Five talking points ahead of Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes 2023

The 2023 edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes brings with it plenty of talking points as the women’s peloton embark on the third and final instalment of the Ardennes Classics.

Demi Vollering (SD Worx) and Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) are the overwhelming favourites for Liege-Bastogne-Liege Source: Getty

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Over 142 testing kilometres and eight energy-sapping hills will close the chapter on the Spring Classics season, one that has seen some remarkable racing throughout Belgium and the Netherlands, and promises an unforgettable finale.

So, without further ado, here are five talking points to ponder ahead of the women’s race:

Ardennes triple on the table

Demi Vollering could become the fourth rider to claim the Ardennes triple after opening the Spring Classics season with victories in both the Amstel Gold Race and Fleche Wallonne.

Anna van der Breggen was the first – and only – women’s rider to achieve such a feat back in 2017 – the first season in which all three events were available on the women’s calendar.

Davide Rebellin (2004) and Philippe Gilbert (2011) are the only two to complete the treble in the men’s peloton, though they, too, could be joined by Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) this weekend.

Nevertheless, SD Worx will undoubtedly throw their support behind Vollering in Liege, with the 26-year-old adding: “the form is really good, so of course, I now hope to also fight for the victory in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.”

Van Vleuten vulnerable?

Annemiek van Vleuten may be the defending champion at Liege-Bastogne-Liege but even she feels her days at the top of the Ardennes Classics could be numbered.

Van Vleuten has only managed two top-10 finishes (Strade Bianche and Fleche Wallonne) in six one-day events thus far, with victory continuing to prove elusive for the usually dominant 40-year-old.

As a result, concerns around her form have since started to swirl, but the Movistar rider believes it’s purely a by-product of an improved peloton in comparison to previous years.

“I am not feeling bad, I feel like I’m up there like in other years, but others were better,” Van Vleuten said after Fleche Wallonne.

“Of course, I’m not racing for a result like seventh… after today I can conclude that I’m not in the same position as I used to be in other Ardennes campaigns.”

Two Cotes to the story

While the addition of the Stockeu, positioned between the Cote de Wanne and Cote de la Haute-Levee, will make for a pivotal early portion of the race, it is the Cote de la Redoute and Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons that will prove decisive.

Both Cotes have combined to decide the previous six editions of Liege, last won by Annemiek van Vleuten after the Dutchwoman first attacked over la Redoute to catch breakaway rider Marlen Reusser and did so again over the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons to pass Grace Brown and cross the line 43 seconds ahead of the chase.

This year’s race will feature eight climbs, with Redoute spanning 1.6 kilometres at 9.4% and la Roche-aux-Faucons rounding out the lot with 1.3 kilometres at 11%.

Contenders to remember

While Demi Vollering and Annemiek van Vleuten loom as the overwhelming favourites, there are a host of other riders who could challenge for the line in Liege.

Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) enters the race in good form after finishing inside the top 10 at both Amstel and Fleche, as does Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Longo Borghini who boasts a podium to her name at this event two years ago.

Australian Grace Brown has also emerged as a contender, the FDJ-SUEZ rider placing sixth at Amstel and skipping the Fleche in favour of Liege.

Other riders to watch include Liane Lippert (Movistar), Mavi Garcia (Liv Racing TeqFind), Kasia Niewiadoma, Soraya Paladin and Elise Chabbey (all Canyon-SRAM), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep), Evita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) and Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM).

We want more

Lizzie Deignan has a clear message for organisers RCS Sport: make all five Monuments available on the women’s calendar.

Deignan will line up in Liege having won three different Monuments in her career – the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege – but there are two more she’d like to claim.

“I’m the rider with the most Monuments at the moment,” Deignan said. “So I’d like to try and go for new Monuments.

“We don’t have, or maybe we do, but we don’t know yet – Milan-San Remo and Lombardia. So I would love to be able to aim for five Monuments in my career, that would be special.”

Flanders first joined the women’s calendar back in 2004, with Liege later launching in 2017 and Paris-Roubaix in 2021. RCS Sport have confirmed plans to expand their slate of Monuments, though it remains to be seen when.

SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand will provide all the action from the women’s and men’s races, with coverage commencing from 7:25pm (AEST) on April 23.