Liège-Bastogne-Liège (BEL) - 29.04.2007

(This event is on the 2007 UCI ProTour calendar but does not hold a UCI ProTour licence)

First held in 1892, Liège-Bastogne-Liège is known as the ‘La Doyenne’ because it is the oldest classic on the cycling calendar. The out and back race through the Belgian Ardennes countryside is one of the most complete and difficult races because it tests every rider’s endurance and ability to race over a series of ever more difficult hills. Legendary climbs such as the Côte de Wanne, Saint-Roch, Stockeu and la Redoute force the riders to dig deep and suffer before the slightly uphill final kilometres and the sprint out of the final corner. To win riders need to recover quickly and between each climb and then still have the tactical ability and fast finish to beat their rivals. In 2006 Alejandro Valverde out sprinted his rivals and showed that he is one of the most complete riders in the peloton. Other recent winners include Kazakhstan’s Alexandre Vinokourov who attacked early with Germany’s Jens Voigt and the two held off the chasing peloton to fight out for final victory. Italy’s Paolo Bettini has won Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice and is always a protagonist because the race perfectly suits his style of aggressive racing. In 2006 Bettini was beaten by Alejandro Valverde but is determined to get revenge this year while wearing the rainbow jersey.