Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes 2026 preview, profiles, favourites & predictions - Can Puck Pieterse beat Demi Vollering?

On the 26th of April the women's peloton will take on the fourth monument of the season. One of the oldest pro cycling races in the world and one that puts on the spotlight some of the world's best climbers and classics riders: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes. We take a look at its profile.

Whilst the men's event had its first edition in 1892, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes is only a modern creation, with its first edition only in 2017. Still it has quickly made an impact, becoming one of the sport's most important right from the very first edition with Anna van der Breggen taking the win - as she did the following year.

Both her, Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering won La Doyenne on two occasions; dominating the 2017-2023 period, where only Lizzie Deignan stopped the Dutch domination. In 2024 Grace Brown took the victory whilst in 2025 it was Kim Le Court who took an historical victory for Mauritius, beating Puck Pieterse and Demi Vollering to the line.

This race could be named Bastogne - Liège actually, starting in the city right by border with Luxembourg. It is the same finale as the men's race featuring plenty climbs, as has been the case for the past few years.

This means the riders will take on all of the classics' iconic climbs such as the Côte de Stockeau, Côte de la Haute Levée and Col du Rosier, all of which before the key part of the race. In the women's peloton, these climbs prove to be more decisive, and it's a classic better fit for the climbers.

The Côte de la Redoute (1.5Km at 9.1%) ends with 34 kilometers to go and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.2Km at 11%) ends with 13.5 kilometers to go. Whilst there are several other small climbs on the route, these are the most difficult towards the finale and should make serious differences before the downhill finale back into Liège.

*** Demi Vollering, Puck Pieterse

** Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Paula Blasi, Lotte Kopecky

* Magdeleine Vallières, Elise Chabbey, Mavi García, Niamh Fisher-Black, Liane Lippert, Anna van der Breggen

Pick: Puck Pieterse

How: Small group sprint.