Imperious Tadej Pogacar secured his fourth victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, edging closer to Eddy Merckx's all-time record of five wins at the Belgian Monument. The Slovenian triumphed in an epic duel with French wunderkind Paul Seixas, who continued his rapid ascent in professional cycling with a superb second-place finish.
A Tribute and a Triumph
Pogacar wore a black armband in memory of his former teammate Cristian Camilo Munoz, who died on Friday after a knee infection from a racing fall. As he crossed the finish line in Liege, he pointed to the sky in tribute. The Slovenian finished 45 seconds ahead of Seixas after launching a solo attack with 14 kilometers remaining on the final major climb, the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons.
Podium and Records
Two-time winner Remco Evenepoel sprinted clear of a large chasing pack to claim third place, 1 minute and 42 seconds behind Pogacar. This victory marked Pogacar's third Monument win of the season and his 13th overall, leaving him just six behind Merckx's record of 19. After winning Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders earlier this year, Pogacar now eyes Il Lombardia, where he has a record five titles, aiming to become the first rider to win four Monuments in a single season.
The Duel with Seixas
The race was highly anticipated as the first major showdown between Pogacar, the dominant rider of this century, and Seixas, the teenage prodigy tipped as his eventual successor. The clash lived up to expectations. Seixas clung to Pogacar's wheel when he attacked on the brutal La Redoute climb with 35 kilometers to go, where Pogacar had made his winning moves in the previous two editions. The pair worked well together to stretch their lead.
Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek, who finished second at Amstel Gold last weekend, was the best-placed favourite to follow Pogacar's attack, but Evenepoel was caught out on the climb and could not match the pace set by Pogacar's lieutenant Benoit Cosnefroy. After struggling in no-man's-land, Skjelmose was caught by the chase group led by Evenepoel. Jai Hindley, Evenepoel's teammate and former Giro d'Italia winner, attacked inside the final 30 kilometers, taking a few riders with him, but the group reformed, making it clear the battle was for third place.
The Decisive Attack
Pogacar attacked three times on the short, steep gradients of the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons. Seixas initially stayed on his wheel, but the 19-year-old, bidding to become the youngest winner of La Doyenne this century, was ultimately dropped by a seated acceleration with just under 600 meters to go. Seixas's performance in the Belgian hills will only amplify calls for his Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team to send him to the Tour de France, a baptism of fire for the young talent who has yet to make his Grand Tour debut and only took his first WorldTour win earlier this month at Itzulia Basque Country.
Behind the Leaders
On the same climb but two minutes back, Skjelmose accelerated to drop the 25-strong Evenepoel group, but he was caught inside the final 3 kilometers, setting up a showdown for the final podium place. Evenepoel surged clear in the finishing straight, securing his second third-place finish in a Monument after the Tour of Flanders last month. Skjelmose ultimately finished 17th, while former Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, who survived a horrific crash in 2022, took one of his best results since his return with a fifth-place finish.
Early Race Dynamics
Earlier, Evenepoel's Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team had exploited a split in the peloton within the first few kilometers, leaving both Pogacar and Seixas in the group behind. A huge 54-rider breakaway established a lead of up to 3 minutes and 40 seconds, but UAE Team Emirates and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale worked together to close the gap over the next 150 kilometers. Gradually, order was restored, and Pogacar imposed his will with another peerless display in the fastest-ever edition of the Ardennes race.
