Belgium: sometimes it gives, sometimes it takes. The Classics can offer up warm air run through with the scent of blossom. But days later – almost in the same breath – they can pummel riders with the kind of unbearable weather conditions that send riders home swathed in blankets, shattered and shivering, thousand yard stares looking vacantly through excited onlookers and eager TV cameras.
Wednesday's La Flèche Wallonne was one of those days, one of those races. In the women's race not much more than half the field finished, while in the men's event the weather scythed through the field like a farmer on a hot September afternoon. But Flèche was anything but hot. Seven degrees and less, with a north-westerly that drove cruelly through the bunch, paring it down despite efforts to the contrary, with jackets and even leg-warmers abound.
Let the low finishing numbers take nothing away from the winners – Stevie Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) in the men's and women's events respectively. They were, after all, the toughest of the tough, reaching the finish in front when others could not stand the conditions.
Much of the talk was of the 'hardest edition in recent memory'. Perhaps even the hardest race in recent memory, but there are a few that could vie for the same title.
1. Milan-San Remo, 2013
At close to 300km, this Italian March Classic is the longest race on the pro calendar and is often characterised by a long waiting game before kicking off as it reaches a flurry of hills in the second half. Not the ideal day, then, to be pounded relentlessly by heavy snow in sub-zero temperatures.
Eventually organisers took pity on the riders, diverting them around a dicey Turchino pass and then ushering them into buses, where they took the opportunity to pull on every bit of dry kit they could find – team issue or not.
Around 50km were missed out of the race, and on a surprising day, Gerald Ciolek was the surprise winner – the first home of 135 finishers.
2. GP Oetingen, 2023
It's one thing for the weather to make the race hard – but what if it made it non-existent? That's what happened to the GP Oetingen in Belgium last March, when anyone hoping for spring-like weather was sorely disappointed to find a thick blanket of snow that forced the organisers to cancel the race.
But, not to be outdone by Mother Nature, instead of disappointing riders, sponsors and fans entirely, they decided that if the right weather wouldn't come to the race, they would take the race to the right weather, and rescheduled it for August. Simone Boilard (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) won the rescheduled appointment in 23-degree heat. Lovely.
3. Giro d'Italia, 2013
Italy again and, yes, 2013 again. A few months after one of the most miserable editions of Milan-San Remo on the books, riders took on stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia from Silandro to Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the far north. Riders and fans were eager for hostilities to resume, with the previous day's stage having been cancelled due to weather conditions.
It was a great ride, but many people got a great look at the day's solo winner Vincenzo Nibali, given that he was being pounded by a blizzard at the time. The results, though, were clear enough in black and white – the Italian had preserved his place at the top of the general classification and, effectively, won the race.
4. Tour de France, 2019
The Tour de France was bound for Tignes on stage 19 at the end of three weeks that had held fans rapt, thanks to Julian Alaphilippe seizing the maillot jaune and then defending it almost without a break all the way up to the race's Alpine denouement.
However, the Frenchman's had shown weakness the previous day, and Ineos riders Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal looked poised to pounce, either on the cat-one climb to Tignes or the HC Iseran that preceded it. The Colombian struck first, going over the Iseran in the lead. But on the way down a freak hailstorm hit the mountain with such ferocity that the road was rendered impassable and the stage cancelled.
No stage win was awarded, but GC times were taken over the top of the Iseran, meaning Alaphilippe surrendered the jersey to Bernal, while Thomas was left wondering whether he could have had his day were the stage to have gone the distance.
5. Giro d'Italia Donne, 2023
What is it with Italy and its crazy cycling weather? With the men having already suffered through a washed out Giro d'Italia, the women were hoping for a more clement experience. No dice. The rain had already started coming down hard before the first rider rolled down the ramp for the 4.4km test in Chanciano Terme.
With thunder rolling overhead, drains overflowing, standing water accumulating and multiple riders hitting the deck, organisers first paused the race before taking the inevitable recourse and cancelling the stage. All results were nullified and the race, in effect, began the following day, when Annemiek van Vleuten starting as she meant to go on, taking a solo win in Marradi on her way to eventual GC victory.
