HUY, Belgium (April 23, 2025) — As dark clouds hovered over the Belgian Ardennes and the peloton battled through sheets of rain, a rainbow emerged above the Mur de Huy just as the world champion surged into the lead. With a clinical final burst of power on the storied slopes of La Flèche Wallonne, Tadej Pogačar, clad in cycling’s most sacred stripes, delivered a moment of poetry—and domination.
With this victory, the 25-year-old Slovenian became the first reigning Tour de France champion to win on the Mur since the hill became the finish line in 1985, and only the seventh rider to win La Flèche in the rainbow jersey—joining the likes of local legend Claude Criquielion, who triumphed in the same colors four decades earlier.
“It really is a great feeling to win again here in La Flèche Wallonne, in this tough final,” Pogačar said after the finish, still catching his breath. “The Mur de Huy is a beautiful climb, but as a cyclist you don’t like it that much. The weather was not great, either. It was a really tough race and pulling off a win today means a lot to me, because my teammates worked very hard and it’s great to deliver a victory for them.”
A Race of Attrition
The 89th edition of La Flèche Wallonne began at 11:36 a.m. in Ciney under a curtain of cold rain. 174 riders rolled out for the 205.1-kilometer route—an unforgiving, undulating circuit with the legendary Mur de Huy climbed three times. Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) was the sole non-starter.
The day’s early breakaway included Simon Guglielmi, Artem Shmidt, Ceriel Desal, Tom Paquot, and Siebe Deweirdt, who quickly built a gap of 2 minutes 30 seconds. Their lead, however, was kept under control by a group of determined teams, most notably UAE Team Emirates, Lidl–Trek, Bahrain Victorious, and Soudal–QuickStep, who would shape the race in its later stages.
By kilometer 58, the gap had dropped to 40 seconds, signaling intent from the peloton. Around this point, Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) and Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious) bridged to the break, followed by Uno-X Mobility’s Andreas Leknessund and Frederik Dversnes, forming an eight-man front group. But the cohesion wouldn’t last.
As the peloton hit the decisive circuit containing the three key climbs—Côte d’Ereffe, Côte de Cherave, and the Mur de Huy—the lead group began to fray. One by one, the escapees cracked or crashed. Most notably, Mattias Skjelmose, a favorite for the day, went down hard in a right-hand turn, forcing his withdrawal alongside several others, including Jan Christen (UAE) and Ilan van Wilder (Soudal–QuickStep).
The chaos left only three riders—Foss, Leknessund, and Dversnes—leading into the final ascent.
Tactical Masterclass from UAE
With 10 seconds separating the leading trio from the chasing peloton as they approached the Côte de Cherave, UAE Team Emirates moved decisively. First, Felix Großschartner and Jan Christen unleashed measured accelerations that shredded the remnants of the bunch. Then, Pogačar attacked the descent, a trademark move meant not to escape, but to stretch the field, test legs, and seed panic.
This sequence left a pared-down group of 30 riders at the base of the final climb. Christen again played his role to perfection, leading into the Mur and setting a punishing tempo on the first ramps.
“When I accelerated, I quickly realized nobody was following my wheel,” Pogačar said. “Still, the climb felt very long to me. The Mur de Huy is one of the climbs that feel the longest in professional cycling.”
He waited for the right moment—500 meters to go—when Ben Healy (EF Education–EasyPost) launched his attack. That was the signal. Pogačar rose out of the saddle and delivered a trademark punch. There was no response.
“We raced well together as a team, always sticking to the plan,” he added. “Both Soudal–QuickStep and us rode pretty hard early on, and that made the race even more tiring than usual. The size of the peloton at the foot of the final climb proves this.”
His margin at the line: 10 seconds. But the message was far more emphatic.
Vauquelin’s Brilliance in the Shadows
Behind him, Kévin Vauquelin, the 23-year-old Frenchman riding for Arkéa–B&B Hotels, claimed a valiant second. For Vauquelin, the result was as emotional as it was validating—a comeback after weeks of struggle and self-doubt.
“It has been an exceptional day,” Vauquelin said. “There was a great field at the start line. Delivering a second place again is a confirmation of what I did last year, and that is the main takeaway for me.”
“These last few weeks have not been easy for me from a mental perspective. Even today I was struggling on the bike, yet I kept pushing because I didn’t want to have any regrets. This performance is going to be of great help.”
The Frenchman also spoke to the psychological toll of expectations, especially after previous podium finishes.
“Landing a great result is difficult, but landing a second one is even more difficult because you ask yourself a lot of questions in the meantime,” he said. “There have been very hard moments. My loved ones, my teammates and the staff of my team are the ones who cope with all my struggles and my doubts. Today’s performance is a reward for all of us.”
He rode smartly, conserving energy before the climb and marking the key wheels.
“I tried to approach the final climb on the wheel of the best riders,” Vauquelin said. “I knew that I didn’t want to unleash my effort too early, because I could overcook myself like last year. When Ben Healy and Remco Evenepoel started to lose ground, I took off. I didn’t look back for a single second, but I was afraid to get overtaken.”
The podium finish was also a major statement for Arkéa–B&B Hotels.
“This is a very important result for Arkéa–B&B Hotels, as it shows we can be present in WorldTour races,” he said. “The teamwork today has been excellent, with Simon [Guglielmi] up front and Raúl García Pierna positioning me ahead of the final climb. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
Looking ahead to Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the final of the Ardennes classics, Vauquelin remains grounded.
“Liège–Bastogne–Liège is a completely different race—longer, more demanding,” he said. “I need not to feel any complex in order to do my best and not have any regrets at the finish.”
Looking Ahead
For Pogačar, the triumph in Huy is another glittering chapter in a season already rich with triumph and historical resonance. But he is not done yet.
“I don’t think today’s weather conditions will have any influence on Sunday’s race,” he said. “Three days should be enough to recover from today’s effort. My teammates showed today they have super good legs, and we are going to enter a similar team on Sunday hoping to do as good as we did today.”
The Ardennes aren’t done with him. And if La Flèche Wallonne is any indication, neither is the winning.
