We've been saying her name all spring: Kim Le Court has been – as they say – there or thereabouts since finishing third on the Queen Stage of the UAE Tour this February, scoring four top-10s in some of the biggest Classics, including fifth at both Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, then sixth at Wednesday's La Flèche Wallonne. At Liège-Bastogne-Liège, she finally delivered on the momentum she's been steadily building since her WorldTour debut with AG Insurance-Soudal in 2024, surging to a spectacular win ahead of favourites Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez).
Last but not least in that group was Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), the French demon descender who was instrumental in forcing the selection that made it to the finish ahead of an elite chase group that included the world champion and a number of other pre-race favourites.
This is a result that puts Le Court in the history books, not just by adding her name to a short list of former winners, but the 29-year-old also becomes the first African rider ever – male or female – to win a Monument.
[race_result id=9052 stage_id=0 count=10 gc=0 year=2025]
How it happened
- With the early breakaway caught around the halfway point, UAE Team ADQ’s Maeva Squiban then went on a solo move out of the bunch, gaining about a minute’s advantage – Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) getting stuck in between with an unsuccessful counter-attack – that had been halved by the foot of the Côte de la Redoute.
- Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) then did the first of many mega pulls for leader Demi Vollering, with Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) also stamping on the pedals, together dragging the pack up and over Squiban, and on up the infamous climb.
Note Vollering's positioning just behind former teammate Kopecky, who herself is alongside FDJ-Suez super-domestique Elise Chabbey.
- By the top, the peloton was reduced to just 14 riders – Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) was one of the many who fell victim to the high pace and gradients of La Redoute – but the attacks waited until the descent.
- Pauliena Rooijakkers – third overall at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes – was the first to make it stick with 33 km to go, taking advantage of Fenix-Deceuninck’s strength in numbers, and leaving Puck Pieterse to mark her fellow favourites just behind.
- A number of others tried to bridge up to the Dutch rider, and eventually she was joined by Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and two-time Liège winner Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime).
Neidermaier and Rooijakkers are joined by a superstar of Ardennes Week in Anna van der Breggen, with Kerbaol close on her tail.
- Their gap fluctuated fairly dramatically in the ensuing kilometres, but despite the efforts of FDJ-Suez and Movistar in the reinforced chase group, they could not be brought in hand until the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.
- As Van der Breggen and Kerbaol climbed away from the others, Rooijakkers provided a stepping stone for Puck Pieterse as the pack hit the final categorised climb of the day.
Pieterse on the move.
- With her teammate’s help, Pieterse soon joined Kerbaol at the front of the race, with Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky the only ones who could follow – the latter only just.
World champion Kopecky had to dig deep to stay in contact, an effort she would pay for a few kilometres later.
- Well aware of the talent in her company, Kerbaol, a Tour de France stage-winner herself, didn’t wait around before going on the attack yet again, making savvy use of a slight downhill to stretch her advantage as the other three, all pre-race favourites, looked at one another.
A crafty move from the underdog in the group.
- Marlen Reusser’s reappearance lent some renewed impetus to the chase with 12 km to go, but there was little cohesion at this point.
"We doing this?"
- A flurry of activity on the next uphill ramp saw Pieterse accelerate while Kopecky and Reusser dropped away, just as Kim Le Court reappeared, bouncing from one dropped rider to the next like stepping stones, until she reached Pieterse and Vollering.
It's a little tricky to pick out, but Le Court is the rider moving fastest through her rivals as she bridges back up into contention.
- With 10 km to go, Kerbaol had a handful of seconds over Pieterse, Vollering and Le Court, but valiant though her effort was, the French rider was unable to hold them off.
- Both Kerbaol and Pieterse attempted to poke at each another with probing accelerations during the run-in to Liège, leaving Vollering and Le Court largely untroubled until the finishing straight.
- Vollering led through the last corner and got stuck at the head of the group with Le Court second wheel, and Pieterse primed in third.
- When Le Court opened up, Pieterse’s first acceleration seemed to indicate enough power to surge past the Mauritian, but it wasn’t enough. Le Court dug in, scorching down the middle of the road at such pace and certainty that she was able to celebrate as she crossed the line.
History made.
Quotes of the day
When I bridged to them I saw they were really suffering, of course I was suffering too but for me to make that effort to bridge to them, I knew I had maybe a bit more legs. I really didn't know [that I could win] until I got to the sprint and I just kicked and I just never looked back. I could see I think Puck's wheel, but I just didn't stop."
Le Court said in her winner's interview, describing the satisfaction of winning a race she's been targeting all season.
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