Hello and welcome to live coverage of the fourth monument of the season, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, otherwise known as La Doyenne, or Old Lady. It's the oldest one-day race in the pro calendar and the last hurrah of the spring classic season before the Grand Tours get underway with next month's Giro d'Italia. So, without further ado...

Four riders have jumped the pack on this climb. That trio led over ahead and have build up a small lead with Tiralongo in pursuit.

We're onto the sixth climb, the Col du Maquisard (2km at 5%). The break is beginning to fracture, with Edet, De Gendt and De Marchi edging ahead.

We're hearing that Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) has withdrawn after a crash. Another Frenchman, Arthur Vichot (FDJ) has also called it a day, as have IAM pair Jarlinson Pantano and Vincente Reynes.

Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) is riding chasse papate between the break and the pack. The French veteran has about 40 seconds on the back so is within a minute of the break, who have dropped Pavel Brutt of Tinkoff. So just the seven men out in front now.

Martin and Alaphilippe represent real opposition for Valverde and means Etixx have two strong cards to play – perhaps in tandem – should they keep things in check during the race. Martin led briefly on the Mur de Huy before fading on Wednesday, but perhaps he was keeping something back for the big one. Other names to consider are 2014 champion Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge), former world champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida), Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and the in-form Italian Enrico Gasparotto (Wanty-Groupe Goubert) – although there's no space for local favourite Philippe Gilbert (BMC) who struggled in the past two races with a fractured finger.

Movistar are the team to beat, but Etixx-QuickStep have options. Irishman Dan Martin won this race in 2013 and almost doubled up a year later, crashing on the final bend after apparently riding over a rogue biro lying on the course. Martin warmed up with a solid third place in the Flèche Wallonne behind Valverde and 23-year-old team-mate Julian Alaphilippe, and he'll have high hopes of getting Etixx a first Monument win since Niki Terpstra's victory in the 2014 Paris-Roubaix.

Break tumbling down now - just 1:40 for the eight leaders. The weather improved, the sun came out, but now it's wet again. As variable as Ryder Hesjedsl's form out there today.

And another snow snap from one of the earlier climbs...

Despite that earlier spill - and the horrific conditions - Chris Froome still appears to be in the race.

Yates and Calmejane have called it a day, but Voeckler continues to try and make the break count. He's got about 50 metres over the pack. Meanwhile, the break crests the summit of the climb with Nicolas Edet taking the spoils. The gap is down to 2:40.

ATTACK: Two Direct-Energie riders have jumped clear of the Movistar-led pack: first Lilian Calmejane and then Thomas Voeckler. They're joined by Adam Yates of Orica-GreenEdge - but they're struggling to make any leeway, with Astana leading the chase.

Chris Froome was going to ride La Doyenne back in 2014 but pulled out at the 11th Hour because of a chest infection. If you don't recall this then you may recall images of the Sky rider using an inhaler a week later during the Tour of Romandie, which he won after controversially obtaining a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) certificate to treat his illness with a powerful corticosteroid. The last bona fide Tour champion to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège was Bernard Hinault in 1980 although Andy Schleck triumphed in 2009, which goes to show that lean, climbing whippets in the mould of Froome can perform in the Ardennes. But while it's unlikely that the Briton will provide anything more than support for team-mate Michal Kwiatkowski, his presence does add some glitter to proceedings. Froome isn't the only Grand Tour contender to look out for, either, with the likes of Romain Bardet (Ag2R-La Mondiale), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Richie Porte (BMC) all scheduled to start.

Meanwhile in a more clement neck of the European woods, Przemyslaw Niemiec of Lampre-Merida has won the opening stage of the Tour of Turkey. Watch the Polish veteran take the spoils below...

We're onto the fifth of 10 categorised climbs, the Col du Rosier (4.4km at 5.9%). The gap is down to 3:45 as Movistar continue their pursuit of the break. A victory today would put Valverde alongside Moreno Argentin with four Liege victories, one behind Eddy Merckx's record tally of five.

The fourth Monument of the year is also the last major one-day race before the Grand Tour season kicks off with May's Giro d'Italia. The challenging, hilly course traditionally attracts many of the kind of riders we'll be seeing a lot more of in the longer three-week stage races – including, this year, and for the first time since 2008, the man tipped to win his third yellow jersey in July. Team Sky's Chris Froome comes to the Belgian lowlands after an altitude training camp on Mount Teide in Tenerife and has been drafted into the squad following the loss of Sergio Henao, the Colombian who has been withdrawn from racing owing to on-going issues surrounding his biological passport.

The riders pass through the second feedzone at Stavelot. Hope they like soggy sandwiches...

It's really miserable out there now as the rain and sleet pounds down and tears apart the peloton! Stay tuned for a raft of withdrawals - it looks like a bad dream.

We're onto the Côte de la Haute-Levée (3.6km at 5.6%) and... it's started to rain again! Many of the riders in the peloton currently taking their jackets off will soon regret such slapdashery...

Wednesday's win on the Mur de Huy saw Valverde beat Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep) for a second year running – and the French youngster also finished behind his rival in last year's Old Lady. While a clear pattern is emerging it certainly means the rest of the field will be fully aware that Valverde and Alaphilippe are the men to beat. Hopefully this will mean they adapt accordingly. The current efforts to stem Valverde's indomitable run are obviously not working so the opposing teams will have to be bold and take the fight to Movistar earlier. This could mean a break in which the 35-year-old Spaniard doesn't feature actually sticks this time round. Or perhaps some kind of counter attack that may catch Valverde out near the finish. But one thing's certain: letting the race come down to the final steep rise to the line in Ans is like giving Valverde a cupcake and hoping he doesn't eat it.

Movistar control the peloton still and Valverde looks very comfortable. Interestingly, only Carlos Betancur looks to be wearing shorts - everyone else in the entire peloton seems to have opted for full leg-ins. Spanish veteran Valverde claimed his third successive Flèche win on Wednesday and is now targeting a third Flèche-Liège double of his career and a second in as many years. Finish on the podium and he'll become the most feted Ardennes rider in history. In short, is Roger De Vlaeminck can be called Mr Roubaix then Valverde really should be known henceforth as Señor Ardennes.

The leaders are onto a cobbled section ahead of the next climb. The gap has stablised at 4:20. And it looks like Chris Froome has had a little tumble at the back of the peloton - nothing serious, but he's on the side of the road remounting his steed.