Liège-Bastogne-Liège is almost upon us, and with it comes the last Monument of the spring. Both Soudal Quick-Step and Bahrain Victorious announced their selections for La Doyenne on Friday. Both squads contain genuine outside bets, though both teams also seem well aware that pulling off a surprise will be no easy task.Bahrain Victorious counting on Liège experienceStarting with Bahrain Victorious, who bring Lenny Martinez as their primary threat, but also Santiago Buitrago, a rider who has already stood on the Liège podium. That was in 2023, when he finished third behind winner Remco Evenepoel and runner-up Tom Pidcock. The young Frenchman will be hoping for a stronger showing than Wednesday, when he finished a somewhat disappointing eighth at the Flèche Wallonne.
Bahrain also bring Pello Bilbao, who delivered a top-ten result here in 2024, alongside Antonio Tiberi, Fran Miholjević, Afonso Eulálio and Pau Miquel. The seven-man squad provides, in the team’s own words, “depth and support throughout the race, with the ability to neutralise attacks and participate in key breakaways.”
Sports director Enrico Gasparotto set out his expectations: “We have the ambition to fight for a podium here, but we know it will be difficult given the level of the competition and the favourites in the race. That said, we have a well-balanced team with enough depth, which gives us several options.”
“There are crucial moments in this race where it can really open up, and we need to be ready to seize our chances. It’s a long and demanding day, but the riders arrive in good condition — and with Buitrago’s previous podium here, we know what is possible,” the Italian added.
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Soudal Quick-Step counts on versatile selectionWho also hopes to play on the surprise: Soudal Quick-Step. The Belgian formation heads to the start with a versatile selection, with Steff Cras, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Maximilian Schachmann, third in 2019, Dylan van Baarle, Mauri Vansevenant, Louis Vervaeke and Filippo Zana having to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for The Wolfpack.
Sporting director Geert Van Bondt explained the battle plan: ‘We have some important points on the route and it is important to be well positioned all the time, because things can change quickly there. We have a solid team for Sunday: Mauri showed in the Amstel that he is in good shape, Filippo was close to the top ten on Wednesday, which is encouraging as this race suits him better, while Max has been on the podium here in the past. This gives us confidence that we can go for a good result.’
Bahrain Victorious team Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026Soudal Quick-Step team Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026