The mid-week La Flèche Wallonne Femmes brings with it the toughest final of the three Ardennes Classics, sending the most powerful climbers in the world on a victory chase atop the steep slopes of the Mur de Huy on April 19.
Fabiana Luperini won the inaugural edition of Flèche Wallonne Femmes in 1998, and the race now celebrates its 26th edition as the oldest of the three women's events in the Ardennes Classics.
If the list of previous winners tells us anything, it's that a breakaway rarely succeeds, and the race is won and lost on the Mur de Huy.
Now-retired Anna van der Breggen holds the record for the most wins, at a remarkable seven. Marianne Vos has won five times but will not be adding to the tally this year as she is not lining, which makes 2022 winner Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez) the only rider who has tasted victory atop the Mur de Huy among the field.
Cyclingnews highlights some of the biggest talking points ahead of Flèche Wallonne Femmes, and you can preview the major contenders and the route details for everything you need to know about the 127.3km race from Huy to the Mur de Huy.
Join Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Ardennes Classics and check back after the event for the full race reports, results, photo galleries, storylines and race analysis.
Deignan's return strengthens Trek-Segafredo
Lizzie Deignan's early return to the peloton will strengthen an already powerful Trek-Segafredo team during the Ardennes Classics, starting at Flèche Wallonne and then onto Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
The British rider returns to racing eight months following the birth of her second child. Although she had initially anticipated starting her season at La Vuelta Feminina on May 1, Trek-Segafredo confirmed that she would start 13 days earlier than expected at Flèche Wallonne due to some riders being unavailable at the moment.
SD Worx may have had a stronghold on the Spring Classic, winning 11 races, most recently at Amstel Gold Race with Demi Vollering, but Trek-Segafredo has proven a formidable rival. Shirin van Anrooij won Trofeo Alfredo Binda and finished 3rd at Amstel Gold Race, Elisa Longo Borghini finished third at Tour of Flanders, and Elisa Balsamo second at both Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Classic Brugge-De Panne.
Deignan gave birth to her first child in 2018 and then made a successful comeback to professional cycling during the Ardennes Classics in April 2019 and went on to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2020.
This time around at Flèche Wallonne, she joins Longo Borghini, Van Anrooij, Lucinda Brand, Amanda Spratt and pure climber Gaia Realini.
The expectation is not likely to be placed on Deignan's shoulders to win in her first race back, but she will undoubtedly bring strength and experience to the team as an on-road captain in their pursuit of success in the final two Ardennes races.
Van Vleuten's form under the microscope
In her last Amstel Gold Race Annemiek van Vleuten finished 11th and in the main group behind solo winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx).
The World Champion told NOS in a post-race interview that, despite putting forth a searing attack with 13km to go, and under the cold and rain-soaked conditions of the 156km race, her "legs were really a block of concrete".
Van Vleuten has become known for her all-out winning attacks on the peloton, which have netted her two road race world titles and numerous other victories, but some have questioned if Van Vleuten has the form to win a Spring Classics in her final season before retiring.
She came into the Tour of Flanders and Ardennes Classics after a training camp at Tenerife to work towards her remaining goals for the spring season before turning her attention to the Giro d'Italia Donne and Tour de France Femmes in July.
Questions surrounding her form are reasonable given that, despite strong performances, she hasn't won a race this season. However, Van Vleuten has also noted that the increasing overall strength of the peloton makes it more difficult than ever before for her to ride away with a win. And there is no one who can deny the strength and harmony of SD Worx which has won 11 of the Spring Classics.
Van Vleuten now has two more chances for a Classics win this season at Flèche Wallonne, a race where she has finished as runner-up three times, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a race she has twice won.
She admitted in her blog that the final two of the Ardennes suit her characteristics as a rider much better than Amstel Gold Race. She believes that while Liège-Bastogne-Liège suits her the best, depending on how Flèche Wallonne is raced, she could still succeed on the Mur de Huy.
Van der Breggen's Mur de Huy secret
Not that SD Worx needs any more of an advantage, but along with their impeccable harmony and winning roster, which includes Amstel Gold Race winner Demi Vollering, they also have record seven-time winner of Flèche Wallonne and director Anna van der Breggen's guidance from the team vehicle.
The Mur de Huy is almost always won by the strongest rider, but knowing the climb and all its features is undoubtedly a bonus.
Van der Breggen, more than anyone else at the race, will know the secrets of the Mur de Huy. In an interview with Cyclingnews in 2020, ahead of her sixth victory, she revealed that, while there isn't just one way to win on the Mur, her most important piece of advice was to 'trust your body'.
"You should know how high you can go in your pace, not to blow up, but still have enough to sprint or drop the others. The Mur de Huy asks for self-knowledge," Van der Breggen said at the time.
The Mur de Huy is a steep 1.3km ascent that starts with a run-in along the Avenue du Condroz before reaching the first right-hand bend at a 10% grade. The climb steepens to 12%, then 14%, and after a hard left turn, it hits its steepest section at 19% with 400 metres to go. The grade ever-so-slightly eases off to 13% and then 9% in the final 100 metres to the finish line.
Cyclingnews asked Van der Breggen if there was one line to take on the climb that was better than the other, and she said, "no," while also suggesting that the race can be lost in the last 100 metres.
"There are always choices you can make. If you take the inner corner, it’s the steepest, so you can do it if you feel really well and want to attack and gain some places. If you are on the limit, it’s better to take the outside of the corner so that it’s a bit less steep and you can keep a rhythm.
"The hard part comes after, so if you make a lot of lactate in the corners, you can gain some places, but you can lose a lot of places in the final 100 or 200 metres. It’s all about knowing yourself and how you feel when deciding where to attack or if you should wait for a sprint."
Van der Breggen said that winning on the Mur du Huy is as much about strength as it is about confidence, both are features her team has an abundance of.
Italians with a chance
Italy will field several contenders for this edition of Flèche Wallonne with defending champion Marta Cavalli (FDJ-SUEZ) and Trek-Segafredo duo Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini, and several more who take the start line in Huy.
Despite her success at the Ardennes Classics last year, Cavalli is still an unknown, as she has only recently returned to the peloton after taking some time away from racing due to lingering injuries and discomfort while riding in the peloton as a result of a crash at the Tour de France Femmes last year.
While she struggled in the crosswinds at UAE Tour, she had one of the fastest times on the steep Jebel Hafeet and returned to racing after taking time off with promising performances at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Brabantse Pijl. However, she did not finish Amstel Gold Race on the weekend, making her a dark horse for the win this year. FDJ-SUEZ also field co-leader Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig as another main contender.
Cavalli's compatriots Longo Borghini and Realini could come out on top this year, both powerful climbers in a race that tends to come down to the Mur de Huy. Longo Borghini was second in 2013 and third in 2014 and 2021 and has the most experience from Trek-Segafredo on the famed ascent.
However, her newly-signed teammate Realini could surprise everyone. A self-described pure climber, the 21-year-old will race Flèche Wallonne for the first time in her career. She said that her strengths better suit longer climbs but depending on how the race plays out, there are parts of the Mur de Huy that could suit her ability. She does not consider herself a favourite and said the winner is difficult to predict.
Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) turned heads, winning Brabantse Pijl, out-powering Demi Vollering on the S-Bend ascent into Overijse. A versatile and powerful rider who also knows how to read the end of a tough race has a strong chance of winning this year.
Also, watch for climbers Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health), and Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) to feature in the final.
Moolman-Pasio's time is now
Elisa Longo Borghini, Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, Lizzie Deignan, Annemiek van Vleuten and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig have all stood on the podium but have never won Flèche Wallonne Femmes.
While they are all contenders on Wednesday, one rider has somewhat flown under the radar this spring Classics season – Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio.
She lines up with the Continental team AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep, and for the first time, in a long time, she has a sole leadership role at a race that probably suits her better than any other Spring Classic.
She finished third in 2013 while racing for Lotto Belisol and second in 2018 while racing for Cervelo-Bigla, but since then, she has played a support role while on teams CCC-Liv and SD Worx.
She ended last season by winning the queen stage atop Thyon 2000 and the overall title at the Tour de Romandie. Although she intended to retire, she ended up signing a contract with AG Insurance, where she has enjoyed some of her best racing, winning the queen stage 3 at Setmana Valenciana and showing strong performances in the spring Classics despite going up against the bigger teams.
She has a leadership role at the second-tier team, guiding the younger riders while also showing that she still has a hunger for success in pro racing. In a race where it all comes down to the Mur de Huy, Moolman-Pasio is a real contender for the win.
