Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes Stay – Can Demi Vollering defend her crown?

135km to go

The following 30km or so are rolling, with none main climbs.

The peloton are all collectively now as they descend excessive of the Saint-Roch.

The attackers have been caught on the climb. 

The riders have simply began the Côte de Saint-Roch (1 km at 11,2%). 

Ryo and Kern’s lead has lowered to 10 seconds. 

Ryo is without doubt one of the youngest riders on the start-list as we speak at simply 19. That is her first ever WorldTour race. 

140km to go

The pair’s lead has grown to about 25 seconds as they method the Côte de Saint-Roch.

The primary assault of the race. It Špela Kern (Cofidis) and Titia Ryo (Arkéa – B&B Accommodations) with a small hole over the peloton.

This is a full listing of the climbs on the menu as we speak because the riders method the primary one:

Côte de Saint-Roch (km 15,8 – 1 km at 11,2%)

Côte de Mont-le-Soie (km 59,7 – 1,7 km at 7,9%)

Côte de Wanne (km 67,9 – 3,6 km at 5,1%)

Côte de Stockeu (km 74,5 – 1 km at 12,5%)

Côte de la Haute-Levée (km 78,7 – 2,2 km at 7,5%)

Col du Rosier (km 84,9 – 4,4 km at 5,9%)

Côte de Desnié (km 106,2 – 1,6 km at 8,1%)

Côte de la Redoute (km 119 – 1,6 km at 9,4%)

Côte des Forges (km 129,7 – 1,3 km at 7,8%)

Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (km 139,6 – 1,3 km at 11%)

146km to go

The peloton is crawling alongside to date on this wind. No assaults but. 

Three favourites – Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini and Kasia Niewiadoma – getting ready for the beginning in Bastogne.

The wind seems like it will likely be an element as we speak. It is a robust headwind, at present 26 km/h. Often that implies that riders is not going to assault as a solo rider or a smaller group in a headwind will probably be at an enormous drawback to the peloton.

No assaults but within the opening kilometres.

After 14km, the riders will tackle the primary of our 9 categorised climbs on the route – though there are a lot of unclassified bumps too.

The primary one is the Côte de Saint-Roch (1km and 10.3%). It might be a great launchpad for anybody who desires to assault.

152.9km to go

The official begin has been given.

We’re moments away from the official begin. 

It is a lumpy, however not terribly exhausting first third of the race. Eight of the 9 categorised climbs come throughout the closing 100km.

One rider from the unique start-list is not going to participate this afternoon, that is Barbara Malcotti of Human Powered Well being.

Demi Vollering has vowed to battle again after shedding her Fléche Wallonne crown mid-week. ‘Liège is a really totally different race’ she stated as she appeared to place her deal with what lies forward.

Demi Vollering turns to Liège-Bastogne-Liège defence after Flèche defeat

Impartial Begin

The riders are off for the impartial begin. The racing ought to get going correctly in round ten minutes.

One rider who impressed on Wednesday at Fléche Wallonne was Pauline Rooijakkers. She made a key assault within the finale and nonetheless managed to complete sixth on the line. After that, she has set her eyes on a podium end result as we speak.

Rooijakkers shocked with sixth place in Flèche Wallonne after attacking race

There are 9 categorised climbs on the route as we speak.

Probably the most decisive are the Côte de la Redoute (1.5km at 9.3%) and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.2km at 10.7%), each coming within the closing 35 kilometres.

That is the longest ever version of Liége – Bastogne – Liége Femmes. The organisers have added 10 kilometres onto the route from final 12 months to make it 152.9km in whole. That makes this race one of many longest of the 12 months.

We’re roughly ten minutes from the impartial begin.

Liége – Bastogne – Liége is considered one of three monument races that the ladies’s peloton shares with the lads’s – the others being the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.

Lizzie Deignan is the one rider to have gained all three. Two riders might be a part of her as we speak.

The Monuments – Longo Borghini, Kopecky in rivalry to say all three at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

So who’re the contenders for the race as we speak?

Defending champion Demi Vollering comes into the race with out a win to date this season and appears a approach off her Ardennes dominating kind from final season. She will be able to’t be written-off, nonetheless, and nonetheless comes into the race as a high favorite.

What about Kasia Niewiadoma? Her huge win on Wednesday is certain to fill her with confidence.

Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Longo Borghini has additionally been in nice kind previously few weeks. She has a robust group round her too.

Listed below are CyclingNews’ high contenders for as we speak’s races.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2024 – Analysing the contenders

With lower than half an hour to go, it is began to snow at first in Bastogne.

This is Ashleigh Moolman Pasio’s AG Insurance coverage -Soudal squad earlier than the beginning, all wrapped up towards the weather. 

Added to the temperature at 2 levels celcius in Bastogne in the intervening time is a northerly wind so as to add to the coolness. That additionally means a headwind for a lot of the race as we speak.

The riders will set of in about half an hour and they’ll achieve this in bitterly chilly circumstances, much like Fléche Wallonne on Wednesday.

Temperatures have been between 2 and 5 levels a lot of the day across the route. Not like on Wednesday, it seems just like the rain will keep away this afternoon.

With Amstel Gold and Fléche Wallonne already behind us, it has been an thrilling week of racing already.

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) snatched victory from beneath the nostril of Lorena Wiebes final Sunday.

Then, midweek, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) took her first victory on the street since 2019 on the Fléche Wallone.

Each in-form riders need to be thought-about contenders this afternoon.

It is the finale of the Spring Classics and the final of the Ardennes races for this 12 months.

Demi Vollering of SD Worx-Protime gained the race final 12 months to finish her well-known Ardennes triple. Can she repeat this time and put a shine on what has been a winless spring to date?

Welcome to Cyclingnews’ reside protection of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.