Haas ready to roll the dice again at la Fleche Wallonne

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Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) in the lead group near the end of Amstel Gold(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)

After having just missed the podium on Sunday with fourth place in the Amstel Gold Race, Dimension Data's Nathan Haas is eager to roll the dice again Wednesday during the second instalment of the 2017 Ardennes Classics at la Flèche Wallonne.

On Wednesday, the race will come down to the final climb up the infamous Mur de Huy, the final 1.3km ascent that comes after nearly 200km of racing. Riders reach the Mur de Huy for the first time after 145km, then start the closing circuit that also features the Côte d’Ereffe, which averages 5 percent over 2.1km, and the Côte de Cherave, which averages 8.1 percent over 1.3km. But they are just hors d'oeuvres for the final time up the Mur de Huy, which for the first 900 meters averages nearly 12 per cent and reaches over 20 per cent in the steep corners toward the top.

"To me, Flèche Wallonne is easily the most dangerous one of the Ardennes races," Haas said. "There is really only one moment in this race that counts and that’s the final 1.3km. Positioning is paramount, which also makes for a very tactical race. It’s a bit like an ice sculpture with Mur de Huy being that last pick of the ice where you either make something really beautiful at the end or the whole thing collapses. It’s really an amazing race.