<\/p>\n
The last Spring Classic of the year goes down Sunday. Just like so many races this year, there is a large Canadian contingent\u2013with several of them being candidates for a big result.<\/p>\n
As world champion and defending winner, Poga\u010dar has turned this spring into a procession. When he\u2019s like this, Li\u00e8ge stops being tactical and becomes a war of attrition. The climbs \u2014 Wanne, Stockeu, Haute-Lev\u00e9e, then La Redoute, come in relentless waves, usually blowing the race apart before Roche-aux-Faucons.<\/p>\n
Double Olympic champ Remco Evenepoel, a two-time winner, looms as the obvious challenger.
Then there\u2019s Paul Seixas, no longer just a wildcard after a sharp Ardennes showing.<\/p>\n
Behind them, riders like Mattias Skjelmose and K\u00e9vin Vauquelin wait for cracks. Still, this feels like it runs through three names: Poga\u010dar, Evenepoel, and maybe the French prodigy Seixas. Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team\u2019s Tom Pidcock has just returned to racing and snagged a win at the Tour of the Alps. If he\u2019s recovered from the stage race that finished Friday, count him in for some fireworks.<\/p>\n
Canada has a few options in the men\u2019s race. Michael Leonard has been riding well with his new EF Education \u2013 EasyPost squad, and is racing. Alpecin-Premier Tech\u2019s Hugo Houle is the other Canuck racing La Doyenne.<\/p>\n
Defending winner Kimberley Le Court is absent as she recovers from injury after a crash at Tour of Flanders. The spotlight shifts to on-form Demi Vollering and Puck Pieterse, the latter emerging as a genuine rival after a breakout spring. Pieterse almost caught the European champ on the line at Fl\u00e8che Wallonne, after it seemed like Vollering had ridden away with it on the Mur de Huy.<\/p>\n
The 156-km route is relentless. Early changes bring in the Col de Haussire before the familiar run of climbs, Wanne, Stockeu, Haute-Lev\u00e9e, softening legs before La Redoute. From there, it\u2019s the usual finale: pressure builds into Roche-aux-Faucons before the run to Li\u00e8ge.<\/p>\n
There are even more Canadians in the women\u2019s race. Visma- Lease a Bike\u2019s Sarah Van Dam has been flying this spring, and if she can make a final selection, her kick might give her a great result. But the top Canadian favourite has to be world champ Magdeleine Valli\u00e8res Mill (EF Education-Oatly) who has targeted the Ardennes as a big goal. She took a solid sixth at La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne<\/a>, on a course which, despite the hills, isn\u2019t totally suited for her. LBL is even better as it\u2019s grittier, longer and a race of attrition\u2013perfect for the tough as clous Sherbrooke native.<\/p>\n Lidl-Trek\u2019s Isabella Holmgren also knows pretty damn well how to go fast up climbs\u2013she\u2019s another one that will definitely be in the mix. She looked good at Fl\u00e8che, fading a bit at the end on the Mur de Huy, but the repeated climbs at Li\u00e8ge could result in a big day for her as well. And guess who else is racing? Mara Roldan (Team Picnic PostNL) is back after suffering a concussion just days after finishing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. She was hit by a driver and had another setback after a long recovery from her crash at the Tour of Britain. Finally, the St Michel \u2013 Preference Home \u2013 Auber93 duo of national champ Alison Jackson and Clara \u00c9mond complete a stellar Canadian line up for Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge.<\/p>\n