The some-190km before it mattered not, as is always the case with La Fleche Wallonne, the Walloon Arrow. As all knew it would be, the race was decided on the mighty Mur de Huy climb. Only 1.3km in length, but O! how steeper and steeper it gets to the very top. An average gradient of 11%, a maximum gradient somewhere above 20%. Some say it is of some intrigue to have such a race end with such a pure test of strength and power. To this I say: for a Wednesday Classic, perhaps this is reasonable. Should one work all day and not have time to watch at leisure for an hour or two, surely all can find 3 minutes in their day to squeeze in watching the Final Kilometer of this La Fleche Wallonne. But is this climb a pure test of who is the best puncheur in the world? This shall be the subject at the end of this recap. Additionally, given this race’s prestige I do not think the race coming down to just one final climb is appropriate. O! I tell you once upon a time La Fleche was more hallowed than the Monument Liege-Bastgone-Liege. O! Surely, such a race needs more meaningful racing before the last kilometer of its length. But such is this era, La Fleche Wallonne all comes down to the final time up the Mur de Huy. So let us begin there. Who was the strongest up this mighty Mur? Who rode it to perfection? And who won this famous Ardennes Classic?
Intermarche’s Maurits Lammertink was the last breakaway rider to be caught with 1.5km to go in the middle of the village of Huy itself at the base of the mighty Mur. A Quickstep and a Bahrain rider tried to find leading separation under the Flamme Rouge, the Red Kite, signifying 1 Kilometer remaining. Behind at the front of the peloton an Ineos Grenadier, an Israel Start-Up Nation rider, and an AG2R rider were all leading the chase of these sudden two escapees. By 800m to go, the Quickstep and Bahrain riders were back in the fold. Here the road really began to rise. With 700m to go, the periodic white paint on the road of “Huy” started appearing every few meters—as if the riders and all viewers were going to forget where exactly this famous Mur is located. The Grenadier Michal Kwaitkowski was at the pointy end of this Fleche Wallonne—ah! is that how this race derives its “archer-ial” name? A few spots behind in great position sat Quickstep’s man of the day Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer wearing his World Champion’s Jersey twice winner of this race already. On his shoulder in his Slovenian Champion’s Jersey that still showed off the Wasp Yellow of his Jumbo-Visma team was Primoz Roglic the tank of tanks attending La Fleche for his first time. On his shoulder was Canadian Michael Woods (Isreal Start-Up Nation), with his famous former running past perhaps that is where he derives his ability to be among the best when all get out of the saddle for the gradients above 20%. As they approached 500m to go, Benoit Cosnefroy (A2GR) was pacing on the front. Meanwhile five-time former champion of La Fleche wily old Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) jumped onto the sidewalk to move up in position. With the climb already half over, here was the time and point when the race would be decided. By no means were these halves of this climb equal. Like the rest of the race, the first part of the climb is only a leg-softener for the final few hundreds of meters where a winning move is launched.
Up came Primoz Roglic on the riders’ far-right side, muscling his way up like the efficient power-packed unit he has time and again proven to be. With his powerful piston-legs, his calm demeanor, his metronomic pace, no rider in the peloton more resembles a powerful steam engine chugging its way up a steep grade despite a mile of freight weighing it down behind. The road turned left and climbed ever so steeper, and just like that only 450m were still left of this race. Roglic rode the righthand barrier separating the road from a hedge of green foliage. But as the next right-hand bend in the road approached in the next 50m, Kwaitkowski and Cosnefroy on the front still cut across the road seeking the most direct line up this horrendously steep road—the quicker to bring an end to the pain! Around the right turn, Kwaitkowski rounded it at its perfect apex, Roglic muscled his way ahead of Cosnefroy to be second wheel around, and Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer in the Rainbow Jersey as Champion of the World sat on muscular Roglic’s wheel. Some riders took the least efficient left-hand outside line around this right-hand turn for now it was their only hope of glory. The best looked Mauri Vansevenant (Deceuninck-Quickstep) surely an Ardennes star of the future. But today Vansevenant and the others coming from the left were but pretenders. Their outside accelerations would not match the favorites on the inside-line to the right. Michal Kwaitkowski slowly climbed up the road firmly drifting to his left for at 300m to go the road slowly turned left again as it still remained relentlessly steep.
Yes, of course, I uttered the word “Relentless.” Before the road even began to curve, well before the 300m to go sign was reached, because Kwaitkowski had drifted left and allowed him daylight and open room on the front once more: Roglic the Relentless went on the attack, and launched his bid for glory! Within 3 seconds he had a 10m gap. O! Please think not of the Little Engine That Could when I compared Roglic to a chugging choo-choo train a paragraph ago. Surely, I meant he chugged like a powerful locomotive with the hottest of fires in his belly, and with the so much force even Newton and his Laws of Motion would be impressed. Yes, yes, at the 2020 Vuelta a Espana I dubbed him Roglic the Relentless: O! surely he lived up to such a nickname today on this grueling Mur de Huy climb! Roglic the Relentless! Roglic the Evergreen, always in top shape, always prepared fight for victory at every race for his Jumbo-Visma team. Out of the saddle, he danced on the pedals with the ferocity of a heavyweight boxer. Every pedal stroke was another above the belt jab or hook to his opponents behind.
Ah! But the opponents responded in good time. Not Kwaitkowski who had been pacing up the entire climb, but from his right up came Alaphilippe the World Champion dancing on the pedals as well. And from his right came veteran Valverde in his last season—surely this is his last dance up the Mur de Huy as well. Yes, yes, with Roglic like a target out in front, as Alaphilippe launched his bridging attack, so like an arrowhead did what remained of the peloton look; surely this race, this Fleche Wallonne, this Walloon Arrow is O! so aptly named. But with that timely Alaphilippe attack, the Arrow was “shot” and all zipped into one long line, and within an instant it was only wily old Valverde that could stay within a length of Alaphilippe who was now hawking down Primoz Roglic the Relentless. Valverde and Alaphilippe, seven wins of this race between them, surely should any have masterclass expertise on this climb it was these Fleche former-champions. With only 200m left would their mastery of this climb help them catch Roglic at the very end with perfect timing, or would they come up just short? Valverde, the wizened old veteran, still had all of his superior race-craft…but alas! he had already passed the Mur de Huy Mantle to Alaphilippe long ago. It was Alaphilippe the Musketeer who was rapidly reeling Roglic in now! O! O! Though perhaps the maximum gradient had been passed and the road became ever more slightly shallow, still it rose like a wall, and still the finish seemed an eternity away from the locomotive Roglic the Restless! With less than 100m to the line, Alaphilippe had eviscerated Roglic’s gap, he latched onto his wheel. The road still climbed, and perhaps Roglic would be able to not allow Alaphilippe the Musketeer to come around. But with 60m to go, finally finally the road just about leveled to a false flat. And Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer wearing the Rainbow Jersey as Champion of the World continued launching. Already for 100m his foot had been all the way down on the gas pedal, now that the steep gradient resistance to him had subsided, still he had the power and acceleration to bring himself all the way to the line. Primoz Roglic the Relentless proved his title, at no point until the end did he bow his head knowing his defeat. He had measured his effort enough to take himself to the line as well at a steady and forceful pace, but he had not the acceleration of the World Champion Alaphilippe. In the last 10m the result was clear, Alaphilippe was able to post up for victory showing off his Deceuninck-Quickstep sponsor and the World Champion Bands. He was waving his hands in the air, soaking in his third victory at La Fleche Wallonne.
And so, thus it was another compelling drama up the Mur de Huy to end La Fleche Wallonne. Julian Alaphilippe took victory wearing the Rainbow Jersey of World Champion. Primoz Roglic took another second-place finish—for anyone else that would be a heartbreaking second place, but this is Roglic the Relentless. The Roglic whose assured Tour victory slipped through his fingers last September, whose Paris-Nice dominance was foiled by a pair of crashes on the last day this past March. And yet he re-enters every race unphased by any recent defeats, and he Relentlessly gives his best effort time and time again. Today, Roglic the Relentless pushed Alaphilippe the Musketeer so hard that Alaphilippe took the Mur de Huy climbing record by 6 seconds. Behind, veteran Valverde, former five-time winner of this race, rounded out the podium just ahead of Michael Woods who goes O! so well on the steep gradients; and fifth place was nowhere to be seen. Ah! To see Alaphilippe and Valverde do so well—now eight wins between the pair of them—it makes me think what I have thought before. There must be some textbook “trick” to winning on the Mur de Huy. Surely, it must be a prerequisite that you are one of the finest puncheurs in the world, but Roglic proved amongst or even at the top of that category today and still lost. But this was Roglic’s first Fleche, thus it appears he attacked too early, he knows not yet the “trick.” From 2014 through 2017 Valverde won on the Mur de Huy, and often it was Alaphilippe who was second to him. Finally in 2018, the order was reversed, and it was Alaphilippe that was finally victorious. Alaphilippe won once more in 2019, and only won not in 2020 for he did not participate. But to bring us back up to contemporary times, for the past month Alaphilippe has looked off his best, while Roglic and other puncheurs have seemed on finer form. Surely, surely, there must simply just be a formula to winning on the Mur de Huy: “Get into position here, use X-percentage of energy here, wait, wait until here, then once you get to X-spot: Full Gas! Launch!” Valverde and Alaphilippe, and even Anna Van Der Breggen (SD Worx) on the women’s side, know this formula. Roglic the Relentless in his first participation did not, surely with hindsight we see he went full gas just a bit too soon.
Thus, alas! I question La Fleche Wallonne’s Mur de Huy finish even more: is this finishing climb really even a pure elemental test of who is the best puncheur in the world? Or is it simply a test of which Top Five puncheur in the world knows the winning formula and has the legs on this day? Some critics of my observation will say that Julian Alaphillipe was the strongest on the day. I disagree, I believe he was at best equal to Roglic this day, or even below him in form. There were years too where Valverde won when he still seemed not on top form and subpar to other contenders, and even today look at how in his old age he still knew how to pull out a podium finish ahead of all these young stronger and more spritely bucks. Some critics of my observation will say I am now contradicting myself, because if there is some “trick” to the Mur de Huy then tactics do come into play on this climb. I disagree, understanding a basically sure-fire formula that only a few ever discover and have the ability to execute is such a lame display of tactics and strategy to me that it is ultimately and completely negligible. We all know Valverde and Alaphilippe know the secret “trick” to riding up the Mur de Huy. Were they to come clean with instructions and annotated diagrams of such a secret for all to know, I could then potentially buy in and praise this ultimate pure puncheur test. But here we are again. Once more, despite I dare say not seeming on top form coming into this race, Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer can add another Fleche Wallonne to his victory quiver as Valverde often did of old. Meanwhile, I expect Roglic the Relentless to be happy that he produced an incredibly strong performance. And I hope, when Roglic dissects and analyzes his performance and the tape: he too figures out the secret trick to the Mur de Huy. May he come back next year with the secret knowledge and the same supreme piston legs better ready to launch a perfectly timed attack to victory against the incumbent Mur de Huy Mantle holder, Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer.
Cycling Odysseys 