Liège–Bastogne–Liège
Liège–Bastogne–Liège, often called La Doyenne (“the Old Lady”), is a two day ride in Belgium, and is one of the oldest monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar.
Distance (KM)
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This route offers plenty of flexibility and isn’t limited to the example shown here. There are many different ways to do this journey, and we can adapt it to your requirements. The options are endless, what you’ll find below is simply a typical itinerary.
Liège–Bastogne–Liège Bike Ride Itinerary
Pre-event
It’s all aboard the Eurostar for an afternoon / evening train over to Brussels, and then a transfer onto Liège where we spend our first night. You will have a chance to meet the pie crew over dinner, followed by a briefing for all cyclists.
Day 1 – Liege to Vielsalm – 150km approx.
After a hearty breakfast, we begin riding south-east out of Liège. Once outside the city, we gradually make our way south towards Bastogne.
The first major climb of the day is the Côte de la Roche-en-Ardenne (average gradient of 4.9%), at 70km into the ride. It’s then onto Bastogne (98km), before we turn and head back towards Liège.
The second climb of the day is the Côte de Saint-Roch, a short (800m), sharp (12%) hill that climbs from the beautiful town of Houffalize. This is the last major climb of the day as we gradually make our way north towards the town of Vielsalm (150km) and our overnight stop.
Day 2 – Vielsalm to Ans (Liege) 108 km approx.
If yesterday was a day for distance, today is the day for climbing! No less than 9 major climbs, including the monster Côte de Stockeu (15%), the Roche aux Faucons (12%), and the final sting in the tail of the Côte de Saint-Nicolas (11%). Much of the 4,000 m climbing will be tackled today!
Petrol-heads may catch a glimpse of the F1 Spa-Francorchamps circuit as we make our way north towards the town of Theux, before turning towards the west as we skirt around the suburbs of Liège and begin our approach to the uphill finish at Ans. Don’t forget to save some energy in the tank for the final few kilometres – they’ve been known to break many a pro!
The hotel will be a welcome sight after a hard day in the saddle, and we toast our success at the well-earned celebration meal in the evening!
Post Event – Travel Day
You can take the morning at your leisure, before boarding the train back to the UK. Options are available to spend the day in Brussels or Paris should connections allow.
