Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge: routes and how to prepare
- Distance
- 249 km
- Climbing
- 3,891 m
- Highest point
- 628 m
- Categorised climbs
- 31 · up to 19 %
- Shape
- Loop
Measured on the course you ride in Cycloscape. The organiser's own figures are below.
Elevation profile
75–628 m · 31 categorised climbsThe 6 biggest of 31 categorised climbs, in the order you ride them.
The Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge is the amateur ride of La Doyenne, the oldest of cycling's classics, held the day before the professional race. The 2027 edition is on Saturday 24 April 2027, with three routes — 250, 163 and 80 km — all starting from Banneux, near Liège. Participation is limited to 8,000 riders.
Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge at a glance
- Where
- Banneux, near Liège, Belgium
- Official website
- lblchallenge.be ↗
- Next edition
- 24 April 2027
- Routes
- 250 km: 250 km · 163 km: 163 km · 80 km: 80 km
- Terrain
- Hilly — repeated climbs
- Facts checked
- 4 November 2026, against the sources below
Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Ride the real course on your trainer. The route of Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge, 249 km, as a 3D world, with your trainer following its gradients — any day, and as part of your Event Coach plan. Part of Cycloscape Pro.
The routes
The Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge offers 3 routes.
| Route | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| 250 km | 250 km | — |
| 163 km | 163 km | — |
| 80 km | 80 km | — |
What the course asks of you
The Belgian Ardennes are a succession of climbs of one to four kilometres, many of them steep, with little flat road between them. The organiser gives each rider a frame sticker with the climbs and the feed stations — a good sign of how much the day is about counting them down.
On the 250 km, the climbs keep coming long after the halfway point. Ride the early ones well within yourself and eat on the descents.
How to prepare
The general shape of a good preparation, which Event Coach turns into a plan for your fitness, time and date:
- Train repeated climbs: several efforts of 8 to 15 minutes close to your threshold, with short recoveries, copy the rhythm of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge.
- Build the long ride towards 250 km, so the final climbs are not the first time your legs have been out that long.
- Add a few short efforts at low cadence on steep gradients, for the ramps that come late in the day.
Pacing mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost riders the most on a day like this:
- Answering every climb of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge with a surge: repeated climbs reward an even effort, not a burst on each ramp.
- Spending the most on the famous climb when the hardest part of the day is still to come.
- Letting the pace of the group on the flat decide how tired you arrive at the climbs.
Prepare the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge with Cycloscape
Tell Event Coach you are doing the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge, your route and what you want from the day, and it builds your preparation towards 24 April 2027: structured workouts held by your trainer in ERG, Race Pacing for how to spend your effort, and Performance Lab to see whether the work is landing. Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Frequently asked
When is the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge 2027?
On Saturday, 24 April 2027, according to the organiser.
How long are the routes of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge?
250 km: 250 km; 163 km: 163 km; 80 km: 80 km. The 2027 routes as the organiser lists them; it publishes no climbing figure.
How many riders take part?
Limited to 8,000 riders; sold out in 2025.
Can I ride the course of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Challenge in Cycloscape?
Yes, inside Event Coach with Cycloscape Pro: once you start your preparation, the course is ridden on your trainer as part of the plan.