Wednesday sees the 89th running of the midweek Ardennes classic, La Flèche Wallonne. This year the peloton faces a demanding 205km course stacked with 11 climbs and over 3100 meters of elevation gain. It all builds towards a triple ascent of the Mur de Huy; the infamous brutal 1.2 km ‘wall’ averaging a 9.6% gradient, with pitches hitting 22%. As ever, it will be the ultimate decider in a race where timing, teamwork, and tenacity make the difference.
This year, Bahrain Victorious line up with a team built for depth, balance, and late-race impact. Lenny Martinez, fresh from altitude training and eyeing bigger goals later this spring, will lead the squad to the punishing final ramps. Backing him are a trio of punchy climbers: Pello Bilbao, Santiago Buitrago, and Edoardo Zambanini, each of whom is capable of lighting up the final 50km himself, should the right moment arise.
In the earlier phases, Mathijs Paasschens, Robert Stannard, and Roman Ermakov will control the race and set the tone, with the aim of ensuring Bahrain stay in touch when it matters most.
A key change this year is the return of the Côte de Cherave, positioned just before the final Mur ascent. Its comeback adds a tactical twist, offering teams an opportunity to shake up the race before the final showdown.
As Sports Director Roman Kreuziger explains:
“There are 11 climbs in the 205 km race course with 3100 m of elevation. Mur de Huy is the famous climb that we’ll go over 3 times. Once we cross the finish line for the first time, then we have 2 full laps ahead of us, very similar to the race of 2 years ago. Last year they were repairing the road at the Cherave climb, but this year it’s back, and that is the climb before the Mur de Huy, which can be good for us.
As for the roster, we have very solid support for the Flèche with Mathijs Paasschens, Robert Stannard and Roman Ermakov. After the first move definitely Edoardo Zambanini, Santiago Buitrago, Pello Bilbao and Lenny Martinez are the guys that can be in the mix for the race.
We’ll try to be active in the race, follow the moves in the last 50km. Lenny is our leader, he’s coming from altitude training, so we need to see how his body will react, but also he has other goals coming soon at Romandie. I am pretty confident that we’ll race well together as a team.
Looking back on the last two races we have some work to do on that plan, as we were not completely happy. Last year Santiago Buitrago was 5th in this race and we won previously with Dylan Teuns, so we know how to race it. We need to keep our feet on the ground, but also to be confident that we can do a good result here.”
The objective is clear: stay alert in the final laps, work cohesively, and strike with precision. The team comes into Huy with quiet confidence and a hunger to reclaim the top step on the Mur, where legends are made in under two kilometers.
