La Doyenne drama: Revisiting the best Liege-Bastogne-Liege races

It's the oldest one-day monument and the last of the Ardennes Classics - we look back at some of the best performances and editions of Liege-Bastogne-Liege in recent years as the 2023 race approaches this Sunday on SBS.

Demi Vollering wins the 2021 edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes (L) and Julian Alaphilippe celebrates too early at the finish of the 2020 Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Source: Getty

Watch all the action from the men's and women's 2023 Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 23 LIVE and FREE on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.

From the Belgian town of Liege to Bastogne and back again, the 'Old Lady' has captivated cycling fans for over 100 years, with an arduous route featuring multiple gruelling climbs including the Côte de la Redoute (2km, 8.9%) and Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.3km, 11%).

The race is always a tactical affair, with riders always waiting for the right moment to strike and split the peloton or get up the road solo, which has led to incredible attacks and finishes.

Remco goes nuclear on Redoute

Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) became the first Belgian to win Liege in 11 years after an amazing performance in 2022 where he showcased his power and IQ to leave the other contenders for dead.

The Belgian was under pressure early in the race as a strong Bahrain-Victorious team tried numerous times to split the race apart and tire out his teammates, but the peloton stayed together into the Côte de la Redoute with 30 kilometres to go.

Two kilometres later as they neared the top of Redoute, Evenepoel unleashed a devastating attack that immediately had his rivals scrambling to follow, and once he reached the descent he was gone.

One by one he picked off the remnants of the day's breakaway and only extended his lead on the ensuing climbs, able to begin the celebrations in the final three kilometres as he became the youngest rider to win a monument in over 50 years.

Van der Breggen eclipses Spratt in Ans

Heading into the second ever Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes, it seemed the biggest challenge standing between Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) and a second straight title was the in-form Mitchelton-SCOTT pair of Annemiek van Vleuten and Australian Amanda Spratt.

And it was clear all three were deserved favourites in the decisive kilometres of the race, with van der Breggen working to close down an earlier attack by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot before being joined at the front by a larger group containing Spratt and van Vleuten shortly after.

With 20 kilometres to go, Spratt took her chance to launch a big attack that none behind could follow, and the Australian looked to be in with a great chance of a title. But the might of van der Breggen shone through, the Dutchwoman chasing down and dropping Spratt on the uphill drag to the line to win her second straight Liege.

Alaphilippe celebrates... second

The finish of the 2020 Liege-Bastogne-Liege was one of controversy and drama, as an elite group of pre-race favourites contested the bunch sprint.

After being held up in an earlier crash, World Champion Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) attacked up the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons with 14 kilometres to go, shredding the peloton.

Marc Hirschi (Team DSM), Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) were the only riders to follow Alaphilippe to make up an all-star lead group at the head of the race.

Things got nervy as the group approached the finish with Alaphilippe almost crashing, as Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-McLaren) managed to bridge across and over the top, with Alaphilippe leading out the sprint around him in the last hundred metres.

But in an errant move, Alaphilippe deviated from his sprint line and blocked Pogacar and Hirschi, not noticing Roglic sprinting in a clean lane. The Frenchman raised his arms in expected victory before the line just as Roglic caught and pipped him with a perfectly timed bike throw to steal the race.

Perfect team tactics give Vollering dream win

SD Worx have long been one of the strongest teams in the Women's World Tour, and the 2021 Liege Femmes was no different as two-time champion Anna van der Breggen turned super domestique to deliver teammate Demi Vollering the biggest win of her career to date.

Van der Breggen took the front of the peloton from the base of the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons with 14 kilometres to go and set a destructive tempo, thinning out the group and achieving the team's objective by dropping big pre-race favourite Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma).

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) attacked from the lead group shortly after which distanced Vollering, but she was able to get back and when she did, van der Breggen turned up the heat again, single-handedly pulling the group with her teammate for 10 kilometres into the finish.

Van der Breggen led out the sprint as van Vleuten jumped ahead with Vollering in her wheel, and the younger Dutchwoman shot from around her compatriot to sprint to an incredible career victory and cap a tactically dominant performance from SD Worx.

Watch all the best cycling events in the world on SBS On Demand, with the Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes and much more.