2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège Race Report: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) has added Liège-Bastogne-Liège to his palmarès for the third time. A duel was expected between the World champion and Remco Evenepoel, but the Slovenian rode away in the style we have become accustomed to, as Evenepoel was on an ‘off day’. The Slovenian attacked on La Redoute and soloed to victory. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) were second and third.
*** Full ‘PEZ Race Report’ very soon. ***
2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège finale
The 2025 Route
The route of the 2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège only has a few minor changes. The race starts again from the Place-Saint Lambert in Liège. 252 kilometres later, two kilometres less than last year, the riders will finish back in Liège. Despite the many climbs in the first 100 kilometres, there won’t be any serious race winning breaks. The first two hours are ideal for an early escape, who can have all the exposure until the turning point in Bastogne.
2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège map
The riders will have already climbed the Côte de Saint-Roch, the first of eleven categorised climbs. After 119 kilometres, there is the Col de Haussire, it is new to the route from last year. These two climbs will not play a role in the race. The first real action will not come until after 150 kilometres in Vielsalm. Ten kilometres later is the start of the Côte de Mont-le-Soie, which could be a decisive part of the race. After that climb, we have five well-known climbs, in less than forty kilometres there are the Côte de Wanne, the Côte de Stockeu, with its statue of Eddy Merckx, the Côte de la Haute-Levée, the Col du Rosier and the Côte de Desnié, all the same as previous years. After the Desnié, the peloton crosses the road they rode in the earlier towards Bastogne via a spur and a fast descent. Anyone who had looked to the right at that time would have seen the famous Côte de la Redoute. This is just 1.6 kilometres long, but the riders turn right about 300 metres from the top for a new climb, the Côte de Cornémone.
2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège profile
La Rédoute, more than ever, could be decisive and should see the race explode, thirty kilometres from the finish. The Côte des Forges follows soon after, which means that the difference between La Rédoute and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons remains relatively small. We know this climb better as the Valkenrots, the top of which is more than thirteen kilometres from the finish. After a short descent, the riders have to tackle a very nasty section of the Valkenrots. On sometimes badly curved concrete, there are ramps of up to 10%. From Boncelles, there are ten kilometres to the finish, which is on the wide road of the Quai des Ardennes.
Star of the 80’s, Dag Otto Lauritzen with Team Uno-X Mobility/7-Eleven
The first attacks were not given any space, but after 20 kilometres the ‘break of the day’ was formed. Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Hannes Wilksch (Tudor), Stan Van Tricht (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Jack Haig (Bahrain-Victorious), Sakarias Koller Løland (Uno-X-Mobility/7-Eleven), Kamiel Bonneu (Intermarché-Wanty), Eduardo Sepúlveda (Lotto), Rayan Boulahoite & Valentin Retailleau (TotalEnergies), Ceriel Desal, Johan Meens & Henri-François Renard-Haquin (Wagner Bazin-WB) were the early leaders on the road.
Remco Evenepoel on the start podium
The peloton allowed the lead to increase to 6 minutes, but UAE Emirates XRG and Soudal Quick-Step, for top favourites Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, didn’t let it get any bigger. On the Col de Haussire, the second climb of the day, there was a counter-attack from the peloton. Former Liège winner, Bob Jungels saw his moment and was joined by his teammate Tobias Foss, over the summit.
Team Uno-X Mobility are 7-Eleven for the day
The two INEOS riders hoped to make the jump to the leaders with this daring duo attack, but first had to close the gap by almost five minutes. Foss and Jungels came a long way, but behind them the pace was also increased in the run-up to the important zone Côte de Wanne-Côte de Stockeu-Côte de la Haute-Levée, which made it more like a chasse patate. The peloton – which was increasingly thinned out by Pogacar’s men – managed to eat up the two counter-attackers again on the descent of the Côte de Wanne.
Happy Birthday Eddy Merckx, 80 years old. Thanks to Team Uno-X Mobility/7-Eleven and Ridley
Tadej Pogačar ready for another win?
A fast start
The ‘Break of the Day’
Houffalize and the first climb of Saint Roch
Evenepoel keeping his powder dry
The break was strong, but….
UAE were in control of the peloton
The two top favourites were keeping an eye on each other
What can Tom Pidcock do today?
And with around 30 kilometres to go…. Pogačar was gone
Pogačar soon had a good gap
Would the chasers see the World champion’s back wheel again before the finish?
30 seconds soon became a minute and a half
Another Monument for Tadej Pogačar
# See all the Liège-Bastogne-Liège news in EUROTRASH Monday. #
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG
2. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 1:03
3. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost
4. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 1:10
5. Thibau Nys (Bel) Lidl-Trek
6. Andrea Bagioli (Ita) Lidl-Trek
7. Daniel Felipe Martinez (Col) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
8. Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers
9. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
10. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost.
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