Peter Sagan to race Fleche Wallonne

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Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) will line up to start La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday. The three-time world champion was not initially scheduled to race the mid-week segment of the Ardennes Classics, instead opting to focus on Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but he was a late addition to the start list on the eve of the race. 

Sagan has not won a Classic so far this season, and his sole victory came during a stage of the Tour Down Under in January. He started the European season with an illness in March that required some additional recovery time, and so he placed a more realistic target on the Ardennes Classics, specifically Amstel Gold and Liège.

He was fourth at Milan-San Remo, and although he wasn't able to defend his title at Paris-Roubaix, he was part of the late-race breakaway and finished fifth. The result at Hell of the North showed progress in his form, and the cycling world hoped to see more from him at last weekend's Amstel Gold Race, but he didn't finish.

This will be his second participation at Flèche Wallonne since racing in the 2013 edition, when he placed 12th. The media have suggested that he is starting Flèche Wallonne in order to prepare for the weekend's Liège-Bastogne-Liège. 

Organisers of Flèche Wallonne have changed the route this year. The 195.5km race will start from Ans and riders will tackle the Côte de Tancrémont after 47km, followed 10km later by the Côte des Forges, with those being the only two climbs ahead of the finishing circuit. They enter the final circuits with 76km to go and will race up the Ereffe, Cherave and the Mur de Huy three times.