Cycling: Liege-Bastogne-Liege betting preview, tips & TV details

TV: Eurosport 2, 1pm Sunday

The fourth Monument of the year, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, brings the curtain down on what has been a compelling Spring classics campaign.

A punishing 256km test across some of the sternest Ardennes hills, La Doyenne is the oldest of cycling’s five most prestigious one-day races with a roll of honour containing some of the sport’s greatest names.

The course has been altered from 2018 when Bob Jungels attacked in the closing kilometres to take victory. The middle section of the race has been made tougher with the finale now a flat run-in into the centre of Liege rather than a climb up to Ans.

French ace Julian Alaphilippe is favourite to claim his second Monument of the season having also won Milan-San Remo earlier this season. Alaphilippe warmed up for Sunday with a second successive win at La Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday and is clearly in fine form to bookend a prosperous Spring.

Jakob Fuglsang has had a breakthrough classics campaign in 2019, finishing second to Alaphilippe at both La Fleche Wallonne and Strade Bianche. The Dane is second favourite on the basis of those results but his record at La Doyenne, a best finish of ninth in nine attempts, doesn’t inspire much confidence in backing him at 5-1.

World champion Alejandro Valverde is a four-time winner of the race and will move level with the legendary Eddy Merckx should he triumph on Sunday. But he hasn’t matched his usual high standards this Spring and is easily passed over despite his outstanding record in the race.

Michael Woods finished second to Jungels last year yet is available at 40-1 with BoyleSports, who offer four places each-way.

Woods is part of a strong EF Education First team containing Tour of Flanders winner Alberto Bettiol and Aussie Simon Clarke, second at Amstel Gold last weekend, which gives his team plenty of options in what is often an attritional affair.

The Canadian suffered a mechanical at the wrong time at La Fleche Wallonne which left him unable to catch up but the Liege-Bastogne-Liege course certainly suits him well and his opportunistic style of racing will serve him well.

Recommendation
M Woods
1pt each-way 40-1 BoyleSports

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport