Pogačar wins fourth Liège-Bastogne-Liège title, fending off 19-year-old Seixas

Tadej Pogačar claimed his fourth Liège-Bastogne-Liège title and third in succession on Sunday, but for the first time in years he was pushed to his limits — by a 19-year-old racing his first edition of La Doyenne.

The World Champion finished the 259.5-kilometer race in five hours, 50 minutes, and 28 seconds, crossing the line 45 seconds ahead of Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM, with Remco Evenepoel sprinting to third. It was the 13th Monument victory of Pogačar's career, and his third of the 2026 spring season.cyclinguptodate+1

A Race Turned Upside Down

The 112th edition was upended before the hills even began. A crash early in the race helped trigger a split that saw a massive group of more than 50 riders — including Evenepoel and Egan Bernal — escape the peloton within the first 80 kilometers, opening a gap of around three and a half minutes. Both Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Seixas's Decathlon squad were left behind, forced into a frantic chase with 180 kilometers still to ride and all the categorized climbs ahead of them.cyclingnews+1

It was a scenario nobody had predicted. Experts had expected a controlled race decided on the late climbs. Instead, the two pre-race favorites had to burn energy simply returning to contention.

A Duel on the Côte de la Redoute

Once the break was reeled in, the race played out as a head-to-head duel between Pogačar and Seixas. On the Côte de la Redoute, Pogačar launched a ferocious attack, but the French teenager matched him pedal stroke for pedal stroke, and together they set a new record for the famous ascent — 3 minutes 45 seconds, beating Pogačar's previous best by 13 seconds.cyclingnews

"I really pushed hard on La Redoute, and I could see he was bending a bit, but as we reached the summit, he came right alongside me, and I thought, 'Wow, I'm genuinely impressed,'" Pogačar said after the finish, according to CyclingNews. "I was perhaps already mentally preparing for a sprint, given his strength."cyclingnews

The decisive moment came on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, where Pogačar finally broke Seixas with 13.9 kilometers remaining. The young Frenchman, his vision blurred from the effort on La Redoute, could not respond.olympics+1

Mutual Respect and a Tour de France Preview

After the finish, the two riders embraced. Seixas was heard telling Pogačar, "I was burning, burning in your wheel," according to CyclingNews. In his post-race press conference, the teenager reflected on his progress since Strade Bianche earlier this spring, where Pogačar had beaten him by a minute.cyclingnews

"I wasn't that far off from being able to overtake him. There's still a lot of work to do, that's normal, there are steps to take," Seixas said, as reported by CyclingNews. "At Strade Bianche, I wasn't able to follow his first attack; today, I managed to."cyclingnews

Pogačar, for his part, left little doubt about where he sees the rivalry heading. "I think we will see him in the Tour because he's such a big talent, so I think France can be happy with how he rides," he said, while urging journalists not to heap too much pressure on the 19-year-old: "You all need to look after him".cyclingnews

Evenepoel, whose bold early-race gamble ultimately could not withstand the duo's late surge, acknowledged after the race that he had no interest in trying to follow Pogačar's attack. "If I tried to follow, I would completely blow up," the Belgian said.cyclingnews