Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest of the Monuments, the five most prestigious one-day road cycling races. Usually held in spring (end of April).
The first edition (an amateur race) between Spa and Bastogne was held in 1892. The first professional edition was held in 1894. This was the 3rd edition of Liége-Bastonge-Liège. The first theee editions were won by the Belgian cyclist Léon Houa.
After 14 years hiatus, Liège-Bastogne-Liège was relaunched on the 30th August in 1908. An amateur event again, but for the very first time between from Liège to Liège.
The race was won by André Trousselier, brother of Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix winner Louis Trousselier. His victory made him the first foreign winner of the race.
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Cyrille Van Hauwaert (1883-1974) was one of the most successful Belgian cyclist in the pre -WW1 era. His story began like a folktale. The big and strong Flemish farm boy, who didn’t speak French arrived in the office of the La Française team’s directeur sportif, Pierre Pierrard two days before Paris-Roubaix in 1907. Van Hauwaert … Read more
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Tour de France 1914 started on the same day, 28th June, as the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated in Sarajevo. When the riders lined up in the middle of the nigh for the start of the first stage in Paris, they knew nothing about that this day … Read more
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Although the idea of a French cyclist in a striped shirt might seem like a little bit of a cliché, sometimes stereotypes are carrying quite much truth in themselves. Just take a look at Hippolyte Aucouturier! One of the most iconic characters from the early days of road cycling races. Nevertheless, he was not only … Read more
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After the introduction of the Pyrenees to the race in 1910, the next big challenge of Tour de France was how to include the “giants of the Alps” into the program. The story behind using Galibier, Thelegraphe, Aravis, and Lautarer was far less dramatic than the organizers’ first encounter with Col du Tourmalet. Nevertheless, the … Read more