AG Insurance-Soudal will miss 2026 Liège winner Kim Le Court-Pienaar during this year's Ardennes block (Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège last year, AG Insurance-Soudal will have to count on younger and less experienced riders in this year's Ardennes Classics, with their Monument winner Kim Le Court-Pienaar sidelined with injury, alongside Belgian champion Justine Ghekiere .

Le Court-Pienaar had already had an unlucky spring with crashes at Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, but her misfortune intensified when a crash at the Tour of Flanders left her with a fractured wrist . This ruled her out of the Ardennes block where she made history last year, winning Liège to become Africa's first Monument winner .

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"That’s an important part of our development. Different riders like Lore [De Schepper] can take on a more free role and aim for the finals. The Ardennes are less chaotic than the cobbled Classics.…