Male Team 22 Apr
Liège-Bastogne-Liège
258.5 Kilometers
The 104th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège will not bring too many changes to the table in 2018, the route remaining identical in its finale, as challenging and tough as one could expect from one of cycling’s five Monument classics.
The ‘Doyenne’ will again compress most of its hardest points into the final 90km of racing. With only three categorized climbs -Bonnerue (72km), Saint-Roch (109km) and Mont-le-Soie (152km)- in the first half of the event, the approach to Malmédy will bring the first block of tough ascents, three hills in barely 12km. Pont (168km; 1,000m at 10.5%) and Ferme Libert (180km; 1,200m at 12.1%) will be combined with the gentle climb to Bellevaux to add a first touch of spice and hardness to the race.
After that, already with five hours of racing on the legs, the LBL will go for a more classic route, with longer climbs. Rosier (198km, 4.4km at 6%) and Maquisard (211km, 2.5km at 5%) will preceed the legendary La Redoute (-36km; 2,000m at 8.9%) and the two hills usually offering the most trascendental attacks: Roche-aux-Faucons (-19km; 1,300m at 11%) and Saint-Nicolas (-6km; 1,200m at 8,6%). The final kilometer uphill towards Ans’ Jean Jaurès street will define the outcome of the final big classic in the spring.