All set for La Doyenne: Liège – Bastogne – Liège awaits for IPT on Sunday
Just like that, it’s time for the final Monument of the spring: Liège – Bastonge – Liège.
Sunday marks the 111th edition of La Doyenne, with IPT’s involvement in it dating back to 2020. The team has placed a rider in top 15 in every edition, including fifth with Mike Woods in 2021, which is worth noting given the race’s distance (252 kilometers), elevation gain (4,400 meters), and habitual spring-like conditions.
“The length of the race is difficult, and the climbs are harder than the other Ardennes races,” says Sports Director Daryl Impey. “The thing with Liège is that it is packed at the end of the race – the last 90 kilometers are where the challenges are and the action happens.
“Also, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons [the top of which comes around 13 kilometers from the finish, albeit with more climbing after] is a very decisive moment in the race. That opens up a lot of attacks, which can make for a different finale to the other Ardennes races.”
IPT’s line-up features Jakob Fuglsang, the solo winner in 2019 who is making his 14th start in the race, Joe Blackmore, winner of the under-23 version in 2023, and Alexey Lutsenko, who placed eighth last year, finishing in the group that contested for the podium.
“I’ve raced here many times before, with a top 10 last year, so I have good experience of the race,” says Lutsenko. “The recon we did proved how hard this race is, but the feeling in my legs is better than it was before Amstel and Flèche.
“It’s a beautiful race and if you are in good shape it’s a lot better! If you have good legs on La Redoute you will be in the race. I hope that I can have a nice result.”
Having been the only rider to follow Belgian duo Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert when they attacked at Brabantse Pijl on Good Friday, Blackmore went on to finish 14th in both Amstel Gold Race last Sunday and Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne.
While finishing in and around the same position on Sunday would represent an encouraging end to his first full Ardennes campaign, the 22-year-old British rider wants to sign off this part of his 2025 season with a strong result.
He says: “The form is good – I’ve had a nice run of races this spring. The results haven’t been anything crazy, but they’ve been good rides, so I can be confident.”
Despite being around 75 kilometers shorter, the under-23 parcours featured five of the same climbs – from the Côte de Mont-le-Soir through to the famous Côte de la Redoute – that will play a crucial part in the pro race on Sunday.
“Yeah, it was nice to see these roads again,” he adds. “But it’s a hard race! The way I’ll race on Sunday is different to how I did for the under-23 event: I’m not a favorite against these guys. It’s all about saving energy, trying to be in the right position, and going hard when I need to.”
While the startlist features obvious favorites – Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar, winners of the past four editions, are both in action – Impey feels IPT has enough to be competitive in Liège.
“We’ve got an experienced team here,” he says. “We’re fortunate that in Luts and Joe, we’ve got two guys who can go the distance. Add in Jakob, who comes here off the back of a strong performance at the Tour of the Alps – we think he could go far into the race.
“Against such a quality field, it’s exciting for us as a team to have these guys.”
Israel – Premier Tech at Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Sunday April 27)
Riders: George Bennett (NZL), Joe Blackmore (GBR), Simon Clarke (AUS), Jakob Fuglsang (DEN), Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ), Nick Schultz (AUS), Stevie Williams (GBR)
Sports Directors: Daryl Impey (RSA), René Mandri (EST)
