2022 La Flèche Wallonne Race Preview
The details of this year's 2022 La Flèche Wallonne are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The peloton heads to the Ardennes for one of the most predictable yet compelling one-day races on the calendar, with La Flèche Wallonne once again promising a dramatic finale on the brutal slopes of the Mur de Huy. The short but savage climb, averaging around ten percent over its final stretch, has shaped this race into something of a specialists' paradise, rewarding those with the ability to explode upward in the final few hundred metres after more than two hundred kilometres of racing.
The women's race has been dominated in recent years by Annemiek van Vleuten, who arrives once more as a formidable favourite despite a loaded field. The Movistar rider's ability to time her effort on the Mur is almost unmatched in the peloton and she will take some beating, though Demi Vollering and Katarzyna Niewiadoma will be among those hoping to unseat her. Elisa Longo Borghini and Ashleigh Moolman are also capable of a strong result on a day when explosive climbing ability matters above all else.
In the men's race, Alejandro Valverde brings enormous sentimental weight as he competes in what is expected to be his final season. The Spaniard has won this race five times and knows the Mur better than almost anyone alive. However, the field is stacked with threats. Primoz Roglic will be eager to add this classic to his palmares, while David Gaudu, Benoît Cosnefroy and Michael Woods all possess the punchy climbing style that suits the finale perfectly. Wout van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe add further intrigue, though the Mur's gradients tend to favour the pure climbers over the more powerful all-rounders. Expect a fast approach to the final ascent, with teams jostling for position before the road tilts upward and the real race truly begins.
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