"It’s all about Tadej Pogacar" - Johan Bruyneel gives the rest of the peloton little chance at Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2025
Cycling
Johan Bruyneel has shared his insights on what could unfold at this Sunday’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege during a recent episode of Lance Armstrong’s WEDU podcast. The former directeur sportif of the US Postal team, who worked closely with Armstrong, weighed in on his top pick for the race.
Although recent editions might suggest a two-man showdown, Bruyneel sees it differently: “It’s starting to sound repetitive and maybe even boring when you consider that, over the past four years, only two riders have won this race - Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, with two wins each. Based on what we’ve seen, if you had asked me after the Amstel Gold Race, I might’ve said it was 50-50. But for me, it’s not. It’s all about Tadej Pogacar.”
Despite his confidence, Bruyneel acknowledged that Pogacar’s victory isn’t guaranteed: “The only way I see him losing is if something unexpected happens - crashes, mechanical issues, punctures, or tactical mistakes. Otherwise, he’s the clear favourite.”
The race, known for its punishing climbs, could still throw up surprises. After Pogačar paid the price for attacking too early at the Amstel Gold Race, it’s likely he’ll be more calculated this Sunday - waiting for the decisive moment to launch his winning move.
So what do you think? Is Pogacar the undeniable favourite, as Bruyneel suggests, or do you see one of the like of Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock, or another outsider pulling off a surprise like we saw at the Amstel Gold Race?
Read also
🔥 A la conquête de Liège ! Qui l'emportera ?
— Liège-Bastogne-Liège (@LiegeBastogneL) April 26, 2025
🔥 All eyes on Liège! Who will win?#LBL pic.twitter.com/8Z9esiVwh7
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- Technically it is "strictly forbidden to deviate from the lane they selected when launching into the sprint and, in so doing, endangering others". But: 1. Marie did not endangered anyone. 2. Above rule 2.3.036 is a Road Cycling rule not CX. 3. In Cyclocross we have only not well defined "irregular sprint" without description what would that mean. But even if you use 2.3.036 for CX it is still wrongly applied rule.averagecyclist10-11-2026
- Technically, leedorney is correct. There was a deviation. It was just a very questionable call to disqualify Marie from the victory, especially since she most likely would have won regardless of it..
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - You're WRONG!!! ... Capish?PogiSloFans10-11-2026
- ALBERTO CONTADOR isn't the only former cycling star who is praising Pogačar as the "greatest rider in history." EDDY MERCKX about TADEJ POGAČAR: “He has revived a style of cycling that we had almost forgotten. He is now better than me.” Key statements by Merckx about Pogačar in 2026: - Acknowledging his superiority: This time, Merckx openly admitted, without any subsequent backtracking or reservations, that Pogačar had surpassed him and was now above him. This contrasts with 2024, when he quickly softened his remarks about Pogačar being faster. - The possibility of a historic triple (Giro, Tour and Vuelta): During the July Tour de France (where Pogi claimed his fifth title), Merckx stated that Pogi was the only cyclist in history capable of winning all three Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) in a single season, provided the conditions were right and he had sufficient team support. - Lack of serious competition: Merckx emphasised that Pogačar has no real rivals in the mountains since 2024, thanks to his extraordinary climbing ability and the fact that he continues to improve despite still being under 28 (he turned 28 in autumn 2026). - Praise for his racing style: Merckx highlighted how Pogačar is bringing back the aggressive, uncompromising spirit of cycling's golden era, when races were not merely about calculated stages and tactical conservatism, but about attacking from long distances. PS: This is not "boring" ... this is called making real history... not statistical history. Capish?PogiSloFans10-11-2026
- No org will admit fault until the evidence in overwhelming and not even then. They have protected abusers and criminals.abstractengineer10-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment