Simon Gerrans says he is even hungrier to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege now for a second time than he was to take his first win in La Doyenne. The Orica-GreenEDGE Aussie won the race in 2014.

"It is probably even more so now," Gerrans, 35, told Cyclingnews. "I always thought Liège was a race a little bit beyond my reach until I actually won it. When you win a race it definitely gives you plenty of confidence going back [to race it] in future editions. Now I know I am capable of winning a race of that calibre and that difficulty. If anything it probably makes it more important because you have lots more confidence going into [the race]."

Gerrans has looked strong all year but has been unable to win since the GC of his home race, Tour Down Under. Nonetheless he has good shape and is confident ahead of Sunday’s race.

"I am feeling good about Liège," Gerrans said. "I had a really good preparation with Catalunya and the Basque Country. I had good legs going into Amstel. I didn't really feel like I got it all out at Amstel due to the conditions and things. I had a good week of training. Now I have my sights set on Liège."

Gerrans says the race is less about tactics than the race one week ago at Amstel Gold and he says if you have strong legs, you are very likely to finish near the top of the standings in Ans.

"It's a pretty honest race that's for sure," Gerrans said of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. "The guy with the best legs generally comes up close to the top. Liège is tactical, but Amstel is very tactical with positioning and how you approach the course."