New Legends at Liège: Kim Le Court’s Breakthrough and a 7-Eleven Throwback for the Ages
In the end, it wasn’t Pogačar’s predictable brilliance that defined Liège–Bastogne–Liège, but a breakout star and a glorious nod to cycling’s past.
Hello cycling fans,
With the Ardennes Classics behind us, the rhythm of the season shifts. Spring’s sharp and chaotic battles give way to the long campaigns of summer, and May marks the beginning of act two of the 2025 season.
On the men’s side, the Giro d’Italia (May 9) looms large, but not before we pass through Tour de Romandie (April 29). For the women, a Spanish stretch awaits, with the Vuelta España Femenina (May 4), Itzulia Women (May 16), and Vuelta a Burgos Feminas (May 22) stacking the calendar with opportunity and new race dynamics.
In this week’s edition, we take a closer look at how Liège–Bastogne–Liège delivered the weekend’s real drama, the emergence of Kim Le Court—and answer the question on many fans’ minds: who is this breakthrough star? Plus, a look at Uno-X Mobility’s inspired nod to cycling’s past.
Enjoy!
–Rosael
Liège–Bastogne–Liège: Kim Le Court’s Breakthrough and a 7-Eleven Throwback for the Ages
Sure, Tadej Pogačar Pogačar’d again, launching his now-standard, almost mechanical attack on La Redoute, finishing over a minute ahead of the next-best mortal, and turning the men’s Liège–Bastogne–Liège into an inevitable Groundhog Day experience for the peloton.
Luckily, the women’s race followed—and for the sake of surprise and entertainment, it gave us something different. Something, dare I say, better.
Kim Le Court-Pienaar, racing for AG Insurance–Soudal, produced the biggest ride of her career on Sunday, outsprinting Demi Vollering (FDJ–Suez) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix–Deceuninck) to win the 2025 edition of Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes.
It was a dramatic and deeply satisfying finale—not just for Le Court, who claimed her first major one-day victory, but for fans hoping for an unpredictable race.
The 29-year-old Mauritian rider, long respected within the women’s peloton for her tenacity, had quietly built toward a breakthrough. On Sunday, she did far more than just hang on. Le Court bridged gaps, covered dangerous moves, and, when it mattered most, launched a perfectly timed sprint that even Vollering couldn’t match.
Read Next: Why Would Anyone Throw a Bottle at MvdP
From Redoute to the Roche
The decisive action started on the Côte de la Redoute, as a quartet of riders—Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education–Oatly), Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix–Deceuninck), and Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM)—forced a small breakaway 14 seconds clear. Notably, FDJ–Suez, Vollering’s team, missed the move, putting them on the defensive.
By the Côte des Forges, FDJ–Suez responded aggressively, with Elise Chabbey setting a fierce tempo in the chase group. Top riders like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Lotte Kopecky, and Marlen Reusser were all alert to the danger but struggled to close the gap fully as the leaders pushed their advantage close to 30 seconds.
On the final major climb, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, the race truly shattered. Van der Breggen and Kerbaol momentarily pulled clear, but the efforts from Pieterse and Chabbey dragged a reshuffled chase group back into contention. Vollering, Pieterse, and Kopecky came over the top together, but Kerbaol was the most aggressive, attacking on the descent and forcing a split.
It was here that Kim Le Court made her critical move. Initially part of a trailing group, she surged across the gap alongside Kasia Niewiadoma, adding much-needed firepower to the chase behind Kerbaol. Their effort was perfectly timed: they caught the lone leader just as the group approached the outskirts of Liège, with Le Court now having her competitors at striking distance and the confidence to finish the job.
In the sprint, Le Court was the first to launch in a brave move given the company. If Vollering and Pieterse hesitated, it was brief, but they just couldn’t match Le Court’s speed in those final meters. She crossed the line a bike length clear, making history as the first African rider, male or female, to win a cycling Monument.
Vollering and Pieterse: Strong but Boxed
Demi Vollering once again raced with precision and patience, but this time the waiting game backfired, delivering a group of formidable opponents to the finish alongside her. After a spring campaign defined by control, Vollering was beaten not by an SD Worx-Protime rider, but by a rider willing to gamble early in the sprint.
Puck Pieterse, fresh off her breakthrough win at La Flèche Wallonne—her first Women’s WorldTour victory—was arguably the race’s most dynamic force. Her repeated attacks shaped the final, but when it came down to pure speed after a grueling day, she came up just short.
Lotte Kopecky finished fifth, 24 seconds behind the winning group after being dropped in the final kilometers.
Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes Top 10 Results
Who Is Kim Le Court?
For many fans, Le Court’s name might feel like a sudden arrival. But those paying closer attention could see this moment building. Born in Mauritius, Kimberley Le Court-Pienaar made history in 2024 when she signed with AG Insurance–Soudal, becoming the first Mauritian—man or woman—to race in the WorldTour.
Her road to the top was far from typical. Le Court first built her reputation in mountain biking, winning African continental titles, nearly medaling at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and winning the 2023 Swiss Epic. She and her husband spent the winter of 2023–24 sending emails to WorldTour teams asking for an opportunity, and when AG Insurance–Soudal took a chance on her, the results came fast.
By the end of 2024, she had a stage win at the Giro d’Italia and top-10 finishes at Paris-Roubaix, Classic Brugge-De Panne, and the Cadel Evans Road Race. And in this first act of 2025, she has consistently challenged the best in the sport with standout results including sixth at La Flèche Wallonne, fifth at both the Tour of Flanders and Milano–Sanremo, and ninth at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Liège–Bastogne–Liège was simply the day it all came together.
Dropped and out of position on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, Le Court fought her way back—not because the odds favored her, but because that’s who she is: a rider who never gives up.
“When I bridged the gap on Roche-aux-Faucons, I really felt strong compared to the others,” she said after the finish. “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.”
On Sunday, she didn’t just belong in the final group. She beat them.
When Results Don’t Matter: How Liège Brought Back the Heart of Racing
On a day when Tadej Pogačar’s inevitable solo victory in the men’s race drained much of the suspense, the women’s Liège–Bastogne–Liège provided the drama, unpredictability, and tactical richness fans had been hoping for.
Adding a touch of charm to the weekend, Uno-X Mobility pulled off a brilliant PR stunt: for one day only, they raced as Team 7-Eleven, reviving the iconic American squad’s red, green, and white colors from the 1980s. The tribute wasn’t just a costume change—it was a full-on celebration of cycling’s scrappier, wilder past, complete with custom-painted Ridley bikes, throwback team cars, and an entertaining video featuring maximum retro energy.
To seal the tribute, Uno-X even brought in Dag Otto Lauritzen—Norway’s first Tour de France stage winner and a former 7-Eleven rider—to join the festivities as team DS. It was a fitting connection: Uno-X is a Norwegian team, and through their ownership by Reitan Convenience, they have direct ties to the 7-Eleven brand, which operates stores across Scandinavia. The tribute also subtly honored Eddy Merckx, whose bikes the original 7-Eleven team once raced, ahead of Merckx’s upcoming 80th birthday.
And here’s the thing: Uno-X didn’t place a single rider—men or women—in the top ten at Liège. And it didn’t matter.
Because they reminded everyone that bike racing is about more than just results. It’s about stories, about culture, about the collective myth-making that keeps us coming back year after year.
Thanks for reading.
I had no idea about the first African monument winner. Why is that not a huge thing????
Plus the 7-eleven song. Absolutely incredible