La Flèche Wallonne Femmes, one of the oldest Spring Classics for professional women cyclists, takes place each year on the Wednesday between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, finishing on the infamous Mur de Huy.
Beginning in 1998, the race has highlighted the top talent of the women's peloton, from three-time winner Fabiana Luperini and five-time winner Marianne Vos to the outright record holder and consecutive victory record holder Anna van der Breggen, who won seven straight times from 2015 to 2021.
La Flèche Wallonne Féminine is organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation, which also produces the Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix and many other major professional cycling races.
The most recent winner is Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), who doubled up after claiming the victory in the 2022 Amstel Gold Race, beating Annemiek van Vleuten to win on the Mur de Huy.
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Cyclingnews highlights the riders to watch for La Flèche Wallonne Femmes.
A remarkable performance by Marta Cavalli saw her out-climb Annemiek van Vleuten on the steep Mur de Huy to win Flèche Wallonne. After winning Amstel Gold Race the weekend earlier, it was her second back-to-back victory at the 2022 Ardennes Classics.
Cavalli comes into Flèche Wallonne after struggling earlier in the year with her recovery from a crash at last year's Tour de France Femmes, and the team has allowed her to take time off from racing in full support of her recovery. She is a favourite nonetheless as one of the strongest climbers in the field, and with her full focus on the Ardennes Classics, watch as she attempts to defend her title on the Mur de Huy.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig will play a co-leadership role alongside Cavalli at FDJ-SUEZ for Flèche Wallonne. A strong climber, Uttrup Ludwig finished second on the Mur de Huy behind Van der Breggen in 2020.
World ChampionAnnemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) has finished runner-up three times at Flèche Wallonne, behind Anna van der Breggen in 2015 and 2019, and Cavalli in 2022. It is hard to believe that Van Vleuten has not yet won Flèche Wallonne, given her sparkling parlmares. In her final year of racing before retiring, this will be her last chance to win on the Mur de Huy, and as one of the best hilly one-day racers in the world, and perhaps with more motivation to succeed this year than in any other, she lines up as a favourite to beat.
Demi Vollering had a quick rise to the top ranks of the women's peloton after turning heads with a third-place finish on the Mur de Huy while racing for the development team Parkhotel Valkenburg. Since that performance, she has gone on to some of the biggest success in cycling, including one-day wins at La Course, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Strade Bianche and runner-up at the Tour de France Femmes. This again at last year's Flèche Wallonne, Vollering will lead SD Worx as she attempts to win atop the Mur de Huy.
Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini will lead Trek-Segafredo at Flèche Wallonne, both are strong climbers who showed their teamwork with a 1-2 finish on the steep Jebel Hafeet at the UAE Tour ahead of the Spring Classics. Longo Borghini has finished on the podium three times, but she has struggled with COVID-19 this spring, and although she finished third at Tour of Flanders, she hasn't been confident in her recovery. Watch for pure-climber Realini to move into a potential leadership for the team in Huy.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio has always been a contender at Flèche Wallonne while riding in support of her previous teammates at SD Worx. Her best result, however, was second while racing for Cervelo Bigla in 2018, and she finished third while racing for Lotto Belisol in 2015. She now has a sole leadership role at AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep and won the queen stage at Setmana Valenciana earlier this year. This could be Moolman Pasio's year to win Flèche Wallonne.
Kasia Niewiadoma appears to be coming into form at the end of the cobbled Classics, where she finished fifth at the Tour of Flanders, and after a short rest, straight into the Ardennes Classics. The Canyon-SRAM leader is a favourite for the Ardennes and won Amstel Gold Race in 2019. At Flèche Wallonne, she has finished twice on the podium, in 2017 and 2021, and will try again for the top step in 2023.
Silvia Persico is becoming every bit the leader that UAE Team ADQ anticipated she would be when they signed her for the 2023 season. She finished sixth at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and fourth at Tour of Flanders and will carry that form into late April. She is somewhat of an unknown for the Ardennes Classics, not having raced Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne or Liège-Bastogne-Liège before this season.
Juliette Labous is coming into form this spring during the Ardennes and will lead a young but strong team at Flèche Wallonne Femmes that includes junior women's silver medalist Eglantine Rayer, bronze medalist Nienke Vinke, and eighth place Eleonora Ciabocco at the Worlds in Wollongong.
