The cobbled Classics are over for one more yr, with Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix drawing a spring season of thrilling racing in Belgium and northern France to an in depth.
Nevertheless, the spring Classics proceed, no less than for the following few days, as the lads’s and girls’s pelotons convene in Wallonia to sort out the Ardennes Classics. Wednesday sees the 86th version of La Flèche Wallonne and the twenty fifth of La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, earlier than the ultimate Monument of spring, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, on Sunday.
The fearsome climb of the Mur de Huy awaits the riders at Flèche, with the standard slow-motion dash up the steep slopes of the hill as soon as once more anticipated to resolve the result of the 2 races.
Forward of the races, we have appeared by means of the beginning lists and compiled 5 prime contenders from the lads’s and girls’s pelotons. Listed here are our 10 riders to observe at La Flèche Wallonne.
Kasia Niewiadoma is knocking on victory’s door. The Polish rider completed fourth at Strade Bianche, eighth at Tour of Flanders, fifth at Amstel Gold Race and second at Brabantse Pijl thus far this spring.
She yearly targets the Ardennes Classics and has the proper energy for steep pitches, particularly on the finish of the robust races. She has twice completed on the rostrum atop the Mur de Huy, and was second to Anna van der Breggen final yr.
Niewiadoma has expressed her disappointment in not having the ability to give her workforce a victory but this season, however this might be her yr to lastly take that prime step on the rostrum at La Flèche Wallonne. (KF)
It is an apparent selection but it surely’s unattainable to go away out the world champion, given he is gained the race 3 times up to now. When he is on prime type, few can match his dash on terrain just like the steep slopes of the Mur de Huy, as he confirmed in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
Alaphiliippe began the month at Itzulia Basque Nation, the place he appeared in nice type as he simply gained one stage and narrowly missed out on victory at two others. He was final in motion at Brabantse Pijl, the place he hit the headlines after being taken out in a crash sparked by his personal workforce automobile.
He did not undergo any main accidents within the fall, although, and needs to be all OK to compete for a fourth title, type allowing. Mauri Vansevenant and Remco Evenepoel will present key help, although on the Mur de Huy it is each man for himself. (DO)
SD Worx will even area two potential winners, and former podium finishers, at La Flèche Wallonne with Demi Vollering and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, in hopes to proceed on Anna van der Breggen’s run of success within the final seven editions.
In all chance, Van der Breggen will probably be directing SD Worx from the workforce automobile, and who higher to offer on-road recommendation – even when it is by means of an ear piece – than the file seven-time champion of the Mur de Huy.
It will be good to see Moolman Pasio take the victory in what’s her final season as knowledgeable earlier than retiring, nevertheless, Vollering has proven nice type with second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold Race and a solo victory at Brabantse Pijl.
Vollering completed third in 2020, and her strengths and abilities are broadly in comparison with that of Van der Breggen’s, and so it could be cheap to anticipate her to be the workforce’s chief on Wednesday. (KF)
Like Alaphilippe’s inclusion, Pogačar’s is one other no-brainer. The 2-time Tour de France winner has began the race twice earlier than, ending a reasonably distant ninth in 2020, however he is a contender at any race he strains up at.
Up to now in 2022 Pogačar has completed prime 10 at each race he is began, having gained the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, and Tirreno-Adriatico and in addition ending prime 5 at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders.
Later within the week he’ll be focusing on a defence of his Liège-Bastogne-Liège title, and so Flèche would possibly function extra of a warm-up, in as a lot as that idea exists in Pogačar’s calendar. He’ll be joined in the beginning by teammates, teenage climber Juan Ayuso and 2020 race winner Marc Hirschi. (DO)
One of many sport’s most prolific winners, Annemiek van Vleuten, has quite a few podium finishes on the Ardennes Classics, however remarkably just one victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2019. Nevertheless, this might very properly be her yr to shine, particularly on the Mur de Huy, as she’s going to line up as one of many strongest climbers within the peloton.
She opted to skip Paris-Roubaix final weekend, significantly after a foul crash left her recovering from fractures to her shoulder and pelvis final yr. Van Vleuten subsequent strains up for the ultimate two Ardennes Classics on Wednesday and Sunday.
She has nice type this spring classics marketing campaign with a victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, two second locations at Strade Bianche and Tour of Flanders, and fourth at Amstel Gold Race.
On the Mur de Huy, Van Vleuten has completed second to Van der Breggen in 2015 and 2019. She hasn’t raced since Amstel Gold Race two weekends in the past, and could also be coming into La Flèche Wallonne with more energizing legs in comparison with a few of her rivals. (KF)
Ineos Grenadiers have been the workforce of the Classics in current weeks, taking out victories at Amstel Gold Race by way of Kwiatkowski, Brabantse Pijl by way of Magnus Sheffield, after which Paris-Roubaix by way of Dylan Van Baarle.
The workforce’s energy in numbers has served them properly, although the slow-motion dash up the Mur de Huy is a distinct state of affairs altogether compared to these races. The Pole appears maybe the person finest positioned to problem for the win within the last, clearly being on good type and having twice completed prime 5 up to now.
Tom Pidcock, who completed sixth final yr, and Dani Martínez, contemporary off his Itzulia victory, come into the race as co-leaders for Ineos, who’ve one of many strongest squads on the race with Geraint Thomas and Carlos Rodríguez additionally competing. (DO)
Elisa Longo Borghini is among the most versatile riders within the ladies’s peloton and her sustained excessive energy serves her properly when she launches a breakaway or grinds her method up a steep ascent just like the Mur de Huy.
The Italian Champion secured one of many greatest wins of her profession at Paris-Roubaix Femmes on Sunday and can carry that type into La Flèche Wallonne.
She is recovered from a bout of sinusitis that prevented her from performing to her personal expectations this spring. Nevertheless, with newfound type and confidence, look ahead to Longo Borghini to salvage the remaining races of her spring marketing campaign at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. (KF)
Frenchman Cosnefroy was second right here two years in the past, lacking out to Marc Hirschi within the last sprint to the road. Ending second has been a theme for him in current weeks, too.
He involves Wallonia having taken the runner-up spot in each race he is began in April – the Circuit de la Sarthe, Amstel Gold Race, and Brabantse Pijl. Cosnefroy is clearly in prime type, then, however simply lacking a little bit of energy – or luck.
He’ll be the outright chief for AG2R on Wednesday and at Liège as he closes out a robust Classics marketing campaign. Regardless of profitable the Bretagne Traditional final yr, a win at both of this week’s greater profile races would symbolize one thing of a breakthrough, and it could be exhausting to begrudge him one after so many current close to misses. (DO)
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig was pressured to sit down out of Amstel Gold Race after a constructive Covid-19 check. Nevertheless, it has been two weeks since that, and he or she is at present listed to compete at La Flèche Wallonne.
She targets the Ardennes Classics yr after yr with a lot success, having completed second to Van der Breggen within the 2020 version. Uttrup Ludwig hasn’t raced for the reason that Tour of Flanders, and – assuming she has recovered – she could have benefitted from the quick break in her spring marketing campaign.
With Marta Cavalli securing the win at Amstel Gold Race, it could be one other massive success for the French workforce to take one other win on the Mur de Huy. (KF)
The opposite riders on our record have taken on La Flèche Wallonne and scored top-10 finishes earlier than, however Vlasov stands out as the one rider right here to be making his debut on the Mur de Huy this week.
Bora-Hansgrohe’s chief is in wonderful type, although, having began his yr with victory on the Volta a Valenciana and lately taking podium spots on the GP Indurain and Itzulia. Vlasov is powerful on steep slopes and has a great burst of acceleration so needs to be well-suited to Wednesday’s end, too.
So even when he would not have the Flèche pedigree of his rivals, he is nonetheless one to observe. Volta a Catalunya winner Sergio Higuita joins him on the beginning line, as does 2020 Giro runner-up Jai Hindley. (DO)
