Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026: Route

Sunday 26 April – Liège–Bastogne–Liège covers 259.5 kilometres and just under 4,100 metres of climbing. The route rises and falls throughout the day, but as always the climbing intensifies dramatically in the second half of the course. The steep La Roche-aux-Faucons is the final climb, with the summit 13.3 kilometres from the finish.

The riders penetrate the Ardennes on rolling roads before turning back at the roundabout in Bastogne. The only official climb in that segment is the Côte de Saint-Roch in MTB mecca Houffalize.

At the southernmost point, the riders have 96.6 kilometres in their legs. From there, they head towards the Col de Haussire and, via a long false flat, reach Baraque de Fraiture – the highest point of the route at 649 metres above sea level. But, in all fairness, Liège-Bastogne-Liège doesn’t really get going until the Côte de Wanne comes into play. That’s at roughly 88 kilometres from the finish line, with eight of the eleven official climbs still to come.

Within 11 kilometres of the Wanne the riders crest the Côte de Stockeu and Côte de Haute-Levée. They then descend to the foot of the Col du Rosier, which is the longest climb of the day - 4.4 kilometres at 5.9%.

And... on we go. The energy-sapping Côte de Desnié precedes La Redoute. This is a drumroll section, because the iconic climb has often proved decisive in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Rising sharply from the Amblève valley, the Redoute serves up 1.6 brutal kilometres at an average gradient of 9.4%. There is barely any downhill afterwards, as the riders soon climb 1.8 kilometres at 4% towards Cornémont, followed by a descent to the foot of the Côte des Forges: 1.3 kilometres at 7.8%. From the summit, 23.3 kilometres remain.

It begins with a short plateau and, after the plunge, it’s time for the final classified climb. La Roche-aux-Faucons rises for 1.3 kilometres at an average of 11%, but again, there's no downhill at the summit. Soon the road continues uphill for 2.1 kilometres at 4.5% towards Boncelles, a suburb of Liège.

Then it’s a slightly downhill section of just over 5 kilometres, followed by a fast 3-kilometre descent into Liège. Once in the city, the final 2 kilometres are flat.

Tadej Pogacar won the last two editions with a solo from La Redoute. The Slovenian also triumphed in Liège in 2021, so one more victory would see him equal Moreno Argentin and Alejandro Valverde on four wins. Eddy Merckx holds the record: the Cannibal won La Doyenne five times.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2026.