UAE Team Emirates-XRG Reveals Lineup For Prestigious Liège-Bastogne-Liège Cycling Race

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG has unveiled its roster for the upcoming Liège-Bastogne-Liège race in Belgium. This event is one of cycling's most esteemed classic races. The team includes Felix Großschartner from Austria, Vegard Stake Laengen from Norway, Brandon McNulty from the USA, Domen Novak from Slovenia, Pavel Sivakov from France, and Florian Vermeersch from Belgium.

Three weeks after his latest Monument victory, Tadej Pogačar will lead the team at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. This race marks the conclusion of this year's spring Classics. It offers a final chance for top cyclists to compete before shifting focus to the Grand Tour season.

Pogačar recently secured second place at the Amstel Gold Race, demonstrating his readiness for the Ardennes Classics. These races feature some of the region's toughest climbs, including La Flèche Wallonne and La Doyenne. Meanwhile, in Spain, UAE Team Emirates-XRG aims to defend its title at the Vuelta Asturias Julio Alvarez Mendo.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège stands as the week's final race and is highly anticipated. As cycling's oldest Monument at 133 years old, it holds significant prestige. Over time, Pogačar and his team have claimed two victories here: in 2021 and 2024. These wins followed a third-place finish in 2020 and a crash in 2023 that impacted their season.

This year, Pogačar has enjoyed an uninterrupted Classics campaign. He won Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders while also securing podium finishes at Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, and Amstel Gold Race. His debut second-place finish at Paris-Roubaix was particularly impressive.

The Liège-Bastogne-Liège route covers 251.8km with 4,400m of climbing. Nine out of eleven categorised climbs occur within the last 100km. Historically, Côte de Stockeu was a feared climb where Eddy Merckx excelled during his career.

Looking Ahead to Future Races

Now with eight Monument victories under his belt, Pogačar looks forward to upcoming one-day races before focusing on preparing for this summer’s Tour de France. He stated: "I’ve enjoyed this Classics campaign a lot so far... The most suited race for me is probably Liege so I’m really looking forward to it in particular."

Pogačar has set ambitious goals for this period and remains focused on achieving them. With two key races left in his schedule, he emphasises that every competition holds importance as he continues his successful season.

With inputs from WAM