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April 22 ^nd 2023 - 17:44

The 7th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes brings significant novelties, including the Wanne, Stockeu and Haute-Levée triptych, to make it an even more challenging race for the riders who dream of glory in the Ardennes. "It will be the hardest version of Liège-Bastogne-Liège we ever had", says Demi Vollering (SD Worx), aiming for a historic treble after her successes in the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne Femmes. The defending champion, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) is also "confident" while rivals such as Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) and Gaia Realini (Trek-Segafredo) rate their options to crack SD Worx.

A COUPLE OF NOVELTIES AND A "MUCH MORE DIFFICULT" COURSE

The 7th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes brings significant novelties to make the race harder and provide a course closer to the one of the men’s. "Every year, we’ve added a climb", explains Yannick Talabardon, the director of the race. "Now it’s time to bring the wall of Stockeu, which means the women will face the triptych with the climbs of Wanne and Haute-Levée for the first time. It will make it much more difficult." The last 110km of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes 2023 are virtually the same as in the men’s race, except for the ascent of the Col du Maquisard, leading the women towards the final challenges of the day. "The last 35 km are very tough, with another novelty: the ascent of La Redoute is slightly shortened and the climb of Cornémont will sap legs on narrow demanding roads", describes Talabardon. According to him, the big showdown could be played out before the rains shower Liège: "the latest forecasts suggest it will be dry, with 11°C, which is good for a bike race."

VOLLERING GOES FOR THE TREBLE: "IT’S MY FAVOURITE RACE"

The treble Amstel-Flèche-Liège is among the most sought after prowesses in the classics. Anna van der Breggen achieved it as soon as the opportunity arose, with the first edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes and the return of the Amstel Gold Race Ladies in 2017. Six years later, it’s time for Demi Vollering (also a winner in Liège in 2021) to try and emulate her former leader, now her trainer and sports director with SD Worx. "It’s amazing", the young Dutch star says. "I don’t really focus on this but it’s in the back of my head. Liège is my favourite race. In my first pro year, I was already 3rd here and I have some really good memories from training in the Ardennes, so I’m really motivated for this race. Stockeu is a really interesting climb. I’m really curious about what will happen here. I think it will be the hardest version of Liège-Bastogne-Liège we ever had, so I’m looking forward to it."

DEFENDING CHAMPION VAN VLEUTEN IS "CONFIDENT"

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), the defending champion in Liège and the reigning world champion, is yet to claim victory in 2023, an unprecedented drought for her at this stage of the season since 2016. In recent years, the Oranje star has evolved into a supremely dominant champion and she’s willing to show it again on Sunday: "I’m quite confident! I was a bit disappointed after Flèche but in the end I think I’m in a good shape actually, looking at the result of the different riders who followed my attack on the second ascent of the Mur de Huy. Liège is also a race that suits me better, it’s the one that suits me the best. We have 2,300m of elevation, that’s good for me. And I have great teammates. Liane [Lippert] is quite fast for the finish, so it makes sense to save her a little bit more. Overall, I expect an aggressive race with many teams coming with a plan. It’s good for women’s racing."

RIVALS UNITE: "WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO BEAT SD WORX"

Eleven one-day events have been raced so far in the 2023 UCI Women’s WorldTour, and SD Worx have won six of them. "I know that SD Worx use strength in number, however in the past races there is more of a focus on one rider so of course everybody will be watching Demi tomorrow", says Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), who used to race for the Dutch powerhouse until last year. "I think the way we have to beat them is with explosivity and cohesion, not only in our team, but maybe in the whole peloton. When we get away, we have to go together, especially if they aren’t there. So tomorrow we’ll do our best to beat SD Worx." The only rival to have beaten Vollering in recent weeks, in the Brabantse Pijl, Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) wants to repeat her feat: "Obviously, I don’t like to start and go for 2nd place, so we always go for the win. We’ll have to look at Demi, she’s a favourite, and see what we can do ourselves." Already a podium finisher in Liège (3rd in 2017), on the move on Wednesday, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram) also aims to shake SD Worx: "We will try to perhaps isolate her, to create a race where she has no teammates. The race is very demanding towards the end so hopefully we can just outnumber her."

POCKET CLIMBER REALINI AIMS FOR THE SUMMITS

21 years old, 150 cm, 40 kg… and huge waves in the making! Gaia Realini (Trek-Segafredo) is the new sensation from Italy, riding to the podium of La Flèche Wallonne (3rd) on Wednesday. "I’m very grateful to the team with the way they allow me to progress step by step and with the opportunities they’re giving me in this classics campaign", says the young rider from Pescara. "It’s my first year in the WorldTour and they already set me up for a podium in the Flèche! Normally, I prefer longer efforts but classics like Flèche or Liège are also good for me, because the addition of climbing takes a toll on everyone and only the bests remain at the front. Liège may be even better in that regard." Among her elders, Realini feels ready to make the most of her lightweight: "When you’re little, some may point at you like ‘oh, look how small she is’ but it’s great for me! I can always find shelter from the wind."

HOW TO FOLLOW THE RACE

The 2023 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes will start at 8:35 and benefit from an extended coverage. The first images from the team presentation and the start will be available on the social media accounts of the event. The whole race is covered live on the official website (liege-bastogne-liege-femmes.be), ahead of the TV retransmission, with 1h45 of live images available from 11:15 in more than 180 territories. After the race, fans will be able to enjoy the key moments of the day with the race highlights on the official media of the race, news agency and online platforms.