ANALYSIS: Who are the top contenders for La Fleche Wallonne 2025?

The Ardennes Classics have kicked off in spectacular fashion. Mattias Skjelmose claimed a stunning victory at the Amstel Gold Race, narrowly edging out Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel in a nail-biting photo finish. As we head into the second battle of this trilogy — La Fleche Wallonne 2025 — the intensity is only going to rise.

For Pogacar, back-to-back defeats at Paris-Roubaix and now Amstel are heavy blows. Another setback before Sunday’s monumental Liège-Bastogne-Liège could deal a significant psychological hit in his rivalry with the sport’s elite.

And it won’t be any easier at La Fleche Wallonne. The infamous Mur de Huy will almost certainly determine the outcome, and the UAE Team Emirates leader will have to contend with a formidable list of contenders: Evenepoel, Thibau Nys, Skjelmose himself, Tom Pidcock, defending champion Stephen Williams, Maxim van Gils, Alex Aranburu, Marc Hirschi... With such a stacked field, the question is: who are the five riders most likely to take victory on the Huy?

Despite showing a rare glimpse of vulnerability at Amstel, Tadej Pogacar remains the man to beat. He knows this race well — he won it in 2023, outsprinting none other than Skjelmose. When the world champion is in the mood for revenge, he’s at his most dangerous. Pogacar will be racing not just to win Flèche, but to strike a psychological blow ahead of Liège.

If there were any doubts about Evenepoel’s form following his return from injury, he erased them with a strong showing in both the Brabantse Pijl — which he won — and the Amstel Gold Race. His effort to chase down Pogacar with Skjelmose on the flat was nothing short of heroic. Though he ultimately finished third in that photo finish, the Belgian will come into Flèche with something to prove and a point to make.

Skjelmose is coming off the biggest win of his career, and the confidence boost couldn’t come at a better time. The Lidl-Trek rider knows the Mur de Huy well — he nearly beat Pogacar here in 2023 before bad luck forced him to abandon last year. Now, he returns in peak form, carrying an edge that few others have.

And that edge might just be Thibau Nys. Lidl-Trek boasts a potent double threat in Skjelmose and the rising Belgian star. Nys thrives on explosive finishes like the Mur de Huy — just look at his solo demolition job at the GP Miguel Indurain. His presence gives the American team a powerful tactical weapon to challenge the likes of Pogacar and Evenepoel.

In four appearances at Flèche Wallonne, Pidcock’s best result was a 6th place on his debut in 2021. But this year, the Brit is riding stronger than ever. Since joining Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, he’s found a new gear. He finished 9th at Amstel after missing the decisive moves by Alaphilippe and Evenepoel, but his finishing speed could be his trump card here. If he can crest the Mur de Huy in a small group, Pidcock may just have the fastest kick to seal the deal.