Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026: Favourites
fotobureau Cor VosCertainly, Tadej Pogacar is the man to beat at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. And luckily, it’s no ordinary bunch lining up for the third Monument of the season. With rising phenomenon Paul Seixas and a red-hot Remco Evenepoel, we can look forward to a thrilling edition of La Doyenne.
First published on 24 April 2026 - last updated on 25 april: Egan Bernal added
Two weeks ago, Seixas was untouchable at the Tour of the Basque Country. The 19-year-old Frenchman won three of the six stages as well as every classification. And it wasn’t as if the field was weak beforehand, as he was expected to face stiff competition from Del Toro and Ayuso. In reality, both were already on the ropes after the opening time trial and didn’t even make it to the end of the race.
Yes, it was Pogacar-esque in its brilliance…
Then, last Wednesday, Seixas left no doubt about who was strongest at La Flèche Wallonne, crowning himself the Slovenian’s successor with victory in the Ardennes Classic. It is therefore no surprise that the cycling world is eagerly awaiting a showdown between the two. Moreover, Evenepoel showed in last week’s Amstel Gold Race that he is in superb form as well. So, hopefully, we’ll see a clash between the three.
Over the past four editions, Liège–Bastogne–Liège has been a fairly straightforward affair. Each time, the race was won with a solo attack from La Redoute after the race had remained closed until that point. Evenepoel did it in 2022 and 2023, and Pogacar copied the formula in the two years that followed.
Doubtless, the best riders in the race — most likely Pogacar, Seixas and Evenepoel — will again put each other under real pressure on that iconic climb. For the sake of suspense, it would be best if, once over the top, there isn’t a ruthless solo rider off the front but a group of top contenders testing one another on the final climbs of Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Mattias Skjelmose might join in as well, along with Tom Pidcock, although it remains to be seen how well he has recovered from his crash in the Volta a Catalunya. He did, however, show some promising signs at the Tour of the Alps over the past week. As did Egan Bernal. The Colombian champion appears to be slowly but surely returning to his former self after his serious crash four years ago.
Pogacar and Evenepoel are the only former winners on the start line.
Favourites 2026 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
***** Tadej Pogacar
**** Paul Seixas, Remco Evenepoel
*** Mattias Skjelmose, Tom Pidcock, Lenny Martinez
** Egan Bernal, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Giulio Ciccone, Romain Grégoire
* Pello Bilbao, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Kévin Vauquelin, Mauro Schmid
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