No Pogacar, no problem? UAE turn to Benoit Cosnefroy for La Fleche Wallonne

UAE Team Emirates - XRG have already confirmed their line-up for La Fleche Wallonne, which will take place on Wednesday 22 April with its usual explosive finish on the Mur de Huy.

The Emirati team approach a race they have already won twice with Tadej Pogacar, as well as claiming a third place through Diego Ulissi in 2019. For this edition, sporting direction will be handled by Andrej Hauptman and Marco Marzano, who will rely on a well-balanced squad suited to the Ardennes terrain.

The team will consist of Mikkel Bjerg, Benoit Cosnefroy, Luca Giaimi, Rune Herregodts, Vegard Stake Laengen, Pavel Sivakov and Tim Wellens, who continues his gradual return to competition following injury.

Within the team, Cosnefroy stands out as one of the main options after his third place at the Amstel Gold Race, a performance that has boosted internal confidence in his form. The team itself underlined that “Benoit Cosnefroy is arriving at La Fleche Wallonne in excellent form”, placing him among the riders to watch on the Mur de Huy finale. Alongside him, Sivakov and Wellens offer alternative options for a strong result in a finish where everything is decided in the final metres.

The team also highlighted that “with a large number of climbs in both races, UAE Team Emirates-XRG is pleased to confirm its line-ups for La Fleche Wallonne and the Vuelta a Asturias”, reflecting the importance they place on this part of the calendar.

The route will once again include the classic circuit featuring the Cote d’Ereffe, the Cote de Cherave and the Mur de Huy, whose extreme gradients of up to 20% will decide the 90th edition of the race.