Also known as La Doyenne (the oldest), Liège-Bastogne-Liège spans 257.7 km and is one of the longest tests the riders will face all season.

The fourth of the five sacred monuments of cycling, the event brings the curtain down on not only the Ardennes Classics, but the Spring Classics as a whole.

A string of punishing climbs combines to make an energy-sapping test of endurance on a parcour which will slowly but surely take its toll as the riders approach the decisive climbs in the latter half of the race.

The Cote de La Roche-en-Ardenne arrives after 70 kilometres, by which time a break should have headed clear which satisfies the teams looking to control the race.

A course that is back-loaded with climbs, things really burst into life as the riders reach the Cote de Stockeu (166.5 km), the first of eight climbs which litter the final third of the race.

The Côtes de la Haute-Levée (3.6 km at 5.6%) demands respect, and precedes the lengthy Col du Rosier (4.4 km at 5.9%) – which in turn leads on to the Col du Maquisard (2.5 km at 5%) and Mont-Theux (2.6 km at 5.9%) which proved successful additions back in 2010.

Once those are done and dusted there's little respite as the Côte de la Redoute (2.0 km at 8.8%) is looming large just 14.5 km down the road. This is one of the climbs that has come to typify Liège-Bastogne-Liège and its twisting contours and constantly changing gradient always makes for painfully slow going.

With more than 250 km in their legs at this point the Cote de Saint-Nicolas will be a stinging final test for the riders, rising for 1.2 km with an average of 8.6%. All that remains is a swift descent and the final haul and famous left-hand turn into the finish in Ans.

You can follow the action from Liège-Bastogne-Liège live here on Cyclingquotes.com starting at 13.45.