Liège–Bastogne–Liège
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| Date | Late April |
|---|---|
| Region | Wallonia, Ardennes, Belgium |
| English name | Liège–Bastogne–Liège |
| Local name(s) | Liège–Bastogne–Liège (French) |
| Nickname(s) | La Doyenne ("The Old Lady") |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI World Tour |
| Type | One-day Classic |
| Organiser | Amaury Sport Organisation |
| Race director | Christian Prudhomme |
| First edition | 1892 |
| Editions | 102 (as of 2016) |
| First winner |
 Léon Houa (BEL)
|
| Most wins |
Eddy Merckx (BEL) (5 wins) |
| Most recent |
 Wout Poels (NED)
|
Liège–Bastogne–Liège, often called La Doyenne ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium. First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar; usually coming as the last of the spring classics. It is held annually in late April, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, from Liège to Bastogne and back.
It is considered one of the most arduous one-day cycling events in the world because of its length and demanding course. The most successful rider with five victories is Belgian rider Eddy Merckx, trailed by Italian Moreno Argentin who won four times in the 1980s. In recent times Spaniard Alejandro Valverde won the race three times.
Liège–Bastogne–Liège is part of the UCI World Tour competition. It is the concluding race of the Ardennes Classics series, which includes La Flèche Wallonne. Both are organised by French owner Amaury Sport Organisation, which also organises the Tour de France and Paris–Roubaix.
In 2017, a women's version of Liège–Bastogne–Liège will be inaugurated. The event will be included in the 2017 UCI Women's World Tour.
Like many of cycling's classics, Liège–Bastogne–Liège was first organized by a newspaper (L'Expresse). Because the paper was published in French, aimed at a French-Belgian audience, the route has always stayed in the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium.
The race had its first running for amateurs in 1892, from Spa to Bastogne and back, over a 250 km distance. As bicycles were expensive in the late 19th century, cycling was considered an exclusive sport for the wealthy, and the event was considered a "gentlemen's affair". 33 riders from the Liège cycling union and the Pesant Club Liégois, all Belgians and most of them from Liège, took the start. Only 17 finished. The course halfway turn point was the train station in Bastogne, chosen because of its convenience for race officials. Some tired riders abandoned the race in Bastogne and took the train back to Spa.Léon Houa, a Liège native, won the race after 10 hours and 48 minutes on the bike. The second-place finisher, Léon Lhoest, came in at 22 minutes, the third, Louis Rasquinet, at 44 minutes. Riders kept arriving for another five hours.
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