1971 Liège–Bastogne–Liège

The 57th edition of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège road cycling race in Belgium was held on 25 April 1971.^[1] Belgian Eddy Merckx concluded his second win in the monument classic, after beating his countryman Georges Pintens in a two-man sprint.^[2]

1971 Liège–Bastogne–Liège

Eddy Merckx (pictured in 1966) won his second Liège–Bastogne–Liège
Race details
Dates	April 25, 1971 (1971-04-25)
Stages	1
Distance	251 km (156.0 mi)
Winning time	6h 57' 10"
Results
Winner  Eddy Merckx (BEL) (Molteni)   Second  Georges Pintens (BEL) (Hertekamp-Magniflex)   Third  Frans Verbeeck (BEL) (Watneys-Avia)
← 1970 1972 →

Summary

Cycling icon Eddy Merckx attacked solo in Rocourt, at 92 kilometers from the finish in Liège, and soon had a five-minute advantage over his pursuers. In a rare display, he suffered a sudden fatigue on the Mont-Theux and was joined by Georges Pintens. Pintens failed to distance a tired Merckx, and Merckx managed to outsprint his fellow Belgian at the line to seal his second victory in the classic.^[3]

The race was run in harrowing weather conditions, with snow and cold rampaging the peloton. 27 of 122 starters finished the race.^[2] Years later, one of Merckx' soigneurs revealed that Merckx, suffering from exhaustion after the race, needed to shower on a chair.^[3]

Results

#	Rider	Time
1.	Eddy Merckx	6h 57' 10"
2.	Georges Pintens	s.t.
3.	Frans Verbeeck	+ 4 ' 51 "
4.	Gilbert Bellone	s.t.
5.	Antoine Houbrechts	s.t.
6.	Ferdinand Bracke	+ 5 ' 51 "
7.	Joseph Bruyère	s.t.
8.	Raymond Delisle	+ 6 ' 45 "
9.	Felice Gimondi	+ 6 ' 54 "
10.	Attilio Benfatto	s.t.