, but the year Argentin took his rabbit-out-of-the-hat victory over Criquielion, Roche (and was it Kelly?), Saint-Nicolas was the only serious climb after La Redoute, with finish line down town. This with smaller ramps attack terrain between La Redoute and Saint-Nicolas.
However, it is possible that the terrain here was tougher than so. Yesterday Rolf Sørensen had a small story about one of his own LBL participations and Côte de la Haute-Levée even not listed in the road book as a categorized climb.
My impression was that the route of the 80ies was better for exciting races, but ofcourse they didn't have Pogi, nor superior teams with even the weakest domestique able to control deep into the race...

But maybe Tilman instead of Roche aux Faucons in your suggestion and I'm in
However ofc depends on the route up to this point.
Difficult to design Pogi out of the equation if the race is still to live up to its trademark

 

[Netserk]

I can't imagine ASO ditch Redoute nor RaF, I think that section of the finale is here to stay. A new approach to La Redoute would be most welcome, but I don't expect it happen nor do I think that the most plausible alternative would change much. But I can very well imagine that the big bunch sprints leads to the addition of a climb after RaF, and there are several options for that. I think previously used climbs are the most likely candidates, so either Colonster or Saint-Nicolas.

EDIT: @Red Rick, no need to delete your gravel suggestion. Although I did expect you to suggest Targnon first.

 

[Red Rick]

I can't imagine ASO ditch Redoute nor RaF, I think that section of the finale is here to stay. A new approach to La Redoute would be most welcome, but I don't expect it happen nor do I think that the most plausible alternative would change much. But I can very well imagine that the big bunch sprints leads to the addition of a climb after RaF, and there are several options for that.

I don't think they care at all about whether there's a bunch sprint for 4th or not.

There is basically no real way to change the race very significantly if you want to keep La Redoute and RaF, nor is there really a way to design against Pogacar dominance unless you take all the hard hills out of the finale and basically force the climbers to make a preselection basically by the Stockeau/Haute Levee/Rosier section.

Maybe after Rosier go left instead of right on the descent, deviate much more west and add cote de Lorce and then later cote Chambralles before La Redoute. Chambralles would be super close to La Redoute, and I think doing 2 such climbs in succession really will kill group formation after much more.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

If you want to materially change Liège, you need to both not go through Spa and ditch Roche aux Faucons. And I don't think it matters much anyway with Pogacar around.

 

[Lequack]

All cycling coverage should be in Spanish

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916550369284440161

View: https://x.com/mario_sabato/status/1916550369284440161

 

[E_F_]

I still think the race might be better off without Redoute and RaF...

edit: idunno...

Redoute & RaF :'(

55.2 km, +1069 m. Bike ride in Luik, Wallonië

ridewithgps.com

 

[Gigs_98]

Yeah I agree with the overall sentiment of how the route would have to be changed. There are some climbs to make the race very hard right before La Redoute if the route was drastically changed. Do that and make the race after La Redoute easier (which is to say, ditch RaF) and I think the races right now would be much better. I do agree Pogi would still easily win but I don't agree that "this wouldn't change anything as long as Pog is around". If you gave teams climbs to work with they would at least try to anticipate the eventual Pog attack. Right now there is just almost no way to start the finale before La Redoute and then that is late enough for Pogacar or Remco to immediately seal the deal.

I think the outcome with a harder section before La Redoute would look more like the peloton helplessly trying to anticipate MvdPs attack in the Ronde last year. That was not a good race at all but it would still be way better than the last three LBL editions. Also the current route isn't even good without a dominant rider to attack on La Redoute. What happened before was a waiting game for RaF and I think in a more evenly matched peloton that would still be the most likely outcome.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I still think the race might be better off without Redoute and RaF...

edit: idunno...

Redoute & RaF :'(

55.2 km, +1069 m. Bike ride in Luik, Wallonië

ridewithgps.com

Well with RaF and Tilmann as a combo with 14k to go from the summit of Tilmann, followed by another 4-7% climb with +100hm and exhausted riders by that point (+all those +50hm/7% ramps between Redoute and RaF), I think you have just given Pogi an even bigger gift

Edit: I agree on @Gigs_98's POV of making the route more friendly for attacks way before Redoute, however not with a festival of long hard climbs as Mont-Le-Soie since it all adds up to total hight meters suiting Pogi in the end, but instead a myriad of shorter ramps, if possible in the terrain.

 

[E_F_]

Well with RaF and Tilmann as a combo with 14k to go from the summit of Tilmann, followed by another 4-7% climb with +100hm and exhausted riders by that point (+all those +50hm/7% ramps between Redoute and RaF), I think you have just given Pogi an even bigger gift

Yeah, probably... It's certainly not my favourite idea. At the moment that's this one:

lbl stockeu circuit theux forges

144.9 km, +2452 m. Bike ride in Bastenaken, Wallonië

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With the true classic finale of Mont Theux and Cote des Forges, preceded by a bunch of the really steep climbs around Stavelot and then a mix of false flat uphill and short climbs up to Malchamps including a good F1 history lesson. I suppose the risk here is that Pogacar does go full Merckx and solos away with 60km to go.