Tadej Pogacar destroyed the field with a stunning solo attack to win Liège–Bastogne–Liège on Sunday, the Slovenian’s sixth Monument victory of his career.
Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked with 34km remaining of the 254km trek as the field tackled the iconic Côte de la Redoute and he then surged clear. He finished one minute 39 seconds ahead of Romain Bardet while Mathieu van der Poel won a sprint to claim third.
It was the second Liège victory for Pogacar and made up for last year when he crashed. He also departed the 2022 edition of the race after the death of his fiance’s mother.
“It was quite emotional for me all day riding on the bike, thinking of Urska’s mother two years ago and we had to go home,” Pogacar said. “Then last year when I broke my hand, so the last two years were really difficult.”
Pogacar said the plan to attack on the Côte de la Redoute had been worked out before the race.
“We rode hard on the climbs, and safe on the downhills and on La Redoute – we did exactly what we said and from then on it was suffering to the finish.”
In the Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, the Australian rider Grace Brown emerged triumphant after spending most of the day in the breakaway before beating Elisa Longo Borghini and Demi Vollering in a sprint to the finish.
Brown’s victory made her the first Australian winner of the Monument. “It was an amazing day,” she said afterwards. “I wanted to be in that break, we always know that a strong break can go in the middle section of the race, and we worked really well together. I felt like I was on my limit on the climbs towards the end, but once I survived Roche-aux-Faucons I thought: ‘It’s on.’ So, so good.”