Liège–Bastogne–Liège (Part 1)
As the oldest of cycling’s five Monuments, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, known as La Doyenne (“the old lady”), defines what it means to race through the Ardennes of southern Belgium. It has done so since 1892, when it was first run for amateurs from Spa to Bastogne and back, and its history is one of records and of battles with the elements. Eddy Merckx dominated it between 1969 and 1975 with a record five wins, a mark Tadej Pogacar closed to within one with his fourth victory in April 2026. Its grittiest chapter belongs to 1980, when snow fell from the start and Bernard Hinault won by almost ten minutes. Only 21 of the 174 starters reached the line, and that frozen day has gone down in cycling lore as Neige–Bastogne–Neige.
This ride follows the race’s outward leg from Samrée to Bastogne, then turns north-east to Brisy. The run south to Bastogne is the straightforward half of La Doyenne; most of its climbs come on the way back. The test on this ride comes early. The road drops into La Roche-en-Ardenne on the Ourthe and climbs out of town on the Côte de La Roche-en-Ardenne, the first classified climb of the 2017 race. Bastogne has been the turning point since that first amateur race, when the halfway point was the town’s railway station and some exhausted riders took the train home from there. From Bastogne the ride turns north, on the race’s road home, to finish at Brisy.
Region: Wallonie
City: La Roche-en-Ardenne
Distance: 61.59 km
Elevation Gain: 893 m
Elevation Loss: 1023 m
Difficulty: 575 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 1.25 FIETS
Avg Grade: 3.94 %
Max cat climb: 3
Min elevation: 231 m
Max elevation: 547 m
Ride Category: Hilly