Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge, live.

The Ardennes climbs of La Doyenne, a day before the pros

The Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge lets amateur cyclists ride the roads and côtes of the oldest cycling classic on the day before the professional race.

The 2027 edition is on Saturday 24 April, from Rue de l'Esplanade in Banneux, Sprimont, which is also the finish. Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest of the five cycling monuments, with a first edition in 1892, and that is why it is called La Doyenne. The number of participants is limited to 8,000 cyclists.

There are three routes. The 80 km has 1,500 m of climbing and 7 côtes, the 163 km has 2,600 m and 10 côtes, and the 250 km has 4,000 m and 12 côtes and gives the full experience of the race, including the Côte de La Redoute and the Roche-aux-Faucons. La Redoute is 2,100 m long at an average of over 8 percent, with pitches above 20 percent. The Côte de Saint-Roch in Houffalize is only 900 m long, but its first 600 m run between 13 and 18 percent.

Start times depend on the distance. The 250 km riders leave between 6:30 and 7:30, the 163 km between 7:30 and 10:00 and the 80 km between 9:00 and 10:30, and the finish closes at 20h. The 250 km has five feed stations, the 163 km three and the 80 km one, and the routes are signposted from start to finish.

The challenge suits well-prepared riders who like short, steep climbs, and the shorter routes still give a real taste of the Ardennes. Every rider gets a frame plate with a chip for the tracking points, a sticker showing the climbs and feed stations, and a medal at the finish.

On Livebib you can follow a cyclist who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. This is not the organiser's timing, and the official results come from the organiser.