Preview 2024 Flèche Wallonne | We're set to enjoy the iconic Mur de Huy yet again!

When you say Flèche Wallonne, you basically say Mur de Huy. This renowned hill in the Belgian town has been the backdrop for the so-called Punchers' World Championship for years, no matter what the organizers try to turn the race into. Over the course of its many editions, the race course has been tweaked many times, including for this edition, but in the end, it always comes down to that final kilometer.

We will definitely have a new winner this year, as Tadej Pogacar is not expected to defend his title. Julian Alaphilippe, who won this race in 2021, 2019 and 2018, is also not participating, along with the obviously retired Alejandro Valverde. The Spaniard won the Flèche Wallonne no less than five times. Former winners Dylan Teuns (2022) and Marc Hirschi (2020) will be participating again.

2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Dylan Teuns
2021 Julian Alaphilippe
2020 Marc Hirschi
2019 Julian Alaphilippe
2018 Julian Alaphilippe
2017 Alejandro Valverde
2016 Alejandro Valverde
2015 Alejandro Valverde
2014 Alejandro Valverde

As we mentioned in the introduction, this season's route for the Flèche Wallonne has been adjusted to create a more attractive race scenario. We start off in Charleroi, where we last began the Flèche Wallonne in 2021. After 42.7 kilometers, the first big obstacle arises: the Cote d'Yvoir (2.1 km at 6.0%), following which we head through Havelange and towards Huy.

The key change is that an extra local lap has been added around the finish area, which of course includes an additional Mur de Huy climb. This brings the total number of times the peloton will have to push itself up the steep hill to four, but everything naturally depends on how the race is tackled in the middle by the favorites (and outsiders) and their teams.

Compared to last season, the Cote de Cherave has been removed from the local lap and thus from the race, leaving only the Cote d'Ereffe (2.1 km at 5.0%) as a lead-up to the Mur de Huy. After 197 kilometers, we arrive at the foot of the 1.3-kilometer-long climb for the last time, facing an average gradient of 9.6 percent.

Climbs
42.7 km: Cote d'Yvoir (2.1 km at 6.0%)
90.8 km: Cote d'Ereffe (2.1 km at 5.0%)
103.7 km: Mur de Huy (1.3 km at 9.6%)
122.4 km: Cote d'Ereffe (2.1 km at 5.0%)
135.3 km: Mur de Huy (1.3 km at 9.6%)
154.1 km: Cote d'Ereffe (2.1 km at 5.0%)
167.0 km: Mur de Huy (1.3 km at 9.6%)
185.7 km: Cote d'Ereffe (2.1 km at 5.0%)
198.6 km: Mur de Huy (1.3 km at 9.6%)

Weather
Will the weather conditions make for any surprises in the Flèche Wallonne? On Wednesday, plenty of rain is expected in Wallonia, with a temperature of about 11 degrees Celsius and a light breeze, which won't improve the perceived temperature either.

Looking at the participant list of the Flèche Wallonne, one might spot a standout favorite: Tom Pidcock, the man who also claimed victory in the Amstel Gold Race last Sunday, on behalf of INEOS Grenadiers. The Brit is seemingly tailor-made for feats such as the Mur de Huy, yet despite participating in three previous editions, he has not finished higher than sixth place.

Tadej Pogacar, last year's winner, will not be participating. However, the runner-up, Mattias Skjelmose, will be there. The Dane of Lidl-Trek has a formidable team at his disposal including Toms Skujins, Andrea Bagioli, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Bauke Mollema, which might allow the team to benefit more from a long, tough battle. This also applies to other strong climbers like Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious, which also includes Pello Bilbao) and Juan Ayuso of UAE-Team Emirates (accompanied by former winner Marc Hirschi, Brandon McNulty, Joao Almeida and Diego Ulissi).

French teams also come strong in depth to the starting place in Charleroi. Decathlon AG2R features Brabantse Pijl winner Benoit Cosnefroy and Amstel Gold Race sensation Paul Lapeira, while Groupama-FDJ boasts Romain Grégoire, Valentin Madouas, David Gaudu, and Quentin Pacher. Talk about a variety of flavors. Arkéa - B&B Hotels (Kévin Vauquelin) and Cofidis (Guillaume Martin and Jésus Herrada) would be pleased with a top twenty finish.

Unlike previous races, there seem to be few Dutch contenders for victory, but there are plenty of Belgians. Tiesj Benoot (Visma | Lease a Bike), an Amstel Gold Race podium finisher, Maxim Van Gils of Lotto-Dstny, former winner Dylan Teuns racing for Israel-Premier Tech, Alpecin-Deceuninck puncher Quinten Hermans, and the duo Ilan Van Wilder/Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step) will all try to contend for the win on the Mur de Huy.

At Jayco AlUla, they will be hoping for a good day for Michael Matthews while BORA-hansgrohe, in the absence of Primoz Roglic, will be pinning its hopes on former podium finisher Aleksandr Vlasov. Ben Healy and Richard Carapaz are expected to pull out all the stops on behalf of EF Education-EasyPost, with other teams like Astana Qazaqstan Team (Simone Velasco and Cristian Scaroni), Movistar (Davide Formolo), Uno-X (Tobias Halland Johannessen) and Intermarché-Wanty (Lorenzo Rota) mainly bringing outsiders.

Top favorites: Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)

Those wanting to watch Wednesday's Flèche Wallonne live will have to tune in to "Home of Cycling" Eurosport or Sporza (VRT 1). Both channels are sure to be broadcasting the race from around 2 PM.