DISCUSSION | La Flèche Wallonne 2026 - Did they drag the race to Seixas like they do for Pogacar? Lack of ambition? Dramatic finale in the women’s race

La Fleche Wallonne once again stayed true to its identity, offering two races built around tension, patience and one final explosion on the iconic Mur de Huy.

The Belgian classic is often decided in the final minutes after hours of controlled racing, but that does not make it any less dramatic. Every year the anticipation builds with each lap, every climb increases the pressure, and everything comes down to who still has the legs when the road rears up toward the finish line.

This year’s edition produced two standout winners. In the men’s race, French teenage sensation Paul Seixas confirmed the enormous hype surrounding his talent with a breathtaking victory. In the women’s event, Demi Vollering showed once again why she remains one of the most feared climbers in the peloton, surviving a late charge from defending champion Puck Pieterse to take a second career triumph in Huy.

The men’s race arrived with a slightly different feel this year. The absence of some of the sport’s biggest stars, including last year’s winner Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Tom Pidcock, created a rare sense of opportunity. With several established favourites missing, the door was open for a new name to claim one of the Ardennes classics.

Many expected Seixas to be among the contenders, but even so, few could have predicted the authority with which the 19-year-old would win.

As usual, the race began with an early breakaway forming ahead of the peloton. Among those up the road were riders willing to gamble on a long-range move, but the main field never allowed the gap to become dangerous. Teams with ambitions for the finish controlled proceedings carefully, keeping the attackers within reach while conserving energy for the decisive phase.

That tactical pattern is familiar at La Flèche Wallonne. Riders know that unless exceptional circumstances intervene, the Mur de Huy will settle everything. It is one of the most recognisable finishes in cycling, steep, relentless and brutally selective. Positioning before the climb matters, timing matters even more, and one poorly judged acceleration can ruin months of preparation.

The repeated ascents of the Côte d’Ereffe and Côte de Cherave gradually raised the intensity. Crashes, nervousness and sudden accelerations began to thin the field. Several outsiders lost contact, while some favourites were forced to spend valuable energy chasing back after incidents. By the time the peloton approached Huy for the final time, only those with genuine climbing form and sharp instincts remained in contention.

When the decisive moment arrived, Seixas showed maturity beyond his years. Rather than waiting too deep in the group, he moved quickly to the front on the lower slopes of the Mur de Huy. That alone was impressive given the chaos that often defines the opening metres of the climb, where riders fight desperately for position before the gradients become savage.

Seixas waited just long enough to assess the situation before unleashing a violent acceleration. The response behind him was immediate but insufficient. Ben Tulett briefly looked capable of following, while Mauro Schmid measured his effort from slightly further back. Yet neither could match the sheer force of the French rider’s attack.

Within seconds, the gap opened. Seixas did not fade, he grew stronger. He powered toward the finish with the composure of a veteran and the legs of a rider destined for the highest level. Schmid came through for second place, Tulett completed the podium, but the day belonged entirely to the teenager in front.

To win La Flèche Wallonne at 19 is remarkable enough. To do it on debut in an Ardennes classic makes it even more extraordinary. French cycling has long searched for its next great stage race and classics leader. It may have found him.

If the men’s race belonged to emerging youth, the women’s event was won by established class. Demi Vollering arrived as one of the clear favourites and delivered under pressure, though not without a serious late scare.

The women’s peloton raced aggressively from distance, with several attempts to establish a dangerous move before the final climb. A strong breakaway formed earlier in the day featuring notable names from across the peloton, but the main contenders never allowed the move to gain complete freedom. Teams with leaders for the finale worked steadily to keep the race under control.

Later, another dangerous phase developed when Axelle Dubau-Prévot and Katrine Aalerud pressed clear. Their move briefly looked promising, especially as the kilometres ticked down, but the bunch remained organised enough to reel them back before the final showdown.

The defending champion Puck Pieterse was present, while Anna van der Breggen, Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot added further depth to a world-class start list. But once the road tilted upward, Vollering imposed herself.

Rather than waiting for the steepest final ramps, she attacked early from the base of the climb. It was a bold choice, one that demanded confidence and exceptional condition. The move instantly stretched the favourites group into a line, forcing everyone else into damage limitation.

One by one, rivals began to crack. Niewiadoma resisted the longest, trying to stay within striking distance, but eventually the pace proved too much. Vollering looked to be riding away to a comfortable solo victory.

The younger Dutch rider surged in the final metres, rapidly cutting into the lead and suddenly turning a controlled finish into a tense sprint to the line. Vollering glanced back, sensed the danger and found one final effort. It was enough. She held on by a narrow margin to secure her second victory in the race, while Pieterse had to settle for second place after a powerful late charge.

Behind them, Paula Blasi continued her breakthrough spring by taking third place, confirming that her recent performances are no coincidence.

The men’s race was decided exactly as expected, on the third and final ascent of the Mur de Huy. Paul Seixas broke a record that had stood untouched for 90 years, becoming the youngest rider ever to win La Flèche Wallonne. A mark previously held by Philémon De Meersman, who won the race in 1936 aged 21 years and 150 days.

Behind him, the battle for second place saw Benoît Cosnefroy of UAE Team Emirates - XRG miss out on the podium after fading in the final metres, overtaken by Ben Tullet in third and Mauro Schmid in second.

This only underlines one thing: the French rider from Decathlon is already a step ahead of the rivals who lined up against him today. Facing Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar next Sunday, however, will be a very different story.

Is the kid talented? Absolutely. But he still needs time to grow and mature before he can consistently battle riders who have already worn the rainbow jersey. What will be fascinating is the team dynamic. Today, Decathlon were active on the flatter roads, but once the gradient kicked up, rival teams controlled the front of the peloton.

What puzzles me is that everyone knew Paul Seixas was the man to beat on the brutal slopes of the Mur de Huy, yet none of the major teams really tried to force the race open earlier, making Decathlon burn matches and perhaps lose riders in the chase. Once they reached the Mur together, it was always going to be difficult, and it proved exactly that way.

The peloton has already learned that you cannot race against Pogacar on terrain that perfectly suits the Slovenian, just look at Paris-Roubaix, and it seems they may now need to apply the same lesson with Seixas. If they keep taking races to a decisive uphill finish, the 19-year-old has already shown he can win.

The finale of the women’s race was simply breathtaking. What Demi Vollering did, launching her decisive acceleration with 500 metres to go and immediately distancing all of her rivals, was a clear sign that she is in outstanding form. It also showed the strength of the team around her, who sacrificed everything throughout the day and worked relentlessly to place their leader in the perfect position for the Mur de Huy showdown.

When it seemed as though Vollering had already sealed the victory, the race delivered one final twist. With just 150 metres remaining, Puck Pieterse exploded from behind. She began closing the gap at incredible speed, turning what looked like a settled contest into a dramatic duel. Hearts were pounding, breath was held, and suddenly the question was unavoidable: could Pieterse actually come around Vollering before the line?

But Vollering dug deeper. She emptied the tank, found the last reserves in her legs, and somehow held on to survive Pieterse’s storming late surge. What a finish. What a champion’s response.

And for the second time this week, it is only right to say chapeau to Paula Blasi. A remarkable third place at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes confirms that her rise is no coincidence. Another huge performance on one of the biggest stages in women’s cycling.

You could say the spring classics are some of the most exciting of the year but in reality they haven't been delivering much over the past few years and thus far, in terms of spectacle not much. It ends up being a shame that in Amstel no-one raced tactically against Evenepoel; and that Flèche was, as is usually said, a 'glorified bunch sprint'.

But I can't complain too much. Whilst it is not the case, this week has been talked of, and on the road has been raced almost in a cinematic way - the build-up. Remco Evenepoel was the man to beat and won Amstel Gold Race almost unchallenged; Paul Seixas was the main favourite and won La Flèche Wallone almost unchallenged.

These are the only riders who have a chance (I don't use the word chance casually) to beat Tadej Pogacar at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and each had their own separate opportunity to prove themselves ahead of Liège, where all three will clash supposedly with their best form.

In the week of WWE' Wrestlemania it almost feels like the same kind of scripted build-up, where throughout the weeks there is a clear plot being developed and executed with the clear goal of warming up towards Liège - which ends up benefiting greatly from the three men that will take to the start.

The race, well I can't say there's any big surprises or fireworks was there, not much analysis to do when the peloton takes on a hilly classic with 200 kilometers and 3000 meters of climbing like a bunch sprint.

Nothing to see and discuss before the Mur de Huy, with all teams making a leadout to the base, and the gradients being so steep that there aren't tactics or pacing at play, it's simply a matter of who has the legs.

Paul Seixas was in front, net the positioning, and took the win. Historic, masterful for someone at the age of 19, but this young man has so much potential that such an incredible win for a literal teenager almost feels regular. He's held up to a higher regard than anyone else has at this age, and for good reason.

With this being a treacherous classic where positioning and team support is key, we could not know if he was going to be at the right place at the right time, but he was. And in the climb he did his job perfectly, leading from the front and then slowly ramping up the pace until everyone else was suffocated and he was the only one who could properly accelerate in the final meters of the race.

The race was not hard so the puncheurs were well up there, I think Mauro Schmid and Ben Tulett can be very happy with a spot on the podium whilst there wasn't any big surprise in the Top10. As I've mentioned, this race felt like Seixas' story into Liège, the same way Evenepoel had his last Sunday. Now, all three stories collide next weekend.