As it happened: La Flèche Wallonne Men decided by sprint up Mur de Huy

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the 2025 La Flèche Wallonne!

The riders are in Ciney, which hosts La Flèche Wallonne for the first time in the race’s history, ahead of a 200km trek through the hills of the Ardennes, culminating in the famous finish on the Mur de Huy.

OFFICIAL START

And they're off!

The stage is set for a gripping encounter. Before Sunday’s Amstel Gold, it felt like Tadej Pogačar was untouchable on a finish like this. Now, however, having been neutralised by Remco Evenepoel, and defeated by Mathias Skjelmoae, suddenly he looks human, and the race open.

200KM TO GO

Five riders have attacked and are building a gap - Artem Shmidt (Ineos), Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Tom Paquot (Intermarché - Wanty), Ceriel Desal (Wagner Bazin WB) and Siebe Deweirdt (Flanders - Baloise).

Their lead is up to over a minute - this might be our break of the day already. 

Over two minutes for the break now. The peloton is happy with its formation.

The scene at the start of the day, where a Pogačar v Evenepoel duel was being anticipated.

190KM TO GO

The break's lead contines to rise, now up to 2-25. 

COTE DE VER

The riders are on the first climb of the day, Côte de Ver (1.4km at 4.6%). This one’s an outlier on the day, as it’s the only one of the day’s eleven official climbs tackled inside the first 85km.

The peloton make their way over the summit, about 2-20 behind the break. That’s it for any official climbs for a while, though the terrain will continue to undulate.

180KM TO GO

Having grown rapidly to begin with, the break's lead has stabilised at just over two minutes.

Here's a first look at the five riders in the break.

Unsurprisingly, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have been one of the teams committing to putting men at the front of the peloton, underlining their status as race favourites with their leader Tadej Pogačar. But they’ve also been joined by Lidl-Trek and Q36.5, who are showing a great deal of faith in their respective leaders Mattias Skjelmose and Tom Pidcock.

Or could Lidl-Trek be working for Thibau Nys rather than Skjelmose? The Dane bigged up his young teammate as the one man in the peloton who could beat Pogačar on the Mur de Huy, while also saying their’s could be a two-pronged approach rather than backing a single leader.

170KM TO GO

The race situation remains the same, the gap now at 2-20.

Bahrain-Victorious are also contributing to the chase. Their young leader Lenny Martinez has been in fine form in the early part of the season, and should be well-suited to the Mur de Huy finish.

As you can see from the kit being worn by the riders in the peloton, it's quite a cold day in Belgium.

160KM TO GO

The gap has come back down to under two minutes. The peloton aren't letting this one out of sight.

The pace has increased significantly in recent kilometres, bringing the gap down to 1-30.

Soudal-QuickStep is the team who’ve upped the pace at the front of the peloton. They appear to want to make this a hard race for their man, Remco Evenepoel.

150KM TO GO

1-40 now is the gap. Soudal-QuickStep really are flying along.

For all Evenepoel’s virtues, we don’t usually see him win in uphill sprints like Mur de Huy, but in solo attacks. Having lost out to Skjelmose and Pogačar on Sunday in a three-up sprint, is he using his team as part of a plan to set him up for an attack before the Mur today?

It’s also now raining, and the road is getting increasingly wet, adding to the race’s complications during a phase of this race which is usually so calm and settled. 

Soudal’s work is obliterating the break’s lead. They have just 45 seconds, and will be caught soon at this rate.

There have been some attacks out of the peloton, despite the fast pace. Tobias Foss has gone clear, and another rider is trying to join him.

Rob Stannard is the other rider, and he's now joined Foss.

Foss made similar moves to this earlier this season at Paris-Nice, and so some success, sealing himsel a top ten on GC. It’s an approach indicative to the new, more adventurous approach to racing Ineos have adopted this season.

Here’s the peloton a little earlier, all strung out bu Soudal-QuickStep’s pace. They have knocked it off recently though, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG taking control again. 

140KM TO GO

The decrease in pace has allowed the break’s lead to grow back up to one minute, while Foss and Stannard are halfway in between.

Foss and Stannard are getting close to the leaders now, a mere 10 seconds away.

Foss and Stannard have made the junction. That was a smart move - they made it at a time when the peloton had brought the break to within catchable distance, but also when the pace had slowed enough to allow them to go clear.

Here's Foss soon after making his move out of the peloton.

130KM TO GO

The gap between the leaders and the peloton has remained steady since Foss and Stannard, still hovering at around 1-00.

The weather’s still nasty out there, rain jackets being adorned by most.

120KM TO GO

The gaps grown a bit, to 1-25. That might change as we're about to start the second climb of the day.

COTE DE PETITE SOMMES

This is the climb, the 1.2km, 8.5% Côte de Petite Sommes. Soudal-QuickStep lead the peloton onto it.

A couple of Uno-X riders have used the climb as a springboard to attack out of the peloton.

Andreas Leknessund and Fredrik Dversnes are the two Uno-X riders.

In the break, Siebe Deweirdt has been dropped.

The peloton reach the top of the climb, 15 seconds behind the Uno-X pair. Leknessund in particular is a very good climber, but it's a big ask for them to close 50 seconds on the leaders.

Leknessund and Dversnes have joined Deweirdt, and the three are now riding together.

Deweirdt has been dropped by the Uno-X riders.

110KM TO GO

Leknessund and Dversnes are making progress. They're gone 1-10 clear of the peloton, and are only 35 seconds behind the leaders. 

The pace is totally off in the peloton, as their deficit to the leaders grows to nearly two minutes. You expect Soudal-QuickStep will pick it up again at some point, given their statement of intent from earlier.

Leknessund and Dversnes, in pursuit.

100KM TO GO

The pace is up a bit in the peloton, as teams jostle for position. That gap's gone down to 1-45.

After a long chase, Leknessund and Dversnes have joined the leaders. Chapeau!

COTE D'EREFFE

We’re entering a new phase of the race now, as the riders start the Côte d'Ereffe. This is one of the three climbs that will be taken on three times in the finishing circuit, along with Côte de Cherave and, of course, the Mur de Huy The racing’s about to intensify.

Jonas Koch crashed rounding a corner approaching the climb.

Soudal-QuickStep had initially led the peloton on the climb but now UAE have taken over.

90KM TO GO

Both teams went hard on that climb, wanting to wear the legs of other riders. Consequently, the gap to the peloton has decreased to 1-20.

The riders are descending to the foot of Côte de Cherave, the second of the three climbs of the finishing circuit. It averages a steep 7.7% for 1.3km.

COTE DE CHERAVE

The break are onto the climb, led by Shmidt with his Ineos teammates Foss on his wheel. 

Defending champion Stevie Williams appears to be on a bad day. He's being dropped out of the peloton on the climb.

80KM TO GO

The gap between the leaders and the peloton is 1-10 as they near the top of the climb.

The peloton is still very large. No sign of the race breaking up yet. 

Here we go, the riders are about to start the famous steep slopes of the Mur de Huy for the first time. This is one of the best sights of every season.

MUR DE HUY

UAE Team Emirates-XRG lead the peloton onto the climb, now less than a minute behind the leaders. 

The break reach the top, all together still apart from Paquot, who was dropped towards the start.

Now UAE lead the peloton over the top, 55 seconds later. They did not use this first ascent of the climb to lay the hammer down, and the group remains large. 

As well as Williams, Dylan Teuns is another former winner struggling. The 2022 winner is hanging on at the back of the peloton.

Paquot has dropped back into the peloton.

70KM TO GO

The gap remains stable in the aftermath of the Mur, at 1-10.

Magnus Sheffield has had a mechanical.

Here's the peloton on the Mur. It's a wet one this year.

60KM TO GO

We’re still waiting rothe racing to really get going in the peloton, and the break still leads by about 1-10. That might be about to change as we approach the next climb, the second ascent of Côte d'Ereffe.

COTE D’EREFFE

They're on the climb again now.

Once more it's UAE who lead the peloton onto it.

Guglielmi is dropped from the break on the climb.

The climb prove to be difficult for the break, who’s lead has come down to 50 seconds.

50KM TO GO

45 seconds is the gap, as they descend to the foot of the Côte de Cherave.

Still it’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG who lead the peloton. The big question for them and their leader Pogačar is whether or not to wait until the Mur de Huy. Of course, usually the Slovanain loves a long-range attack, but this is a race where the received logic is to wait until the Mur de Huy rather than burn your matches too early, and it was in waiting for the final sprint that he won here in 2023.

COTE DE CHERAVE

Time to start climbing again.

Stannard is the latest rider to drop out of the break. That leaves just the two Ineos riders, two Uno-X riders and Desal in the group.

It's raining even heavier now. These really are rough conditions, and are sure to shape how the race unfolds.

Lenny Martinez is one rider who might be struggling in the conditions -- he’s struggling at the back of the peloton, despite being one of the pre-race contenders.

 Shmidt has also been dropped from the break.

Ceriel Desal has just crashed going around the corner. He's back up, but looks unlikely to rejoin the break.

CRASH

Crash in the peloton, and Skjelmose has gone down.

He's up, but looks hurt, and hasn't got back on his bike yet.

Skjelmose is riding again now, and is surrounded by Lidl teammates who waited for him, but looks unlikely to return to the peloton.

40KM TO GO

Meanwhile the peloton are now just 20 or so seconds behind the leaders. 

MUR DE HUY

The final three riders left in the break, Leknessund, Dversnes and Foss, have started the Mur de Huy once more. 

Will there be a move this time up the Mur in the peloton?

Foss is going clear from the other two on the climb.

Or so it seemed - they hung on and the three riders summit the climb together.

There was no individual attack in the peloton, but Visma-Lease a Bike have taken to the front for the first time and upped the pace.

Here's a sense of hos grim the weather is this afternoon.

Soudal-QuickStep have now taken to the front again with Mauri Vansevenant, and upped the pace. They’ve chosen not to make the race hard on the climbs, but seem to be executing a plan now we entered the final lap.

30KM TO GO

Only 13 seconds for the three leaders. The catch might be made soon.

There's a small split in the peloton on an exposed stretch of road.

It's been closed and the peloton is back together.

Thibau Nys is with the Lidl team car, and looks to be struggling in the cold. You can see his hand shiver as he takes something from it. That could be a worry for the Belgian, who’s now his team’s clear leader since Skjelmose’s crash.

The three leaders as they creste the Mur de Huy. Still they lead the race, having grown their lead back up to 25 seconds. 

Soudal-QuickStep are leading the peloton, although they’re down a man for now as Junior Lecerf drops back with a mechanical.

COTE D’EREFFE

Soudal lead the peloton onto the climb.

20KM TO GO

The gap's already coming down on this climb, to just 13 seconds.

Tadej Pogačar looks like he means business - he's taken off his rain jacket, revealing his rainbow stripes.

Other riders are also shedding layers. The weather has eased up somewhat.

Foss, Leknessund and Dversnes have made it to the top of the climb still in the lead. They're clearly all on a very strong day, especially remembering how they each had to bridge up to the day's break from the peloton.

The trio's lead is 15 seconds, with 15km to go.

There’s only one more climb to do now before the Mur de Huy, so it’s looking likely we’ll get the usual sprint up the Mur de Huy after all.

Pogačar and Evenepoel are of course the headline names, but there are plenty of other to look out for - the much-hyped Thibau Nys; familiar Ardennes stars Tom Pidcock, Ben Healy; podium finishers from last year’s race, Max Van Gils, Kévin Vauquelin; and strong performers from Amstel Gold like Michael Matthews, Romain Grégoire, Tiesj Benoot and Louis Barré.

10KM TO GO

They still have to catch the breakaway to ensure this is a sprint, of course. The leaders still maintain a gap of about 13 seconds.

There is also time for a pre-Mur attack on the penultimate climb, Côte de Cherave, which they are about to start ascending.

COTE DE CHERAVE

The break are caught, just as they start the Côte de Cherave.

UAE have seriously upped the pace on the climb.

Pogačar is second in line, being led by Christen.

The peloton is strung out, and riders are straining not to let gaps open up.

Now there's been a real split. Only about 20 riders are left in the front group.

They crest the climb. Pog has two teammates with him. Evenepoel is also there, as is Healy.

 Pogačar moves to the front for the descent, Evenepoel alert and following him.

Now Evenepoel is leading on the descent.

Evenepoel,  Pogačar, Healy, Christen and McNulty have got a small gap on the descent.

A group of about 25 riders being led by Groupama-FDJ have caught those five leaders.

Less than a kilometre now until the start of the Mur. We're all set for a sprint!

Nys is still in this group.

MUR DE HUY

Here we go, they're on the climb.

UAE lead, with Pog third in line.

Evenepoel is on Pog's wheel.

Healy and Mauro Schmid are both near the front too.

Healy makes a move.

Pog's on his wheel.

POGACAR ATTACKS

He's made his move...and disappeared into the distance already!

He's got a huge gap already.

Vauquelin leads the chase behind, with Healy and Evenepoel.

But noone's going to come back to Pogacar.

POGACAR WINS

He takes the victory!

Vauquelin is second, Pidcock third.

Rarely has an attack up Mur de Huy left the opposition for dust quite like that from Pogačar. In mere moments he had a huge gap, and all but ended the race

Both Healy and Evenepoel faded towards the top, to 5th and 9th respectively. Lenny Martínez and Santiago Buitrago came through to finish 4th and 6th respectively.

That brings to an end Pogačar’s ‘drought’ at going two races without a win, while extending his run of consecutive podium finishes in the classics to six.

Shout out to Kévin Vauquelin, the first of the humans to make it to the top of the Mur. That’s the second year in a row he’s finished runner-up at La Flèche Wallonne - the Frenchman clearly loves this climb.

Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy can both also be pleased with their rides. Third and fifth are career high finishes for both at this race.

Having won a similar stage at Paris-Nice, fourth-place today for Lenny Martinez proves him to be a specialist for steep uphill finishes.

Remco Evenepoel will be less happy with his 9th place finish. His Soudal-QuickStep team did much of the work at the front of the peloton clearly expecting a good result, and the lack of an attack from the Belgian suggests he did fancy himself in a sprint up the Mur. Given his scintillating form since returning from injury, 9th will come as a real disappointment.

Thibau Nys didn’t quite live up to the hype, either, finishing down in 8th. It remains to be seen how badly the wet and cold affected his performance.

Another Pogačar, another day of broken records. His winning margin of ten seconds is the biggest at La Flèche Wallonne since Igor Astarloa in 2003.

Thanks for joining us today, for another stunning display by the one and only Tadej Pogačar. The racing’s not done yet, with the La Flèche Wallonne Femmes taking place - be sure to follow all the action with us. 

And be sure also to return Sunday for the last of the Ardennes Classics, Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Pogačar might have reiterated his status as favourite with today’s win, but Liège is a race Remco Evenepoel excels at, having never been beaten in his two appearances to date. It promises to be a classic!