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World champion Tadej Pogacar won his third Liege-Bastogne-Liege with a dominant showing in the Belgian one-day classic as Mauritian Kim le Court took the biggest win of her career in the women’s race.<\/b><\/p>\n
Slovenian Pogacar attacked on the Cote de la Redoute climb with 35km of the 252km course remaining and expertly stayed clear to defend his title, having also won in 2021.<\/p>\n
Italy’s Giulio Ciccone edged out Ireland’s Ben Healy to claim second, finishing just over a minute down on Pogacar.<\/p>\n
Pogacar, 26, is the first rider to finish on the podium in six successive ‘Monuments’ – the five most prestigious one-day races in men’s cycling.<\/p>\n
After winning Liege and Il Lombardia last year, he finished third at this year’s Milan-San Remo, won the Tour of Flanders and was runner-up at Paris-Roubaix.<\/p>\n
The three-time Tour de France champion has also finished on the podium in the past eight Monuments he has entered, winning five.<\/p>\n
This is Pogacar’s ninth Monument win overall. Only Eddy Merckx, widely regarded as the greatest cyclist of all time, with 19, and fellow Belgian great Roger de Vlaeminck (11) have more victories in these famous races.<\/p>\n
Victory in Belgium caps another stunning spring classics campaign by Pogacar, with the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider also winning Strade Bianche and Fleche Wallonne, as well as narrowly finishing second in the Amstel Gold Race.<\/p>\n
Le Court had enjoyed two fifth-place finishes this spring in the Milan-San Remo and Tour of Flanders.<\/p>\n
But it was still a shock when the 29-year-old AG Insurance-Soudal rider came out on top in a four-way sprint for the line ahead of Dutch duo Puck Pieterse and Demi Vollering, and France’s Cedrine Kerbaol.<\/p>\n
“I can’t believe it. On the climb to La Roche-aux-Faucons [13 km from the finish line], I was completely out of breath. So to win ahead of the stars of the peloton, I can’t believe it,” said Le Court – the first African winner of a Monument race.<\/p>\n
World champion Lotte Kopecky was fifth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n