Grace Brown wins Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Grace Brown (FDJ - SUEZ) has won the 8th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, sprinting from an elite group after spending much of the race in a dangerous breakaway.

The Victorian showed outstanding endurance to prevail at the end of an aggressive race. Brown had been part of a strong group that joined solo leader, and fellow Australian, Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) with 63km remaining.

After the selective climb of the Côte de La Redoute, Brown was one of just three survivors from that break. She remained in contention after three favourites from the peloton – Elisa Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma and defending champion Demi Vollering – bridged across after the last climb, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

Brown was one of just three survivors from an early breakaway. (A.S.O./Billy Ceusters)

With the finish in Liège approaching, Brown survived a late scare: she locked up her brakes in a wet roundabout, but kept her bike upright.

After chasing back to the front group, the 31-year-old played a cool game in the cagey, tactical finale.

Brown followed the right wheels into the final kilometre, then pounced when Longo Borghini launched the sprint from the front.

The Australian found her slipstream, and, with enough power after 153km and four-and-a-half hours of tough racing, surged ahead with a seated sprint.

Having finished runner-up in 2020 and 2022, today Brown confirmed her promise with her first Monument victory.

“It was an amazing day. I wanted to be in that break,” Brown said in the post-race interview.

“We always know that a strong break can go in the middle section of a race. I felt on my limit on the climbs towards the end, but once I survived Roche-aux-Faucons I thought, ‘it’s on’.”

Twice second, now the top step. (A.S.O./Billy Ceusters)

The Camperdown native recalled her narrow escape in the final kilometres.

“I was little bit stressed of course. I locked up and almost crashed, but thankfully saved it and caught back on to the group, then I just had to calm myself and be patient for the final.

“It’s been a tough spring for me. This week, finally I stared feeling like my old self. I said to the team, ‘I feel good for Liege.’ It’s a race I have good memories of here.”

Brown started racing with St Kilda Cycling Club and now represents the ARA Australian Cycling Team. She is a Commonwealth Games champion, four-time Australian champion in the individual time trial and twice a silver medallist at the World Championships, but this is surely the biggest result of her career.

She joins Simon Gerrans, who won the men's edition of La Doyenne in 2014, as the only Australian to have conquered this mighty Ardennes Classic. In fact, Brown is the first Australian woman to win a Monument: one of the great one-day races in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Roubaix or the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Aside from Gigante’s race-long effort at the front, Neve Bradbury also gave a standout performance among the Aussies, finishing 11th after supporting her Canyon//SRAM Racing teammates.

Fellow Australian Sarah Gigante put in a huge ride, going solo with 135km remaining. (A.S.O./Billy Ceusters)

Results – 2024 Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes

1. Grace Brown (FDJ - SUEZ) 4:29:00
2. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl - Trek) +0
3. Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx - Protime) +0

Photos: A.S.O. / Billy Ceusters