Tadej Pogačar had to push himself to the limit to overcome Paul Seixas.
Photo by POOL BERNARD PAPON / BELGA MAG / BELGA VIA AFP
After a spectacular battle with Paul Seixas, Tadej Pogačar finally broke the resistance of the French rider, who claimed a brilliant second place at the finish line, to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège for the fourth time—his third consecutive victory.
The fourth Monument of the season has been decided: Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which was expected to be a summit duel between the winners of the last five editions: Tadej Pogačar (27, UAE Team Emirates – XRG), champion in 2021, 2024, and 2025, against local hero Remco Evenepoel (26, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe), winner in 2022 and 2023. Would Paul Seixas (19, Decathlon CMA CGM Team) play the role of spoiler?
But from the start, everything changed completely. After a crash, the peloton was split in two—with Pogačar and Seixas in the trailing group! A group of about fifty riders led by Evenepoel saw their advantage grow exponentially, reaching four minutes.
It took more than 50 kilometers for the gap to start shrinking. The teams of the favorites began working, the deficit dropped to two minutes, and the chase took its toll: Evenepoel lost his only teammate ahead, Nico Denz. Pogačar, meanwhile, had to rely on one of his trusted men, Tim Wellens, to pull early, while Paul Lapeira could not keep up with Seixas.
The group containing Pogačar and Seixas slowly closed the gap, and four riders seized the opportunity to attack at the front: Alexander Kamp (Uno-X Mobility), Pascal Eenkhoorn (Soudal Quick-Step), Gijs Leemreize (Team Picnic PostNL), and Hugo Houle (Alpecin-Premier Tech). Evenepoel’s group temporarily surrendered, and the general regrouping occurred 90 kilometers from the finish, just before the first major difficulties.
The breakaway was neutralized early on the Côte de Stockeu. The race pace dropped, which was logical after the early high-speed hours. UAE Team Emirates – XRG took control, and it was clear that Pogačar would launch his attack at any moment.
Pogačar’s teammates gradually increased the pace, aiming to thin out the peloton. It was obvious that the world champion would attack on the Côte de La Redoute (1.6 km at 9.1%), and so he did: Evenepoel had already fallen behind before the attack, and the rest also dropped off. Everyone, except Paul Seixas.
Behind, only Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl – Trek) maintained a reasonable distance, but he was quickly absorbed by the “peloton.” The victory was between the two leaders; the only question was whether the Frenchman could hold on over the last two climbs. He managed the Côte des Forges without issues, but the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.3 km at 10.1%) presented the major obstacle.
From the start of the climb, Pogačar pushed hard, and Seixas resisted for a while, but 500 meters from the summit, he had to yield, overpowered by the Slovenian’s class.
He fell short by 500 meters, but once again, the French rider was the “best of the rest.” A second place that is undoubtedly an incredible result for his first participation in La Doyenne.
The winner, once again, is Tadej Pogačar, who continues to prove he is the strongest, although today he had to give everything. But the Slovenian maintains his superiority over his rivals and conquers Liège-Bastogne-Liège for the fourth time, his third consecutive win—a triple not seen since Moreno Argentin in the 1980s.
Mentions: Road Cycling, Liège-Bastogne-Liège Races, Tadej Pogacar, Paul Seixas