La Flèche Wallonne

A draining Flèche Wallonne

One of the most famous climbs in cycling, Mur de Huy celebrated 40 years since first hosting the finish of Flèche Wallonne, a race our team won three times. This 88th edition turned out to be a memorable one due to the inclement weather, very similar to the conditions the riders had to endure seven years ago in Liège–Bastogne–Liège: heavy rain, freezing temperatures and even snow at one point, with 80 kilometers to go.

All these unwanted ingredients made for a brutal day in the saddle, which led to the first cracks in the peloton appearing more than 60 kilometers from the finish. One by one, many riders succumbed to the cold and abandoned the race – including many of the favourites – leaving a depleted peloton to tackle the final lap of the Belgian Classic. Among the 30-odd riders left in the main group was also Ilan Van Wilder; making his fifth consecutive appearance in Flèche Wallonne, the 23-year-old remained at all times well placed, saving his energy for the last time up the demanding Mur de Huy.

Several attacks spiced up the final kilometers, but despite all these efforts, the race once again came down to a sprint from a reduced group on the double-digit gradients of the 1.3km climb, where Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) emerged victorious. Digging deep on the hardest part of the climb, Ilan managed to finish in the top 20, coming home in 16th place.

“Today was just brutal, so chapeau to Ilan for the way he kept on fighting in this horrible race. It was difficult out there, and you could see that in the numerous abandons that led to many of the teams having nobody at the finish. It was one of the hardest races of the year, and now that it’s done and dusted, we’ll focus on the last classic of the spring, Liège–Bastogne–Liège Brutal”, explained Soudal Quick-Step sports director Klaas Lodewyck.

Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images