Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Rider Reconnaissance

With less than 48 hours to go until the start of Liège-Bastogne-Liège the majority of the racing peloton made the most of the fine spring weather during their reconnaissance over key sections of the route.

Leopard-Trek with the Schleck brothers at the helm will be hoping to end their classics duck but if they're to make the top step of the podium they'll need to beat the man of the moment Philippe Gilbert (Omega-Pharma Lotto). The Belgian has won his last three races including Amstel Gold and Fleche Wallonne. On Sunday he'll be looking to complete a rare triple by winning the race he's been aiming for all season.

However the field is one of the deepest in recent years and the likes of Dan Martin, Ryder Hesjdal (both Garmin-Cervelo), Igor Anton and Samuel Sanchez (both Euskatel) and defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) will all be looking to play a part.

Starting in Liège, the 255.5km race will head south to Bastogne before following the Luxembourg border back north towards Liège and the finish a few kilometres beyond the departure point an Ans. The parcours is what makes this monument so great. The road north to Ans is like a constant slap in the face, twisting and providing a rollercoaster ride over the final 100km.

The 10 key climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège:
Km 71.5 - Côte de Saint-Roch - 1.0km climb to 11%
Km 157.5 - Côte de Wanne - 2.7km climb to 7.3%
Km 164.5 - Côte de Stockeu (Stèle Eddy Merckx) - 1.0km climb to 12.2%
Km 170.0 - Côte de la Haute-Levée - 3.6km climb to 5.6%
Km 183.0 - Col du Rosier - 4.4km climb to 5.9%
Km 195.5 - Col du Maquisard - 2.5km climb to 5%
Km 206.0 - Mont-Theux - 2.6km climb to 5.9%
Km 220.5 - Côte de la Redoute - 2.0km climb to 8.8%
Km 236.0 - Côte de la Roche aux Faucons - 1.5km climb to 9.5%
Km 250.0 - Côte de Saint-Nicolas - 1.2km climb to 8.3%

 

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