Tadej Pogacar drops another masterpiece as he cruises to second title at Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) was in a different league again as he stormed to a second title at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

The Slovenian, returning to the scene of his fractured wrist a year ago, took off with 35km remaining and quickly found himself flying solo on the narrow roads of the Ardennes. In a manner that evoked his victory at Strade Bianche in March, Pogacar quickly established a lead of well over a minute, while behind the remains of the peloton were obliged to fight it out for the two remaining podium places.

The fourth Monument of the season began in dry but bitterly cold conditions, with flurries of snow having dusted Liege in early morning. The riders set off on their out-and-back loop south from the Walloon city layered up from head to toe. Attacks off the front resulted in a group of nine riders forming what would prove to be the break of the day: Gil Gelders (Soudal-Quick Step), Remy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ), Enzo Leijnse (dsm-firmenich), Christian Scaroni (Astana), Lilian Calmejane (Intermarche-Wanty), Ivan Romeo (Movistar), Fabien Doubey (TotalEnergies), Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) and Loïc Vliegen (Bingoal WB).

While the peloton placed responsibility for controlling the break in the hands of race favourites UAE Team Emirates, the riders worked to establish a lead that topped out at just over four minutes by the turn-around point at Bastogne, 100km into the race.

The tougher climbs that comprised the second part of the race allowed the peloton to take big chunks out of the breakaway's lead, but it was a large crash that came 98km from the finish that affected the race more than any single event up to that point. Coming one third of the way from the front of bunch, a number of big name riders were caught out - including Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) - as Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech), team-mate of Fleche Wallonne winner Stephen Williams, laid down the power in an effort to maximise their advantage.

The next 27km saw a game of hare and hounds, as the likes of Van der Poel and Pidcock had to decide whether to conserve energy or spend it in order to regain contact with the lead group. Pidcock chose the latter tactic, breaking clear with two other riders, while Van der Poel opted to let other potential contenders do most of the work for him. Pogacar, meanwhile, had no such dilemmas and was able to cruise along under the steam of his own team-mates.

The two parts of the peloton eventually did come back together, by which point it was only a matter of when Pogacar would attack. The moment he chose came on the same climb, La Redoute, as two-time champion Remco Evenepoel last year, but 1km sooner than the point Evenpoel picked to launch.

Richard Carapaz (EF Education First) was the only rider able to remain with him, and even he for not much more than a few hundred metres. Once Carapaz fell back to a reduced group of chasers Pogacar was on his way to a textbook solo triumph. Romain Bardet (dsm–firmenich PostNL) was the best of the riders behind, breaking clear of a small group made up mostly of Frenchman and Ben Healy (EF Education First) on the penultimate climb, and successfully staying clear to ride in 1'39" after the winner.

Van der Poel, despite being fully dropped by the lighter climbers on La Redoute, was able to return to contention, sprinting to third from a group of 25 riders to achieve another podium finish.

It was Pogacar's seventh victory in just 10 days of racing in 2024 and his second stunning solo win of the Spring Classics, after an 82km exhibition at Strade Bianche.

The race, said Pogacar, went as close to plan as possible considering the conditions: "The team did a super, super job. We rode hard on the climbs, safe on the downhills and on La Redoute we did exactly what we said we would. From then on it was all suffering to the finish."

He went on to dedicate the victory to the memory of his partner's mother, who died two years ago at this time of year.

"It has been a hard two years but I was riding for Urzka [Zygert]'s mother. I'm really glad I can win this beautiful race again. Thanks to all the team who worked for me today. I couldn't have done it without them. I am full of emotion."

Pogacar will next pin on a number at the Giro d'Italia, which starts in Piedmont in two weeks time.

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