Destination Guide
Cycling in Ardennes
Cycling in the Ardennes: Liège-Bastogne-Liège terrain, forested climbs, and the oldest monument in professional cycling on roads you can ride the next morning.
Last updated: 16 Mar 2026
- Terrain
- Road, Climbing
- Difficulty
- Moderate — Expert
- Road Quality
- Good
- Cycling Culture
- Strong
- Traffic
- Low
Pro Cycling Connection
Liège-Bastogne-Liège — La Doyenne, the oldest Monument in cycling, founded 1892 — is held here each late April. La Flèche Wallonne and Amstel Gold Race complete the Ardennes Classics week in mid-to-la...
Best Time to Cycle in Ardennes
Late April delivers the Ardennes Classics atmosphere that transforms every climb into a pilgrimage. The week surrounding Liège-Bastogne-Liège (last Sunday of April) is when the region is most alive with cycling energy — ride La Redoute days before th...
Temperature: -5°C (winter) to 30°C (summer)
Best Cycling Climbs in Ardennes
Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons
1.8km · 122m · 8.7% · CAT3
Added to the Liège-Bastogne-Liège route in 2008, La Roche-aux-Faucons immediately became one of its decisive climbs. The 1.8km averages 8.7% on a road that alternates between smooth tarmac and sections of degraded surface, demanding constant adjustment of line and power output. It sits just 35km from the finish in Liège, which means any meaningful gap opened here is defensible to the line. Andy Schleck attacked here in 2011 with Frank Schleck and Frank Gilbert following in a move that led to the iconic photograph of all three brothers — wait, not quite: this was the launch pad for the winning move in Philippe Gilbert's extraordinary Liège-Bastogne-Liège victory. The forest-lined road gives it a more remote, dramatic character than many Ardennes climbs.
Côte de Saint-Nicolas
1.2km · 95m · 7.8% · CAT3
The gateway climb to the final act of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, situated on the outskirts of Liège itself as the race enters the finish straight. Saint-Nicolas climbs through a residential street — an unusual setting for a Monument climb, lined with houses and fans rather than forest. The 1.2km at 7.8% average includes a sharp 15% ramp that arrives just when legs already carrying 240km of racing have nothing left. In the amateur cycling world, Saint-Nicolas is used as a threshold test precisely because its short length and urban setting make it repeatable: turn around at the top, descent, and ascend again for interval sessions with perfect gradient consistency.
La Redoute
2km · 174m · 8.9% · CAT2
The most iconic climb in the Belgian Ardennes and the defining moment in Liège-Bastogne-Liège since it was added to the route in 1979. La Redoute rises from the Amblève valley through a narrow, sunken road hemmed in by forest, averaging 8.9% over 2km with a notorious section exceeding 20% midway that has broken races and broken riders since Bernard Hinault first rode it at race pace. The name — 'the fortress' — is apt: the gradient comes in waves that offer no recovery between ramps. WorldTour attacks on La Redoute with 40km remaining in Liège have decided the race more frequently than any other climb. Riding it in the week before the Classics is a pilgrimage that every serious cyclist owes themselves.
Stockeu
1km · 90m · 11.4% · CAT3
One of the most savage short climbs in the Belgian Ardennes and a long-standing fixture on the Liège-Bastogne-Liège route. Stockeu rises from Stavelot — a picturesque Ardennes town famous for its Carnival — at an average of 11.4% over a single kilometre, with a maximum gradient of 24% on the upper section that forces virtually everyone off the saddle. The climb is located near the Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit and is often combined with Wanne in the same ride. The Eddy Merckx memorial near the summit honours five Liège victories. The narrow road and steep gradient mean this climb is best attempted with knowledge of the road rather than blindly from the foot.
Wanne
2.5km · 148m · 7.2% · CAT3
The longer, more sustained climb that precedes Stockeu on the Liège-Bastogne-Liège route, climbing from the Amblève valley through forest to the exposed Ardennes plateau. At 2.5km averaging 7.2%, Wanne is not as violent as Stockeu but is far more relentless — the gradient hovers between 6-9% for almost the entire ascent with little respite. The upper section opens onto windswept heathland that is beautiful in clear weather and bleak under the grey skies common in the Ardennes spring. The combination of Wanne and Stockeu — descending between them on the valley road — is a punishing 20-minute exercise in sustained suffering that mirrors the race experience.
Insider Tips
The week of Liège-Bastogne-Liège (last Sunday of April) is the single most atmospheric time to cycle in the Ardennes. Ride La Redoute on the Friday before the race and you'll encou...
The Ardennes Classics Week — Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands, Sunday), La Flèche Wallonne (Wednesday), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Sunday) — all happen within eight days in late April. Bas...
Walloon cycling culture operates on entirely different principles from Flemish cycling. Where Flanders has the bergs and the beer cafés, Wallonia has the forest climbs and the cuis...
Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit is within 10km of the Stockeu and Wanne climbs. Several operators run combined cycling-motorsport packages. The circuit itself is open to visitors...
La Doyenne — Liège-Bastogne-Liège — is the oldest Monument in professional cycling, founded in 1892. Before the race was fully professionalised, the route was used as a military fi...
How to Get to Ardennes for Cycling
Getting around: Car Recommended
Liège is the natural urban base with direct rail connections to Brussels and good road access to the climbing region. For riders specifically targeting the deeper Ardennes — Stockeu, Wanne, and the Ha...