La Flèche Wallonne (BEL) - 25.04.2007

(This event is on the 2007 UCI ProTour calendar but does not hold a UCI ProTour licence)

The mid-week Flèche-Wallonne is one of the shorter classic races on the cycling calendar but the Belgian race is one of the most thrilling because it ends on one of the steepest uphill finish in the sport. The Mur de Huy is a relatively short climb but it gets steeper and steeper and the winner is always the strongest climber who perfectly times his charge to the finish line. The Flèche Wallonne goes over the Mur de Huy earlier in the race so that riders can test their legs and other short climbs during the race often spark attacks and show riders’ weaknesses before the big showdown. In 2005 Italy’s Danilo Di Luca won. Spain’s Alejandro Valverde did the same last year before going on to complete a rare Ardennes double by also winning the Liège- Bastogne-Liège race four days later. Both riders are set to challenge for the Flèche Wallone in 2007. Other contenders include the French speaking Belgians who race on home roads and riders like Italy’s Damiano Cunego who will target the Giro d’Italia stage race but who also have the climbing skills and acceleration to win at the summit of the Mur de Huy.