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Gallery: Liege-Bastogne-Liege teams presentation

By Cycling News

published 20 April 2013

Contador, Nibali and Rodriguez headline

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Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) (Image credit: Sirotti)

RadioShack Leopard general manager Luca Guercilena(Image credit: Sirotti)

Davide Cimolai (Lampre - Merida) (Image credit: Sirotti)

Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R - La Mondiale) has a number of results so far this year(Image credit: Sirotti)

Simone Ponzi and Andriy Grivko (Astana)(Image credit: Sirotti)

Carlos Alberto Betancur (AG2R - La Mondiale) (Image credit: Sirotti)

Damiano Cunego (Lampre) has not been in top form during the Ardennes(Image credit: Sirotti)

Team Sky's Richie Porte(Image credit: Sirotti)

Blanco arrive in Liege with a strong team(Image credit: Sirotti)

The Lampre - Merida team(Image credit: Sirotti)

Nicolas Roche (Team Saxo Bank Tinkoff) arrives in Liege(Image credit: Sirotti)

Team Saxo Bank Tinkoff are presented to the crowd(Image credit: Sirotti)

Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma - QuickStep) has had a strong start to the seaon(Image credit: Sirotti)

Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) will most likely ride for Alejandro Valverde(Image credit: Sirotti)

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) is a strong favourite after his Trentino win(Image credit: Sirotti)

RadioShack - Leopard(Image credit: Sirotti)

Marco Marzano and Maurizio Piovani (Lampre - Merida) (Image credit: Sirotti)

Katusha will be led by Rodriguez and Moreno(Image credit: Sirotti)

Matteo Montaguti (AG2R - La Mondiale)(Image credit: Sirotti)

Maxim Iglinsky (Astana)(Image credit: Sirotti)

Giovanni Visconti (Movistar)(Image credit: Sirotti)

Moreno Moser (Cannondale) (Image credit: Sirotti)

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) greets the media(Image credit: Sirotti)

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Tinkoff)(Image credit: Sirotti)

Moreno Moser (Cannondale) (Image credit: Sirotti)

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)(Image credit: Sirotti)

With no Sagan Cannondale will look to Moser for a result(Image credit: Sirotti)

Former Amstel Gold winner Enrico Gasparotto (Astana)(Image credit: Sirotti)

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Tinkoff)(Image credit: Sirotti)

The Movistar squad wait to be called onto the stage(Image credit: Sirotti)

Michele Scarponi will lead the Lampre team(Image credit: Sirotti)

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) is a strong favourite after his Trentino win(Image credit: Sirotti)

On Saturday the Palais Provincial in Liege became the central point of the cycling world with some of the best riders in the world arriving for the teams' presentation of Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, Joaquim Rodriguez, Ryder Hesjedal and last year's winner Maxim Iglinskiy all took part in the festivities but with less than 24 hours to go until the start of the final Classic of the spring, the excitement was already rising.

For many teams Liege-Bastogne-Liege represents a last chance saloon for their Classics aspirations. Omega Pharma-Quick Step, Sky and BMC all have a point to prove after missing out on a major Classics win, while Belgium has had a disappointing campaign all-round with their two brightest stars in Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert coming up short.

The latter has one more chance to break his 2013 duck but just like in Fleche Wallonne earlier in the week the world champion will be a marked man.

With a predictively significant course change inside the final third of the race and no single clear favourite for the race, Liege-Bastogne-Liege could be the most open Classic of the season so far.