Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2025 recap - Tadel Pogacar soloes to third triumph after launching emphatic attack on La Redoute

A monstrous early attack on the Cote de la Redoute with 35km remaining was all it took as Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) became the first rider in history to finish on the podium of six consecutive Monuments. Victory in Liege saw Pogacar move ahead of Dutch rival Mathieu van der Poel with nine career Monument wins, drawing level with legends Fausto Coppi and Sean Kelly.

Italy’s Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) pipped Ireland’s Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) in the battle for second and third place, the chasing duo coming home 1’03" down on the lone leader and a handful of seconds ahead of a large chaser group that included Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling).

If Pidcock was forced to settle for ninth place, there was even less joy for the two-time winner and reigning Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step). The Belgian found himself out of position ahead of La Redoute and was duly caught out when Pogacar lit the torch paper with a pulverising early acceleration which even caught the commentators off guard.

"Rarely have I seen that kind of move on La Redoute and that early," said Magnus Backstedt, the former Paris-Roubaix champion. "He's left me speechless for one of the first times," agreed Rob Hatch. "He was ruthless and it was over in the click of a finger, let's be honest."

And so Pogacar can now take a well-earned rest as he switches his focus from the classics to the defence of his Tour de France crown. As for us fans, we can now take a breather ahead of the Giro d'Italia, which starts on Friday 9th May. Bring it on!

That's me done now until the Giro - so catch you for the grande partenze in Albania on Friday 9th May. Remco Evenepoel et al will be pleased to know that Pogacar won't be there. In fact, he's not racing until the Dauphine in June...

"I think he went so early. Normally, we kick at the bottom and then it settles a little bit and then we go again. I think he went so early no one had even been able to get a breath yet. I felt super good, then, and when we were away I don’t think I let myself recover enough. I just didn’t have the gas on the Roche-aux-Faucons. I’m a bit disappointed with that because I had good legs but didn’t have anything left to go again."

"It’s feels great to finish the first part of the season like this – and I’m just happy that everything so far this season has been just perfect. [Attacking on La Redoute] was not a plan but it was so hard-paced before and I saw that a number of teams didn’t have a lot of team-mates anymore. I said, okay, I test my legs a little bit and see if I have a gap over the top. I had good legs on the next climb and so I could go all the way to the finish. First, Quick-Step were controlling the race on the front, but then they disappeared from the front. I thought they may be saving themselves for La Redoute, but then I couldn’t see him so that was good motivation for me to attack."

1 Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
2. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) +1’03"
3. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) +1’03"
4. Simone Velasco (XDS Astana Team) +1’10"
5. Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) st
6. Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek) st
7. Dani Martinez (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) st
8. Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) st
9. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) st
10. Nielson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) st

And here's how the world champion lapped up the support on the home straight...

As the chasing pack closed in, Giulio Ciccone outkicked Ben Healy to take second place, well over a minute down on the world champion.

The world champion has time to soft-pedal along the home straight, offering a few high-fives for fans lining the road. The win is his and it’s a third in La Doyenne. His winning attack came on La Redoute and it was never in doubt. "Rarely have I see that kind of move on La Redoute and that early," says Magnus Backstedt. "He's left me speechless for one of the first times," says Rob Hatch. "He was ruthless and it was over in the click of a finger, let's be honest."

No suspense for the home straight but it will be interesting to see who takes second place… Bravo, Tadej. As Rob Hatch says, "We’re at the end of the list of superlatives."

There’s always the fear in a race like this that you can come a cropper on the technical and fast descent back towards Liege. But it’s a sunny day, the roads are not slippery, and he’s not been under enough pressure to take any risks. The win is his – and his smile shows that he knows it.

If and when he wins today, Tadej Pogacar will become the first rider ever to finish on the podium in six consecutive Monuments. It will be his second of the season and ninth in total, drawing him level with Fausto Coppi and Sean Kelly with nine career Monument wins. His gap is 1’30" over Healy and Ciccone, so even a crash or puncture shouldn’t derail him now. The chasing group is another 25" back.

The fans are lapping up this latest display of brilliance from Tadej Pogacar, who has extended his lead on this final climb of the Roche-aux-Faucons. He’s 1’26" ahead of Healy and Cicccone, with the main field now 1’50" back. It’s Tom Pidcock leading the pack.

Giulio Ciccone has kicked clear in pursuit of second place – but he’s being chased by Ben Healy, with Tom Pidcock now behind Guillaume Martin and Mauro Schmid. It looks like poor Remco Evenepoel has decided finishing this race is not even worth the candle. The Belgian swings to the side of the road and clambers off his bike. Game over.

The lone leader is onto the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.3km at 11%). He has 1’18" on the chasers, who are being pulled back to the large chasing pack.

The world champion has 1’06" on the chasing quartet of Pidcock, Healy, Ciccone and Alaphilippe, who are battling for the final two places on the podium. But they’ll have to keep their wits about them because there is a large group just 18 seconds behind that is closing in. Remco Evenepoel is in that group after battling back from his Redoute wobble.

The lone leader has 55 seconds to play with over the summit of the penultimate climb, with a second chase group of Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Alex Baudin and Neilson Powless (both EF Education-EasyPost) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) closing in.

Healy and Alaphilippe are behind Ciccone and Pidcock after the chasers start to bicker as their deficit grows out to 43 seconds. More riders might well catch them soon, while Evenepoel rides in a group 1’13" down.

Pogacar now has 30 seconds on the chasing duo of Healy and Pidcock, with the golden helmet of Evenepoel just over one minute back. As I type, that chasing duo has become a quartet as Ciccone and Alaphilippe bridge over. It’s probably a battle for second between those four riders – although it’s worth remembering that last weekend, at Amstel Gold, the world champion went clear but was pegged back by Evenepoel and Skjelmose, losing to the latter in the final sprint for the spoils.

The world champion goes over the summit of La Redoute with a 10-second gap on the chasers. It looks like Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy are the two riders trying to bridge over, with Thibau Nys leading a group of six or seven a bit further back. Evenepoel is about 30 seconds down but digging in to fight back into contention, with Pello Bilbao on his wheel.

With Remco Evenepoel out of the picture, the world champion comes to the front and accelerates with one of his trademark seated surges. No one expected that but Pogacar probably saw that his Belgian rival was in difficulty and he’s taken everyone by surprise with that clinical move.

Tadej Pogacar is near the front as they approach the climb but it’s Tudor duo of Marco Brenner and Marc Hirschi who are setting the tempo ahead of a couple of EF riders in pink. Remco Evenepoel is out of position, the Belgian well back and gambling big time.

Oh hello – it’s Geraint Thomas in his distinctive white sunglasses, who has come to the front for Ineos in what will be his final Liege appearance before retirement. Ineos and Trek are on the front on this final downhill push towards the foot of the decisive climb of La Redoute.