La Redoute Decides It All: Pogačar Takes a Fourth Liège-Bastogne-Liège Title in 2026, with Only Paul Seixas Able to Follow

A Classic Race, a Familiar Script, a New Name

Liège–Bastogne–Liège is the most “climbing-heavy” of the Monuments, and for that reason it has long been Tadej Pogačar’s home turf. In 2026, he took his 4th Liège title, his 3rd Monument of the season.

But the real talking point of this race wasn’t just that he won—it was that only one man in the entire field could stay with him, and that man was Paul Seixas.

Race Dynamics at a Glance

1. Opening Crash: A Race Forced to Start Early

A crash early in the race split the peloton, creating a 52-rider group at the front that included Remco Evenepoel. A “breakaway” of this size was no ordinary move—it was half the race riding away.

The lead stretched to around 3 minutes 30 seconds. For the peloton, the most troublesome aspect was this: they couldn’t ignore the gap, but chasing would burn energy that would be needed for the finale.

The front group was finally brought back with 95 km remaining. On the surface, the race was back to square one, but in reality, everyone’s legs had already paid an extra toll—and that toll would be honestly reflected in the series of short, steep climbs over the final 50 km of Liège.

2. Côte de La Redoute: The Only Move That Mattered

La Redoute is one of Liège’s most famous climbs and the traditional launching point. Pogačar attacked here, and the result was brutally simple: only one man in the entire race could follow.

That man was Paul Seixas—a young rider who would go on to finish 4th overall at the Tour de France the same year.

This carries two layers of significance:

1. For Pogačar, it was a clean statement of strength. On the decisive climb of a Monument, he filtered out every rival, including Evenepoel, leaving just one man. It showed that the gap in level no longer needed tactical packaging.
2. For Seixas, staying with the best climber in one-day racing on La Redoute is a very concrete line on his résumé. His subsequent 4th overall at the 2026 Tour de France confirmed this was no fluke.

After La Redoute, the pair continued to extend their lead over the chasers, and the race settled into a two-man affair.

3. Roche-aux-Faucons: The Final Climb, The Final Cut

Liège’s finish has long been decided on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. It comes at the most fatigued point of the day, and it sits close enough to the finish that being dropped there is almost impossible to recover from.

Pogačar dropped Seixas here and crossed the line 45 seconds ahead. Evenepoel took 3rd, 1 minute 42 seconds behind.

The time gaps reveal the race’s hierarchy:

• Between Pogačar and 2nd place: 45 seconds
• Between Pogačar and Evenepoel: 1 minute 42 seconds

In a one-day race, a 45-second gap between the top two is already significant; the nearly 1 minute 42 seconds back to 3rd place is closer to the distance of “a different race.”

4. What a 4th Liège Title Means

Liège is his second-most successful Monument, behind only Lombardia (5 wins), with victories in 2021, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Combined, his Monument tally now stands at 13, second-most in history, behind only Eddy Merckx’s 19.

And in the 2026 season, he took Strade Bianche, Milan–San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and Liège in the spring, plus a runner-up finish at Paris–Roubaix—a spring that hardly needs adjectives.

How Taiwanese Riders Can Watch This Race

Liège’s terrain is actually easy for Taiwanese riders to understand: it’s not one Wuling Pass, but a full day of continuous Fengguizui-grade short, steep climbs. The difficulty isn’t any single climb—it’s having to go up it for the seventh and eighth time.

A few training takeaways:

1. Train “climbing when tired,” not “climbing when fresh”

Roche-aux-Faucons decided the race because it came at the most fatigued point. If your target event finishes with a climb, scheduling your climbing workouts in the latter half of a long endurance ride will be more race-specific than doing climbing intervals on their own.

2. Factor the cost of chasing the group into your pacing

When a break goes and the peloton pulls it back, the energy spent doesn’t disappear—it just gets billed later. For everyday riders, constantly “catching back on and getting dropped” in group rides or sportives often leads to hitting the wall earlier than steady solo riding.

3. One clean attack beats five probing ones

Pogačar only attacked once all day (La Redoute), plus the finishing kick on the final climb. Probing attacks work when fitness levels are similar, but each one costs energy. Confirm your sustainable intensity first, then decide whether to commit.

These are directional suggestions for training and race strategy. Individual differences are significant—progress gradually according to your own condition, and seek professional coaching when necessary.

Related Reading

• The Only Man Not Dropped on La Redoute: Paul Seixas and the Signal of a Generational Shift
• Two Bike Changes, One Attack, One Runner-Up Finish: Pogačar’s 2026 Paris–Roubaix, One Velodrome Short of a Full Sweep
• The Timing Logic of Pogačar’s Attacks: The Same Pattern Behind 78 km, 55 km, 24.2 km, and 7.2 km
• The Men Chasing Pogačar: A Map of Evenepoel, Del Toro, and Seixas as Rivals at the 2026 Tour de France