Sandwiched between Amstel Gold and the all important Monument Liège–Bastogne–Liège, La Flèche Wallonne serves as the midweek centerpiece of the Ardennes Classics triple crown. 148km of attritional racing culminates atop the summit of the famed Mur de Huy, one of the hardest final kilometres on the WorldTour calendar.
While is may not be as open tactically as Amstel Gold, nor does it carry the same broad endurance shape as Liège, the race is renowned for the severity of its hallmark Mur finale (1.3km at an average gradient of 9.6%, peaking at close to 20%), where last year Puck Pieterse outclimbed Demi Vollering to take the second win of her road career.
Past winners include Kasia Niewiadoma, Demi Vollering, Marianne Vos, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, and Anna Van Der Breggen. The latter holds the record for most wins, having taken seven in a row between 2014 and 2021.
Demi Vollering
Demi Vollering (FDJ-United Suez) arrives at La Flèche Wallonne in imperious form, having finished on the podium in every race she has started this season other than Strade Bianche - a run of consistency that continues to define her as the rider to beat. Although her bid to repeat the Ardennes triple of 2023 ended at Amstel Gold, the FDJ rider, supported by a squad which includes Strade Bianche winner Elise Chabbey, will be hungry to go one better than last year’s second-place Flèche finish.
If fans were left wanting a Niewiadoma–Vollering battle after the Polish rider’s absence from the cobbled Classics, the Ardennes have already delivered. Niewiadoma’s presence therefore adds an extra layer of intrigue to Vollering’s campaign, as seen in their gritty fight to the line at Amstel. Absent from several of Vollering’s major wins this season, including at the Tour of Flanders, Niewiadoma’s ability to match the Dutchwoman on steep climbs could prove decisive if she reaches the final ascent in contention.
Kasia Niewiadoma
Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram) returns for her 13th tilt at the race where, in 2024, she broke a five-year win drought before going on to win the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift just four months later. While a heavy crash at Milan-Sanremo marred her cobbled Classics campaign, her attack on the Cauberg and final sprint to beat Vollering to second place at Amstel Gold showed a remarkable return to form - an encouraging sign ahead of Wednesday’s race. With a growing list of runner-up finishes this season – at Omloop, Strade Bianche, and Amstel – the Canyon-SRAM rider will be aiming for nothing less than victory.
Puck Pieterse
Last year, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) rose out of the saddle with 150m to go on the punishing Mur de Huy to snatch victory from none other than Demi Vollering. The 24-year-old has shown the same tenacity this season, animating Milan-Sanremo with an attack over the Poggio and battling Pauline Ferrand-Prévot all the way to the line at the Tour of Flanders to secure her second Monument podium. That consistency continued with a top-10 finish at her home race on Sunday.
Pieterse’s climbing ability and instinct for positioning in decisive moments make her well suited to a course as demanding as Flèche, and she will be eager to add another Ardennes win to her palmares after coming close during the cobbled Classics.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot
It has been eight years since Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) last raced the Ardennes, and even longer since her victory at Flèche in 2014, then described as the biggest win of her career. A stint at MTB and gravel disciplines, a Tour de France Femmes win and a Paris Roubaix title later, and that hiatus comes to an end on Wednesday, as the Frenchwoman will line up with two Monument podiums to her name already this season.
Speaking to Rouleur after finishing second at the Tour of Flanders, Ferrand-Prévot explained how her altitude training had made her more accustomed to longer, sustained efforts, as opposed to the kinds of powerful punchy attack that won Demi Vollering that race. So while the Visma-Lease a Bike rider’s irregular Ardennes appearances might not make her an obvious favourite for Wednesday, her ability to handle sustained efforts, (showcased during her huge attempt to deliver teammate Marianne Vos to a result at Paris-Roubaix) could be a real advantage in an attritional race like Flèche.
Other contenders
Paula Blasi’s stunning upset at Amstel Gold highlights the unpredictability for which the Ardennes are renowned, and the UAE Team Emirates-ADQ rider will be one to watch on Wednesday.
SD-worx will be looking for a result on Wednesday after their packed roster walked away from Amstel without silverware. Anna van der Breggen placed best for the team in ninth at that race, and returns to one of her most iconic hunting grounds for the first time since her return to roadracing last year. Her teammate and 2025 Amstel winner Mischa Bredewold has also shown recent promise, finishing ninth at Tour of Flanders and runner-up at the midweek classic De Brabantse Pijl.
Milan-Sanremo runner-up Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) could also contend for the podium after finishing fifth at Amstel Gold, while Movistar leader and 2023 Flèche runner-up Liane Lippert will be aiming to add a strong result to an otherwise mixed season.
Prediction
Kasia Niewiadoma has had to settle for second place on several occasions this season, but Flèche could be the race where that pattern changes.
