OFFICIAL: Tadej Pogacar sets out on a hunt for his second La Fleche Wallonne title in attempt to bounce back from Amstel defeat

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.