Men\u2019s route:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/10_2026.webp.webp\")
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\nWomen\u2019s route:<\/p>\n
It only takes a few minutes, but that\u2019s usually what it takes to figure out who takes the dub at Fl\u00e8che Wallonne. It all comes down to the finale on the Mur de Huy.<\/p>\n
The 2025 edition was, in the end, brutally simple. Tadej Poga\u010dar waited, watched and then rode away on the Mur like he was on a different gradient entirely. This year, no Pogi, but there are plenty of stars racing in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s. Last year, we saw Puck Pieterse take a big win after just recently switching full time to the road.<\/p>\n
Evenepoel vs. Seixas?<\/p>\n
For the men, this year, the 200-km route shifts slightly with a start in Herstal, but the finale stays familiar. Same for the women. Three laps around Huy. C\u00f4te d\u2019Ereffe, C\u00f4te de Cherave, and then the Mur. Again, and again, and again. They will race 148.2 km in total.<\/p>\n
There shouldn\u2019t be any long-range heroics. The roads into Huy are wide, the climbs not quite selective enough. It almost always comes down to another reduced group hitting the Mur together. From there, it\u2019s about who dares to go first\u2026 and who can hold it. Or, who can make a move in the final hundred metres. It\u2019s just a brutal, brutal finish.<\/p>\n
The spotlight naturally falls on Remco Evenepoel, but there\u2019s a new name in the mix: Paul Seixas. What can\u2019t this French prodigy do? He\u2019s already impressed this year, and he is clearly no longer the Next Big Thing. He is one of The Big Things. Dane Mattias Skjelmose finished second behind Evenepoel at Amstel\u2014maybe he will have the kick up the Huy? He\u2019s a great climber on these punchy little things, and we know he can sprint. Start lists should be finalized by Tuesday, but so far one Canuck: Alpecin-Premier Tech\u2019s Hugo Houle. He raced both Amstel and Brabantse Pijl, and will also do Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge.<\/p>\n
A day for Valli\u00e8res Mill?<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s start list is also being finalized, but expect the same big names we saw at Amstel. One Canadian who could have a big day is world champion Magdeleine Valli\u00e8res Mill. Although Li\u00e8ge may suit her more due to the attritional nature of it all, she will definitely be in the mix at Fl\u00e8che with the punchy finish. Does she have the kick up the Huy to take the dub? TBD. She may go early, as opposed to waiting until the final few 100 metres.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll be able to watch both Fl\u00e8che and Li\u00e8ge on Flobikes.com<\/a> and Canadian Cycling Magazine will have reports on both races in both categories. Raise a glass to the legbreaker known as the Mur de Huy: sant\u00e9!<\/p>\n Men\u2019s route:<\/a>
\nWomen\u2019s route:<\/p>\n
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