La Flèche Wallonne Femmes LIVE: Puck Pieterse out to defend her title on the mythical Mur de Huy

2026-04-22T14:48:16.056Z

Dubau-Prévot’s lead has extended out to 30 seconds on this plateau.

2026-04-22T14:46:03.957Z

A good move by the young Frenchwoman, who will soon enjoy a ripping tailwind over 30 km/h if she can stay away.

2026-04-22T14:45:06.569Z

Axelle Dubau-Prévot has attacked on the Mur. The EF Education-Oatly rider has a 20 second lead.

2026-04-22T14:43:51.052Z

The riders have crossed the line and there is one lap and three more climbs to go.

2026-04-22T14:42:30.787Z

Yara Kastelijn has been dropped on the Mur. That’s a key worker for Pieterse out the back.

2026-04-22T14:42:02.681Z

Visma-Lease a Bike are keen to make this hard. Marion Bunel has been driving things on the front.

2026-04-22T14:34:26.461Z

The riders are descending the Cherave and are on their way to the Mur. Will we see any early moves?

2026-04-22T14:31:59.628Z

The riders are halfway up the Cherave now. A short descent follows before they climb the mighty Mur for the first time.

2026-04-22T14:18:14.077Z

After riding in the break for much of the day, Slovakian champion Viktora Chladanová is now working on the front for Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-22T14:12:14.971Z

Plenty of teams represented near the front of the bunch.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-22T14:10:35.260Z

The riders will turn into a tailwind after getting over the Mur de Huy at the end of this lap. There could be a good opportunity for an early attack.

2026-04-22T14:00:11.643Z

Morier has been caught. The bunch is all together as they hit the local laps around Huy.

2026-04-22T13:59:45.338Z

Pieterse appears ready to fight to defend her title today on the Mur de Huy.

“The Mur doesn’t lie, so it will just be going all out and then we see at the top who was the strongest,” she said before the start.

Asked about her shape, she said: “I think a bit the same as last year. I just hope to be in the mix again. I have the feeling I’m in good shape and that I’m ready to attack the Mur.”

2026-04-22T13:57:17.642Z

The riders are about to enter the local circuit.

2026-04-22T13:50:16.361Z

The breakaway has been caught.

2026-04-22T13:47:39.328Z

The peloton are determined to reel in the breakaway. The leaders have just 10 seconds now.

2026-04-22T13:46:58.538Z

Seven-time winner Anna van der Breggen is looking to return to the top-step of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes for the first time since her career break. The SD Worx-ProTime rider believes that the level in the peloton has risen since her last victory in 2021.

“It’s a climb I like. I don’t know how far I can come, so I’m excited,” she said in Huy earlier today.

“I’m going to try to win this race. That’s not a secret, I think, but it’s not the same as the years before. I did not win so much yet, so if I can do it, it would be amazing. But I only can try.”

“The level really went up [since 2021] I think at the top, yes, some girls got better, but also for sure in the teams there are more riders who can ride fast, so the races are harder and then you are more tired in the final, so that makes a difference.”

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-22T13:39:22.410Z

Demi Vollering was anticipating some tactical cards being played in the breakaway today.

“We know the other teams expect us to lead the chase,” she said at the start. “But we can also decide at some point to let the breakaway go if we have a strong rider up front.”

FDJ United-SUEZ have Evita Muzic ahead.

2026-04-22T13:30:55.039Z

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot won this race 12 years ago and is hoping for a good result today.

“It was my first international road race victory at the elite level, so it’s a memory that has stayed with me for a long time,” she remembers of her 2014 win.

“I’m happy to be here today, with slightly different strengths, but I still hope to do, maybe not as well, but still a good result. I’m a little less punchy than I was a few years ago. We know it’s a difficult race, and at the finish you need that little extra something to give it your all. We’ll see if I’m capable of it today.”

2026-04-22T13:26:41.084Z

There’s also a small group out the back who have either suffered mechanicals or done their work for the day.

Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto’s Soraya Paladin is among them, as is Hannah Ludwig of Cofidis.

2026-04-22T13:25:32.966Z

The chasers are just 15 seconds behind Claes and Eisen now.

2026-04-22T13:24:43.747Z

The peloton cuts through the farmland.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-22T13:23:04.460Z

The wind is picking up out there and is now around 23km/h. It will be a headwind until the riders hit the circuit in around 30 kilometres. Bad news for the break.

2026-04-22T13:04:53.606Z

The tactical situation out on the course today has made the racing fast and hard. They have covered this opening 50 kilometres at an average speed of 40km/h.

This could play into the hands of the likes of Vollering, Van der Breggen and Ferrand-Prevot; those who are better at longer efforts.

2026-04-22T13:03:01.221Z

The leaders are over the top of the Côte de Durnal.

The riders now have 40km of flat roads before they tackle the climbs on the circuit which will decide this race.

2026-04-22T12:43:19.406Z

Lotte Claes and Malou Eisen are riding well at the front.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-22T12:34:44.740Z

The peloton on the Côte de Bohissau.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-22T12:33:22.226Z

The riders are 30km in now and are approaching the next climb.

2026-04-22T12:32:27.131Z

The current situation:

Claes and Eisen are leading.

Chasing group at 50 seconds.

Peloton at 1:40.

2026-04-22T12:30:59.339Z

Fascinating looking group, that. Movistar and EF Education-Oatly are the big teams who have missed it.

2026-04-22T12:29:45.109Z

Another chasing group has now broken clear of the peloton. This one contains several strong riders. It’s hard to see the peloton letting this one go. The nine riders are:

Muzic (FDJ United-SUEZ)
Czapala (Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto)
Chladoňová (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Bauernfeind (Lidl-Trek)
Harvey (SD Worx-ProTime)
Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ)
Grangier (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93)
Hezinova (Picnic-PostNL)
Aranguren (Laboral)

The group has caught up with Franz and is 50 seconds behind the leaders.

2026-04-22T12:24:32.488Z

Interesting to see Fenix-Premier Tech placing a rider up the road. They are forcing the likes of FDJ United-SUEZ to do the chasing.

2026-04-22T12:23:52.706Z

Claes of Fenix-Premier Tech has joined Eisen at the front of the race. The pair have 1:15 over the bunch. In between is Heidi Franz (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93), who is around 40 seconds in arrears.

2026-04-22T12:22:19.643Z

Reigning world champion Magdeleine Vallieres is one of EF Education-Oatly’s leaders today. The Canadian was 14th here last year. She is hoping for better luck than she experienced at Amstel Gold on Sunday.

“I couldn’t come back due to a mechanical issue, it happens, but we still had a great race with the team and Noemi Rüegg’s fifth place, so we’re happy,” she said of Amstel before the start today.

“Today’s course is fantastic and it’s a legendary race with the Mur de Huy. I’m excited to be riding it today in the rainbow jersey. We’re always aiming for the top step of the podium. My legs will decide at the end of the race.”

2026-04-22T12:18:17.988Z

Malou Eisen of VolkerWessels is currently away solo with 35 seconds over the bunch.

2026-04-22T12:16:44.816Z

Two riders have attacked the bunch and have a 10-second lead.

2026-04-22T12:15:16.140Z

🚴‍♀️ Le peloton de La Flèche Wallonne Femmes se dirige vers le départ réel. The peloton of the 2026 #FWwomen is heading towards the official start. 🏹 pic.twitter.com/24aSuqDS8G

2026-04-22T12:02:29.579Z

Climb number one has been dealt with. The riders will now ride over a plateau for the next 15km before descending to the next hill.

2026-04-22T12:00:33.727Z

🚩 Et c’est parti ! La 29ème #FWwomen est lancée ! 🚩 Wheels are rolling! The 29th #FWwomen is underway! pic.twitter.com/Q2VMe1Laqf

One rider who may be worth watching out for is veteran Ashleigh Moolman Pasio. The South African is 40 but has re-found her best legs in the last week and was 4th at Brabanse Pijl. The AG Insurance-Soudal rider was second here in 2018.

Other names to keep tabs on include Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek)

2026-04-22T11:49:51.549Z

The riders will start off with a flat opening 8km before taking on the first climb of the day, the Côte de Bohissau.

2026-04-22T11:43:39.627Z

The riders were announced to the crowds in Huy earlier on.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Côte de Courrière at km 38.3

Côte de Durnal at km 49.1

Côte d’Ereffe (2.1km at 5%) at km 92.6

Côte de Cherave (1.3 km at 8,1%) at km 105.3

Mur de Huy (1.3km at 9.6%) at km 111

Côte d’Ereffe (2.1km at 5%) at km 129,8

Côte de Cherave (1.3 km at 8,1%) at km 142.5

Mur de Huy (1.3km at 9.6%) at km 148.2 (finish)

2026-04-22T11:36:33.513Z

While this is an absolutely stacked field, there are also a few absentees. Elisa Longo Borghini is sitting this one out after finishing third last year.

Kim Le Court-Pienaar is another from last year’s top-10 who misses out – the Mauritian is injured following a crash at the Tour of Flanders. There’s no Lotte Kopecky either, or five-time winner Marianne Vos.

2026-04-22T11:33:07.580Z

Pieterse conquered the famous climb last year, but let’s take a look at who is here to take her crown.

Demi Vollering finished a narrow second place last year. The FDJ United-SUEZ rider has been imperious this spring, winning Omloop Nieuwsblad and the Tour of Flanders.

Pauline Ferrand Prevot is her too, a former winner in 2014, as is the undisputed queen of this climb, Anna van der Breggen, a seven-time winner of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes. Kasia Niewiadoma and Amstel Gold winner Paula Blasi are two others in good form.

This is a real leg-breaker and a beautifully natural amphitheatre of cycling. The women will take on the Mur twice, first of all with 38km to go before come back to it for the final struggle to the line.

2026-04-22T11:16:33.881Z

Last year, Puck Pieterse timed her move on the famous climb to perfection, waiting until the final 150 metres to come around Demi Vollering. Despite a long distance attack from Cedrine Kerbaol, it was another show-down on the Mur. Will it be the same today?

Here’s our report from last year to jog your memory.

2026-04-22T11:14:03.153Z

The racing gets underway, starting in Huy in just under half an hour with a short neutral roll out. The racing gets properly underway at 13:50 CET and is scheduled to finish at around 17:55 CET.

Welcome along to Cyclingnews’ live coverage of the 2026 La Flèche Wallonne Femmes, where Puck Pieterse will look to repeat her victory of 12 months ago against a stacked field.