Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge 2026

The route

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest Classic in cycling, with editions dating back to 1892. The popular edition, the LBL Challenge, takes place on 25 April from Liège on three distances: 260 km, 170 km, and 100 km. The 260 km route follows the same course as the professionals: south to Bastogne through the Belgian Ardennes and back through the côtes that define the race — La Redoute (2 km at 8.9%), the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons, and the finish in Liège. Riding the same 260 kilometres as the professionals on the same weekend is something very few sportives anywhere in the world can genuinely offer. La Doyenne earns that name.

The Belgian Ardennes is a rolling plateau cut through by river valleys that drop steeply. The LBL côtes are not Alpine passes: they are short, hard climbs, often on old road surfaces with narrow edges, where the maximum gradient arrives in the final 300 metres. La Redoute, averaging 8.9% over 2 km, is the best known and the one that does the most damage at kilometre 200-plus of a 260 km day. The 170 km route covers the heart of the race without the long approach to Bastogne. The 100 km option is the way to experience the atmosphere and the main côtes without committing the full day.

April in the Belgian Ardennes is the definition of variable weather: 8-15°C, frequent rain, possible mud on road edges, and wind that can come from almost any direction depending on the frontal system of the day. The dominant SW Atlantic wind is most common in Belgium at this time of year, and on the open plateau sections it can arrive at 20-35 km/h. The forested côtes are relatively sheltered, but the linking sections that cross the open plateau between valleys can be very exposed. Over 260 km of Ardennes in April, weather is an integral part of the experience: La Doyenne has been raced in mud, snow, and cold throughout its history, and the popular edition is no different.

Liège is a Belgian industrial city with good rail connections to Brussels, Antwerp, and Paris. Brussels airport is under an hour away by train. The LBL Challenge is one of the largest cycling sportives in Europe and registration needs to be managed well in advance. For 260 km in the Ardennes in April: overshoes, rain gloves, a light waterproof, and the mental readiness that it may rain all day and you will still reach Liège having covered the same kilometres as La Doyenne. That means something that cannot be measured in kilometres.

Variants and GPX

Past editions

Real Open-Meteo weather on each edition day.

How to register

Registration, price and rules are on the official website of the organization. Official march website →

More information

All marches in Belgium
Keep reading about planning routes with wind