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Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) wins La Flèche Wallonne 2023 (Credit: Getty Images Sport)UAE Team Emirates leads the peloton on the Côte de Cherave climb just before the Mur de Huy (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Søren Kragh Andersen rides alongside Soudal-QuickStep’s Louis Vervaeke, with Samuele Battistella (Astana-Qazaqstan) behind as the trio hold off the peloton with less than 12km to go (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images) Soudal-QuickStep’s Louis Vervaeke was the last man from the breakaway to survive up front (Credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)Vegard Stake Laengen of Norway and Felix Grosschartner of Austria lead UAE Team Emirates ahead of Tadej Pogačar at the front of the peloton (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)Breakaway from La Flèche Wallonne with eight riders at the 2023 race (Credit: Getty)The breakaway climbs the Côte de Cherav (Credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) rides with Jacob Hindsgaul (Uno-X Pro Cycling) and Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech) among the breakaways (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)Lawrence Naesen (AG2R Citroën Team) leads the breakaway (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)The original breakaway consisted of eight riders for the 194.3km Herve to Mur de Huy one-day race (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)The peloton climbs the Mur de Huy for the first time (Credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)A view of the peloton climbing the Mur de Huy (Credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogačar before the start (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)Ireland’s Ben Healy and UK’s James Shaw at the launch for EF Education-EasyPost (Credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)James Knox (Soudal-QuickStep) at the start of the 87th La Fleche Wallonne (Photo credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar’s stunning Spring Classics campaign continued on Wednesday as he conquered the 87th edition of the Flèche Wallonne with a late solo sprint uphill.
Four days after winning the Amstel Gold and less than three weeks after his Tour of Flanders victory, Pogačar claimed his 12th title of the season ahead of Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious).
The Slovenian star pedaled 150 meters from the finish of the Mur de Huy summit and continued on to the finish line.
Pogačar’s victory further raises expectations that he can end his devastating spring season with a win at the final monument of the season, Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday.
Despite giving up comparatively late to make his move and opting to wait until after the notoriously harsh S-curve to clear, Pogačar’s attack was of such power that he brooked no response from his rivals.
“I left everything on the climb, it was a super tough and spectacular finish, what can I say?” Pogačar told reporters afterwards.
“Winning, for me and for everyone, I think you don’t get bored when you cross the finish line first and I really enjoyed it. I’m really thankful to be in such good shape now and I’ll enjoy this sport while I can.”
For everyone, his last try was the one that counted the most. Pogačar added that his UAE teammates played a big role in the race, saying: “With 20km to go, even 50km to go, it was really nervous.
“The team did a really good job and kept me at the top. There was a moment where I almost fell, it was pretty hectic but we really pulled it off. That was great.”
Realizing his chances were more than limited, Skjelmose reminded reporters after the race: “I told Danish TV this morning that I would be grateful for a second place behind Tadej. And for the moment, as he drives and with no bad luck, that [second] is a victory for everyone else.”
How it evolved
Amid much debate over whether Tadej Pogačar would attempt a long-distance attack or wait for the final climb up the Mur de Huy, an eight-rider break involving several renowned racers became clear almost immediately when the flag dropped.
Belgian all-rounder Lawrence Naesen (AG2R Citroën) was among the leaders, as was long-distance breakaway Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH), Tour de France stage winner Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and South African veteran Daryl Impey ( Israel Premier Tech). Also present in the early action were Jacob Hindsgaul (Uno-X), Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Raul Garcia Pierna (Kern Pharma) and Johan Meens (Bingoal WB).
UAE team Emirates constantly patrolled the front of the peloton for almost 100 kilometers, reinforced by Ineos grenadiers, and the race reached its halfway point, the gap to the break beginning to shrink noticeably. Even the slightest increase in speed as the target loomed on the distant horizon proved too much for David Gadu (Groupama-FDJ), who joined another French outsider, the late DNS Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën), in order watch the final from the comfort of the team bus.
As Gaudu fell behind through the following cars, the intensity of UAE team Emirates’ chase for the break increased by another gear as the peloton scaled the Mur for the first of three times. The increased pressure in the group immediately affected the riders in front as it almost broke up completely, leaving Kragh Andersen and Zimmerman as the lone survivors.
Watched from the side of the road by an unmoving Patrick Lefevere, the Belgian team manager arrived in time for a small counter-attack from one of his riders, Pieter Serry. However, like so many of her moves at the Classics this season, it was unsuccessful.
The second of three climbs on the Cherave allowed the peloton to pick up any stragglers from the break, although ZImmerman and Kragh Andersen dove back into the Meuse for the penultimate time with 75 seconds of daylight in their favor.
They made it via the bell for the penultimate lap at the top of the Mur de Huy, then Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep) bridged to Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan) and the quartet’s chances of staying just ahead flickered more strongly.
Despite the last successful break at Flèche in 2003, the four continued seemingly undaunted by recent racing history. But not even a fall that ripped through the back end of the peloton, with Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) an underdog affected by the fall, could stop the power of the chase. George Bennett of the United Arab Emirates and Sam Oomen of Jumbo-Visma added momentum to the chase and on the Cote d’Ereffe, the third to last climb, Zimmerman was forced to retire while Kragh Andersen was able to muster a little more energy to try at Battistella and Vervaeke to stay rest of the break go.
The remaining trio up front continued a loose if occasionally jittery collaboration, and interestingly, rather than trying to increase the number of breaks by sending men onto the streets, other teams such as Israel Premier Tech and Bahrain Victorious tried harder on it work towards keeping the group together. When UAE then showed significant acceleration thanks to former winner Marc Hirschi and uphill specialist Diego Ulissi, it was the final confirmation, if one was needed at the time, that UAE also wanted to put up an uphill battle and that Pogačar was ready for the last card they would play.
Perhaps inspired by the sight of a roadside flag being waved by his supporters, Vervaeke led over the top of the Cherave, followed by Ulissi, Hirschi and the rest of the group. The Belgian even had the strength to go the last two kilometers and to the foot of the Mur de Huy alone.
However, Hirschi led Pogačar to the bottom of the climb, swept past Vervaeke in the final 900 meters and Flèche’s 20th uphill sprint final was imminent.
Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) was initially well-placed near the front of the collapsing pack and Mike Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) was close behind. But Pogačar was already far better placed than in his previous flèches and clearly ready to pounce.
The only rider trying to get ahead of Pogačar, Romain Bardet (DSM), was unwittingly blocked by Woods as he moved close to the barriers and the Canadian’s steady lead on the climb helped reduce the likelihood of further attacks.
When Pogačar, after waiting until late, finally made his move, it was an acceleration of such power that no one was able to gain ground. Although the Slovenian was visibly exhausted from the effort at the finish, his latest triumph was as impressive as any this spring. And we are now at 12 wins and counting.
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