La Flèche Wallonne 2025, 23rd April

[Eddy Evenepoel]

3. lots of courage and strength to the 3 Scandinavians who held it until kilometer 9.

Keep the Danes and Swedes out of this!

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I think he could win this race. He can easily put 10 s on Vauquelin.

Maybe if they descended Mur but did you know they actually climb it?

 

[Froome]

Maybe if they descended Mur but did you know they actually climb it?

Yes.

 

[Cookster15]

Obviously he has fully recovered from PN

So, Pog climbed 19 sec slower than JA's best time. Surprising.

He eased up a lot at the end when the win was in the bag. Of course when Tadej attacked either side of the 16% section (according to the video) it was ballistic.

 

[James M]

Vingegaard isn’t riding the Ardennes this year either, even though his fans have been claiming all year that he would. Funny how that goes, what’s the excuse this time?

Anyone who has followed his results throughout his career (especially this year, when hes been dropped by Almeida 2/2 times) can see that he likely wouldn’t even make the top 10 Fleche. Luckily all the top candidates are here: Remco, Nys, Pidcock, Buitrago, Healy etc,(shame with Skjelmose), so at least the excuses are off the table. Pogacar is simply in a completely different league, which obv comes as no surprise.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Kévin Vauquelin is one of the best puncheurs in the world, every top world tour team should be banging on his agents door.

 

[topcat]

I feel it was a moral victory for the 3 Norwegians.
If they had just given it a bit more, they could have hung on for another 50 metres.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Mathieu could've podium'ed today I think. Without riding Amstel. Would love to see him here next year.

What the hell?

 

[SHAD0W93]

Please tell us your theory. Pogacar who has successfully done many more and longer solos than the one at Amstel, decides to get caught and lose the sprint because he didn't like winning?

Pogacar likes to play with his food as well. Gave everyone little hope then smacked them back down.

 

[Leinster]

Is it too hard to say that Pog's dominance today was due to a weak field of strong puncheurs?

There was hope that Nys could challenge, but he was not fresh enough on Huy. And it was his first FW and he is still young. Maybe in 1 or 2 year he will really deliver.

Remco in supershape might have put up a fight, but he still lacks some form

Vauquelin 2nd again. Good, no doubt.
Pidcock 3rd, also good, but maybe an indication of lack of really strong puncheurs (and I'm a Pidders fan).

We lacked one or two of super-puncheurs. Say a Rogla, an Ala in good old shape, a Theuns in 2022 form or a Valverde of course.

Just have the impression that the level wasn't that high this year. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe the level wasn't much better other years.

​

I joined the race late, and saw that McNulty was leading a group off the front with others just chasing back on, and then he and Christen kept the pace up onto the Mur; I feel like maybe UAE made a conscious decision to make the late hills as hard as possible, so even if there had been a Valverde or Dan Martin (or Stevie Williams, or Dylan Teuns) hiding in the pack, they would’ve had to burn matches just to be with the reduced group at the foot of the climb.

I saw Healy do a reverse-Dan-Martin; was very well positioned in the early stages of the climb, but just didn’t have the finishing kick to go with the leaders.

 

[Leinster]

Please tell us your theory. Pogacar who has successfully done many more and longer solos than the one at Amstel, decides to get caught and lose the sprint because he didn't like winning?

Pog said after Amstel that he decided to sit up and wait for Remco and Skjel and try to out sprint them rather than burn himself out in a 1 v 2 pursuit to the line. Remco had been closing on him, and he has won from small group sprints before, so the tactic made sense.

 

[Cookster15]

I can't see how Vingegaard can be a factor in this race when Pogacar is riding at this level. Top Remco either.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I can't see how Vingegaard can be a factor in this race when Pogacar is riding at this level. Top Remco either.

At this level, no one can beat Pogacar.
He is the best puncheur and best climber in the world

 

[James M]

Kévin Vauquelin is one of the best puncheurs in the world, every top world tour team should be banging on his agents door.

Combined with an excellent TT and 23 years old (24 in 3 days) certain teams should be banging down that door.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I was happy to see Healy riding well here too. He's fun to watch.

 

[Danskebjerge]

I saw Healy do a reverse-Dan-Martin; was very well positioned in the early stages of the climb, but just didn’t have the finishing kick to go with the leaders.

When I saw Healy in the front halfway up the Mur, I was worried that the strength of Pogacar's competitors was quite low, as I wasn't too impressed by Healy at Amstel - he tried numerous times to attack his group on the climbs, but hardly succeeded in gaining more than a few seconds there.

 

[Netserk]

More weather than field. Normal weather he still wins but it looks like every Fleche.

Only riders arguably top 3 here that weren't there are Roglic, Vingegaard and Van der Poel imo.

Williams, Van Gils and Van Eetvelt in better shape, Skjelmose staying upright, and Cosnefroy uninjured should all easily beat fatass Van der Poel on the Mur. And realistically, Vingegaard wouldn't top-10 here.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Pog said after Amstel that he decided to sit up and wait for Remco and Skjel and try to out sprint them rather than burn himself out in a 1 v 2 pursuit to the line. Remco had been closing on him, and he has won from small group sprints before, so the tactic made sense.

That wasn't the point. How come he was getting caught to begin with. He sat up when they were 8km from the line and they were 100 meters behind him. He was getting caught either way.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

That wasn't the point. How come he was getting caught to begin with. He sat up when they were 8km from the line and they were 100 meters behind him. He was getting caught either way.

Yes, he is in terminal decline having to wait for the last climb every time now. Can you please explain what you‘re getting at or how you would explain it. I don‘t think I understand.

 

[Red Rick]

Williams, Van Gils and Van Eetvelt in better shape, Skjelmose staying upright, and Cosnefroy uninjured should all easily beat fatass Van der Poel on the Mur. And realistically, Vingegaard wouldn't top-10 here.

Vingegaard won a shorter uphill finish in 2023 in Itzulia. Plus he's handled Pogacar on 5 minute climbs more than once.

And about Van der Poel, consider me me an optimist in that he's won on longer duration climbs and he showed a pretty huge best climbing performance on Cipressa.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yes, he is in terminal decline having to wait for the last climb every time now. Can you please explain what you‘re getting at or how you would explain it. I don‘t think I understand.

That he was tired. And that assuming it was related to his season having started months ago, is not some asinine idea as the poster I initially responded to wanted to make it seem.

 

[Blanco]

At this level, no one can beat Pogacar.
He is the best puncheur and best climber in the world

Roglic can beat him in this type of finish occasionally, if the circuimstances are right, but today, with this weather and how the race went, I think even him wouldn't stand a chance.
Top Alaphilippe, Valverde, Purito could challenge him, but we need a time machine for that.

 

[Red Rick]

Roglic can beat him in this type of finish occasionally, if the circuimstances are right, but today, with this weather and how the race went, I think even him wouldn't stand a chance.
Top Alaphilippe, Valverde, Purito could challenge him, but we need a time machine for that.

Kinda weird how Purito only won it once, we've literally named the entire category of climb after him. Though I guess Mur de Huy is kind of too short and shallow for Purito

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

More weather than field. Normal weather he still wins but it looks like every Fleche.

Only riders arguably top 3 here that weren't there are Roglic, Vingegaard and Van der Poel imo.

When has MvdP ever shown anything that would lead you to believe that?

 

[Red Rick]

When has MvdP ever shown anything that would lead you to believe that?

Mur de Bretagne, Cipressa, and Castelfidardo.

Especially in a Fleche where performances are down because of cold, I think Van der Poel would struggle less than some others.

And no I am not talking about beating Pogacar here.