Nat Bromhead
Australian cycling sensation Grace Brown has secured her most significant triumph yet, the prestigious Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic.
Becoming the first female Australian to win a monument, the 31-year-old Melbourne rider has further solidified her prowess as a threat in the Olympic road race later this year. In fierce competition, Brown outpaced Italian star Elisa Longo Borghini and Dutch defending champion Demi Vollering at the finish, underscoring Australia’s promising prospects for Paris.
“There’s something special about this race that brings out the best in me,” Brown wrote on Instagram after the historic win.
“I really can’t describe how big this feels right now! It’s been a difficult spring, but today puts it all behind.”
Making history, Brown became the first Australian woman to claim victory in the 160km Belgian race dubbed La Doyenne, which has featured a women’s event since 2017.
Despite previous near misses, including two runner-up finishes in 2020 and 2022, Brown’s Sunday triumph nearly slipped away when she narrowly avoided a crash around 7km from the finish.
The win not only marks Brown’s standout performance of the year in Europe but also her first since clinching the Australian time trial championship for the fourth time in January, overcoming a back injury.
LIÈGE-BASTOGNE-LIÈGE FEMMES 2024
1. Grace Brown (Aus) FDJ-Suez, in 4:29:00
2. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
4. Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM
5. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM
6. Kim Cadzow (NZl) EF Education-Cannondale, all at same time
7. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +52s
8. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL
9. Ricarda Bauernfeind (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL
10. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) SD Worx-Protime, all at same time
