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Thursday, April 24, 2025

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Current racing:

• April 21 - 25: Tour of the Alps

Upcoming racing:

• April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
• April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
• April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
• May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
• May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia

Latest completed racing:

• April 23: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 20: Amstel Gold Race
• April 20: Tour du Doubs
• April 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
• April 18: De Brabantse Pijl
• April 12-13: Paris-Roubaix
• April 7 - 12: Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
• April 8 - 11: Region Pays de la Loire Tour
• April 9: Scheldeprijs
• April 6: Ronde van Vlaanderen
• April 5: GP Miguel Indurain
• April 5: Volta NXT Classic
• April 4: Route Adélie de Vitre
• April 2: Dwars door Vlaanderen
• April 2: Paris - Camembert Lepetit
• March 24 - 30: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
• March 30: Gent - Wevelgem
• March 30: La Roue Tourangelle

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La Flèche Wallonne team reports

We posted the race organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from race winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

With the look of a man keen to stand on the top step of the podium again, Tadej Pogačar decimated his opposition to win La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday afternoon, with the Slovenian taking his second title in three years. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider gained a note of retribution for Sunday’s runner-up spot at the Amstel Gold Race, by attacking with 500m to go of the Mur de Huy and crossing the finish line some 10 seconds ahead of the next-best rider.

Making his attack whilst seated in his saddle, the world champion powered away from the rest of the peloton and would not be seen again before the finish. It was an attack made on the corner named in honour of the two-time champion Claude Criquielion, and just like the great Belgian, Pogačar emerged victorious at Flèche Wallonne sporting the rainbow bands as world champion.

Pogacar wins the Flèche Wallonne wearing the World Champion's rainbow jersey. Sirotti photo

He becomes the first to do so since Julian Alaphilippe in 2021 and with Liège-Bastogne-Liège on the horizon this coming Sunday, the Slovenian looks in great condition to fight for a third title at La Doyenne. With his victory in the midweek showdown, Pogačar claimed his third win in just six outings in the spring Classics, none of which have seen the 26-year-old finish off the podium.

Ten seconds down on the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man atop the Mur de Huy, Kévin Vauquelin sealed second place for Arkéa-B&B Hotels, with Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s Tom Pidcock taking third at a 12-second deficit. Both riders were quick to congratulate Pogačar after the finish, the mutual respect apparent between three podium finishers who had battled through the elements to perform at their best on Wedneday afternoon.

In a repeat of last year’s Flèche Wallonne, Belgium lashed the peloton with a barrage of rain, wind and less than moderate temperatures, forcing the riders to don rain jackets and wet-weather gear up until the finale. As the breakaway put on a show for the cameras, it was UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Soudal Quick-Step and Lidl-Trek who spearheaded the peloton behind.

For the Emirati squad, Vegard Stake Laengen and Domen Novak did plenty of pacesetting through the race’s middle quarters.

Slowly but surely, the break got reeled into eyesight and as the peloton tackled the final climbs of the day, it was only a hardy Norwegian trio who remained out front. Their courage was beyond question as many behind sought the refuge of hot tea and dry clothes from the nearby team cars. It was truly another wet and wild edition of Flèche Wallonne, but one that yet again produced its winner from the final ascent of the Mur de Huy.

Standing at 9.7% for 1.3km, the Mur de Huy is one of cycling’s most revered climbs, known for pitting the world’s best puncheurs against each other once a year in late April. There has been no breakaway winner of Flèche Wallonne since 2003, and as the peloton bombed towards the final ascent of the Mur de Huy on Wednesday, it was apparent that the victory would be decided in the final kilometre once more.

For Pogačar, the Slovenian could rely on the excellent work of his teammates to hand UAE Team Emirates-XRG a slight advantage heading onto the steep slopes. First up was Felix Großschartner, before Pavel Sivakov and Brandon McNulty each did their work at the front of the bunch to keep Pogačar primed to move. Perhaps the ride of the afternoon came from Jan Christen, who bounced back from a crash with 40km to go and returned to Pogačar’s side ahead of the last climb.
Christen led the world champion onto the slopes of the Mur de Huy, before producing a searing turn of pace that saw most of the peloton put to their limit.

Through the first half a kilometre of the climb, it was the Christen show, with the Swiss rider making his comeback to racing in style. The 20-year-old has been out of action since his heavy fall at the Faun-Ardèche Classic, but rode tremendously well in Belgium to not only tee up his teammate, but ride to a strong 13th position in his own right.

With Christen’s pull coming to an end, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) sought to produce a long-range move and he motored off the front of the peloton, but Pogačar was attentive to the danger. Remaining in his saddle, the world champion marked Healy’s acceleration before powering away himself. With each turn of his pedal, the gap between the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man and his rivals behind grew larger, and within a couple of hundred metres, it had become apparent that the day’s race-winning attack had been made.

Standing up and torquing his Colnago bike through the climb’s steepest pitches, Pogačar consolidated his advantage and wrapped up his second Flèche Wallonne victory. Speaking to the media after the finish, the Slovenian heaped the praise on his teammates and looked ahead to Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Pogačar: “It is a really great feeling to win again here on this tough final. It is a beautiful climb, but as a cyclist you don’t like it so much. Also today the weather was not the best, so it was a really tough race and to pull it off with the win means a lot.

“It was tough conditions on the race and one of the hardest final kilometres in cycling. It was a bit cold and tough conditions in general. I am really really happy that I could win today because the team came here to work for this goal, and I am really happy that I could deliver for them.

“I had a really good leadout to the final few hundred metres with Brandon and Jan. When Healy came to my left, I sped up a little bit, looked under my shoulder and saw that nobody was sticking to the wheel. I tried to make a first acceleration and when I saw that nobody was following, I committed to the top.

“Of course, we raced really well together as a team today. We stuck to the plan, but it was a hard race and the guys had super good legs. More or less, we have the same team for Sunday and I think we can do a great race again on Sunday and try to win there as well.”

Here's the report from third-place Tom Pidcock's Team Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team:

Tom Pidcock sprinted to a third place on the gruelling Mur de Huy in today’s Flèche Wallonne. This iconic climb defines the 205-kilometer long race and features three times where it traditionally comes down to the last time up. It’s only 1,2 kilometers long but with an average gradient of almost ten per cent it’s all about timing.

Pidcock timed his last climb really well by moving up to the front alongside the Meuse river and starting the climb around fifth place. When Tadej Pogacar launched his winning move, Pidcock waited and put in an attack for third on the steepest parts of the climb. This is only the third World Tour podium in the history of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.

The podium, from left: Kévin Vauquelin (2nd), Tadej Pogacar (1st) & Tom Pidcock (3rd).

Tom Pidcock said: “I was concentrating on staying warm because it was cold but I had lots of layers on. We are racing hard and seems to be faster every year so it’s harder to take clothes off. The team did a great job in making sure I was warm and in good position, especially Xabier Mikel, Mark, Nick and Marcel. Marcel is relatively inexperienced but he did a great job.

Then on the Mur, my hands were too cold so I couldn’t really change gear. So I was under geared and then over geared. I had to pick one. I felt better than I normally do in the rain and in the cold which is a good sign. It was a good result. Every race I get a bit better so that gives me great confidence for the weekend.”
The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team consisted of Pidcock, Marcel Camprubí, Milan Vader, Fabio Christen, Mark Donovan. Nick Zukowsky and Xabier Mikel Azparren. Behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz team car was Michael Albasini, record holder in this race with 16 starts and eight top ten placings.

Marcel Camprubí continued his great streak in the Belgian spring Classics by finishing in 33rd place in his first Flèche. The 23-year-old from Barcelona was there to help team leader Tom Pidcock.

“I felt really good and very motivated fort his race,” he said after a warm shower. “This has always been one of my favorite races because I saw Purito Rodriguez win here on tv. Riding here was a great opportunity for me, despite the weather. We thought at the start it wouldn’t be so bad but I was really happy I chose the Vampir rainjacket [team prototype] because it was also cold.”

Fourth-place Lenny Martinez's Team Bahrain Victorious posted this report:

Once again La Flèche Wallonne delivered the expected drama for its 89th edition, as heavy rain turned the iconic Ardennes Classic into a true test of strength, resilience, and teamwork.

After the day’s early break went clear and opened up what seemed to be a significant gap to the peloton, Robert Stannard managed to bridge across to the leaders in the pouring rain. In the end though, that group of seven were caught within last 10km, and the race came down to the final ascent of the legendary Mur de Huy, a 1.3 km test with an average gradient of 9.8%, peaking at a brutal 26%. The favourites waited patiently for their moment, all eyes on the steep finale. Among them, Bahrain Victorious were right in the mix, thanks to a superb team effort throughout the day.

Lenny Martinez and Santiago Buitrago were part of the elite group of 20 riders who reached the base of the climb together. When the decisive moment arrived, Tadej Pogačar (UAE) attacked early, riding away from Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) and soloing to take a second ‘Flèche’ win. Behind, it was a ferocious fight for the podium. Martinez, who won on a similar uphill finish at Paris–Nice earlier this season, showed once again why he’s a specialist on the steepest slopes. He dug deep, ultimately finishing 4th, just behind Kevin Vauquelin (ARK)(runner-up for the second straight year) and Tom Pidcock (Q36). Ben Healy split the Bahrain duo, finishing 5th, with Buitrago taking a strong 6th place, 16 seconds behind the winner.

The peloton racing in the cold rain.

Out of breath at the finish, Martinez said: “It was a hard race with the rain for half of the day, and the last climb is always brutal. We were close to the podium – it’s okay. The guys did a great job controlling things and setting us up. It’s a good result with both Santi and me in the top six.”

Buitrago echoed the sentiment, satisfied with his ride and the team’s performance:

“After a day like this, this is a super result. I’m really happy for Lenny, 4th on the Mur is something to be proud of. And for me, it’s a good sign of form heading into Liège–Bastogne–Liège. We’re building something strong here.”

Sports Director Roman Kreuziger added: “Our goal was a podium, and while we just missed it, finishing 4th and 6th with Lenny and Santi is a very solid performance. In tough conditions like today, the team really pulled together. There are still a few tactical aspects we can improve, especially in how we ride collectively, but overall, I’m proud. Stannard’s move was excellent; we hoped he could stay away longer, but his effort played a big role. Today also showed Santi is regaining form, and we’re in a good place heading into Sunday. Hats off to Pogačar, his attack on the Mur was world-class. The victory was out of reach today, but we leave satisfied, grounded, and motivated to close out the cobbled and Ardennes campaign on a high.”

Next Sunday Bahrain will be back for the final ‘monument’ of the Spring: Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Meanwhile, the Tour of the Alps passed its halfway point, and Finlay Pickering once again made the breakaway on stage 3. The 22 year old picked up 10 ‘King of the Mountains’ points on the 145.5km route from Sterzing to Innichen, extending his lead in the classification to eight points over Marco Frigo (IPT). The British rider had a horrific crash at the race last year, and went down again today. Fortunately, after being assessed by the medical staff, he suffered no serious injuries and will take to the start tomorrow in the blue jersey for the ‘Queen Stage’ between Sillian and Obertilliach. Damiano Caruso crossed the line in 7th place on the day, holding on to his top ten position overall.

Here's the report from seventh-place Romain Grégoire's Team Groupama-FDJ:

Three days after grabbing seventh in the Amstel Gold Race, and one year after his seventh place in La Flèche Wallonne, Romain Grégoire took the exact same position on Wednesday, atop the Mur de Huy. After a difficult race due to the weather conditions, and following a remarkable team effort right up to the final, the young Frenchman once again joined the fight with the big guns to secure another top 10 finish. Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, also in strong form, finished just behind, in eleventh place. A promising day ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday.

Team Groupama-FDJ before the race start. Sirotti photo

After a first opportunity on the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, it was time to really tackle the Ardennes climbs for the punchers on Wednesday, with La Flèche Wallonne and its famous and horrendous Mur de Huy (1.3 km at 9.7%). Three laps of the finishing circuit made up the second half of the race, which meant as many climbs of this iconic hill, but also of the Côte d’Ereffe (2 km at 5.5%) and the Côte de Cherave (1.3 km at 7.6%), which came back for this 2025 edition. Eight riders entered the first lap of the circuit, with about 90 kilometres to go, with a small margin over the peloton, while the weather got harsh.

“The goal was to stay with our leaders, meaning Romain and Guillaume, and to support them for as long as possible,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “Due to the rain, positioning was crucial today. So that was the watchword today: keep them up there at all times.” Although the first two climbs of the Mur de Huy were done at a solid pace, no attacks shook the peloton before the start of the final lap. Yet, the bunch was already reduced by half with about thirty kilometres to go. “The team was really solid,” Benoît said. “We still had our seven guys coming into the last ascent of Côte d’Ereffe. It gave them motivation, a boost, and they helped each other. We can really be satisfied with that today”.

With their teammates’ support, Romain Grégoire and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet never dropped out of the first third of the bunch. Thanks to a pull from Kevin Geniets, they were even able to tackle the final ascent of the Côte de Cherave, seven kilometres from the finish, in the upper part of the pack. They were therefore able to follow the serious acceleration of Tadej Pogacar’s teammates, and still had Valentin Madouas alongside them. At the summit, the three men were even part of a small group of fifteen riders, which got a bit bigger on the descent leading to Huy.

Before entering the Mur, however, the former French champion was forced to make a major effort to close a gap on a handful of men that slipped away. The final, extreme ramps then came quite quickly, and the two Groupama-FDJ leaders tackled them slightly in the back. UAE Team Emirates set a high pace from the bottom, after which Tadej Pogacar took off, 500 metres from the finish line. In around tenth place at that point, Romain Grégoire more or less held onto that position in the final few hundreds of metres, then made one last effort in the home stretch to claim seventh place.

“I still have a few regrets, because the team was really perfect today,” said Romain. “Everyone did a very good job to make sure that I could fight for the top positions. I know I can reach the top 10 in the WorldTour, but I can aim higher, and I wanted to aim higher. This seventh place has a bit of a sense of unfinished business. I don’t know if I wasn’t demanding enough with my positioning or if I didn’t dare push myself too hard at the bottom, but I feel like I still had something left at the top. I think I could have done better.”

“He was perhaps a little bit far too far, and a bit conservative,” added Benoît. “He wanted to keep a bit of energy, and he’s still struggling to approach this Mur. I don’t know if the top 5 was possible, but sixth place was clearly within his reach.” A few seconds later, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet took eleventh place. “We still showed that we were there, and we were in the mix more than ever,” claimed Romain. “That will give us the rage and the desire to really make a big splash in Liège.” “We were aiming for the top 5 today, and we’re not far off,” concluded Benoît. “That’s what we’ll try to achieve again on Sunday.”

Ninth-place Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:

Remco Evenepoel continued his impressive string of results Wednesday afternoon, when he finished ninth at just his second Flèche Wallonne appearance. It was a solid top ten for the 25-year-old, at the end of a race that was made more difficult than usual by the inclement weather that accompanied the peloton from the moment they got underway from Ciney.

The weather didn’t stop Soudal Quick-Step from assuming pace-setting duties right from the off, a strong delegation of our riders taking the reins at the front of the peloton behind the eight-man breakaway whose maximum gap was of just two minutes. It was a superb team effort from the Soudal Quick-Step boys on this rain-affected day, which helped Evenepoel remain well-positioned and out of trouble on the slippery roads until it came to the big showdown on the Mur de Huy, where the race concluded for the 40th consecutive time.

Remco Evenepoel finishes ninth. Sirotti photo

The winner of Brabantse Pijl raced his own tempo on the gruelling slopes of the 1.3km hill which averaged 9.6%, unfazed by the different attacks that came early, long before the famous S-bend, and concluded part of a small group that finished 16 seconds behind Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). This strong display on an explosive climb not really to his liking, and at the end of a day with temperatures belowe ten degrees Celsius, helped Remco rack up his third top ten in the space of six days, an encouraging result ahead of Sunday’s Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

“We did really well as a team. We put pressure from the beginning to make the race as hard as possible, and even though it didn’t quite work out in the end, we are content with being in the top ten and present at the front of the race. This result of Remco and our overall display give us a lot of motivation for Sunday”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Klaas Lodewyck.

Here's the report from twelfth-place Tiesj Benoot's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Tiesj Benoot finished 12th in the Flèche Wallonne. The Belgian of Team Visma | Lease a Bike put in a strong effort on the Mur de Huy, but could not compete for a podium spot. Tadej Pogacar took the win.

In the 89th edition of the Walloon classic, the riders faced harsh conditions and very slippery roads. Benoot, who finished in the top ten in the previous two editions, was involved in a crash and had to make a big effort to get back in the peloton. After the escapees were caught on the penultimate climb.

Jørgen Nordhagen, Ben Tulett and Benoot held on and started the final climb of the Mur de Huy in a select group. Pogacar accelerated early on and reached the finish line solo. Benoot and Tulett finished 12th and 18th in the group behind.

The race begins.

"It was a tough race. That was not only because of the course, but also because of the rain and the cold," sports director Arthur van Dongen summed up the race. "The controlling teams rode a tight pace all day, which is why a lot of guys had to drop out early. Nevertheless, I thought we were well in the race. It's a pity that Tiesj crashed and Ben got caught in the cold. That Tiesj still managed to join the front group, is admirable."

Van Dongen also praised Nordhagen's performance. "Jørgen rode a good race. That he started the final climb of the Mur de Huy in a select group promises something for the future. All in all, we had hoped for more today, but there are enough identifiable reasons why we failed to take a top-ten classification."

Team INEOS Grenadiers posted this:

A big day out for the Grenadiers saw a full team effort tackle tough conditions at Flèche Wallonne, while AJ August worked in the break all day and Thymen Arensman continued his GC campaign at Tour of the Alps.

The Ardennes Classics continued with a soaking Flèche Wallonne, which saw Artem Shmidt and Tobias Foss in the break, before Magnus Sheffield and Axel Laurance claimed top 20 placings in Belgium.

Shmidt was the first to get stuck into an early break, with Foss bridging over to form a front group of seven with 39km remaining.

Shmidt was reeled in with 42km to go, as Foss clung on to the lead with his fellow countrymen Fredrik Dversnes and Andreas Leknessund (UNO-X Mobility).

With 7km to go, Foss was caught as the peloton’s pace ramped up. A solo effort up the final climb, Mur de Huy, saw Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) take the win, as Sheffield and Laurance battled to the line to finish in 17th and 20th place, respectively, as part of the main bunch.

Tobias Foss:
“It was quite clear that Quick-Step wanted to go quite hard on the climbs, just to make people tired. They brought [the gap to the break] really close, to like 40-45 seconds. I thought it was a good moment to try. We managed to bridge up together. It was a really good race and those two Uno-X guys I knew were strong.

“I just missed a little bit of the legs in the end so it’s a bit of a shame. It would have been nice to race all the way to the line – but we gave it a good crack.”

Tour of the Alps:
AJ August showed his breakaway prowess once again on the third stage of the Tour of the Alps, before finishing in the main bunch with Thymen Arensman.

Tackling two categorised climbs over 143.7km, August was involved in the 21-man breakaway with 91km remaining, racking up a two minute lead as riders were dropped under the blistering pace.

Marco Frigo wins the third stage of the Tour of the Alps. Sirotti photo

Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech) escaped solo, with August chasing in a group of three alongside Finlay Pickering (Bahrain-Victorious) and Frederik Wandahl (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) a minute back with 30km to go.

The chasing peloton reeled in the trio on the final run into Innichen, with Frigo going on to take the stage win. Thymen Arensman finished in 14th as August came home 19th in the bunch.

And Team Picnic-PostNL posted this Flèche Wallonne report:

When you think of La Flèche Wallonne, you think of the Mur de Huy. Although the Côte de Cherave returned to the local finishing circuit after a one-year absence, few doubted that the race would once again be decided on the steep final ascent of the Mur. The day’s early break formed quickly, with a few riders bridging across later on. Meanwhile, Team Picnic PostNL stayed grouped near the front, aiming to position finisher Oscar Onley as best as possible for the finale.

On the final climb of the Côte de Cherave, the breakaway was caught and the pace in the peloton suddenly ramped up. The increased tempo caused splits in the bunch, with Onley missing the first group and settling into the second. From that point on, Team Picnic PostNL played no further role in the battle for victory in Huy. Warren Barguil ended the day as the team’s first rider across the line.

Team Picnic-PostNL at the start. Sirotti photo

After the finish, the Frenchman said: “We’re disappointed because we worked hard for this. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off. It’s a big disappointment, even though we actually did a good job as a team. But that’s cycling. The weather didn’t make things any easier either—it was far from pleasant in the rain. Sadly, we couldn’t get a result today, and that’s frustrating. But we’ll do everything we can to bounce back the right way on Sunday in Liège.”

Coach Pim Ligthart added: “I’m pleased with how we rode as a team, as a unit. We made a plan and stuck to it, and the guys executed it really well. Of course, it’s disappointing that we weren’t there on the penultimate climb, but credit to the riders for their effort and teamwork.”

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