Defending champion in the women's race Puck Pieterse (Fenix Deceuninck) returns to southern Belgium this week, but Tadej Pogačar does not. Instead deciding to focus on winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège for a fourth time. The second of three Ardennes Classics, La Flèche Wallonne and La Flèche Wallonne Féminine will take place on Wednesday April 22, 2026, sandwiched inbetween Amstel Gold Race and Liège.
Flèche Wallonne is the shortest of the three races and often comes down to a sprint up the final section of the Mur de Huy. This translates as the Wall of Huy in English, and is one of the steepest climbs used in a European UCI event. As such the race suits a specific type of rider, and it's not uncommon to see that rider win year after year through the prime of their career.
