OFFICIAL: Tadej Pogacar sets out on a hunt for his second La Fleche Wallonne title in attempt to bounce back from Amstel defeat
Cycling
The holy week in Ardennes is in full speed with the fearsome Mur de Huy awaiting new challengers already this Wednesday. The clear favourite is none other than the world champion, Tadej Pogacar. After the bitter defeat at Amstel Gold Race, the Slovenian will be eager to reclaim the throne.
"I’ve enjoyed this Classics campaign a lot so far. I came into this period with a lot of goals and ambitions and there are still two left. I’ll aim for a couple of easier days now and open the legs up again at La Fleche Wallonne on the Mur de Huy. I think things are on the right track for Liege-Bastogne-Liege so far," Pogacar says in a press release.
Tadej Pogacar already knows the feeling of winning atop the iconic Mur de Huy from two years ago. In 2023, he crossed the line ahead of Mattias Skjelmose - the same man who proved to be a tiny bit stronger than Pogacar on Sunday. And, along with Remco Evenepoel, those are the main names Pogacar has to look out for.
While team strength isn't as important at Fleche as in other Classics, it is vital to be in a good position as riders approach Mur de Huy for the last time. Assuming that Pogacar doesn't take off earlier, of course, he will be able to rely mainly on 11th from Amstel - Brandon McNulty and Pavel Sivakov in final phases of the race.
Felix Großschartner, Domen Novak and Vegard Stake Laengen will be tasked with navigating the Slovenian safely through any obstacles on the course. Jan Christen returns from injury, hence his role is slightly harder to read, but we shouldn't have too high expectations of the young Swissman.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG for 2025 La Flèche Wallonne:
- Tadej Pogacar
- Jan Christen
- Felix Großschartner
- Vegard Stake Laengen
- Brandon McNulty
- Domen Novak
- Pavel Sivakov
Read also
It wasn’t to be a repeat of 2023, but @TamauPogi gave it absolutely everything at the #AGR25 🇳🇱.
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) April 21, 2025
That’s our first stop of the Ardennes Classics done and dusted, with La Flèche Wallonne next up on Wednesday 👀
Bring it on! 🇧🇪
🔗 Watch the full video: https://t.co/2GZisheg8d… pic.twitter.com/NSjPrnyG1U
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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