Preview: GP de Wallonie 2025 – De Lie, Girmay and Adrià among favourites for Citadelle showdown

The European calendar rolls on this Wednesday, 17 September, as the peloton heads to Belgium for the GP de Wallonie. The 2025 edition will again be decided on the iconic Côte de la Citadelle de Namur, a 3.1 km ascent averaging 4% that has long shaped the outcome of the race. The start is set for 13:03 CET in Dison, with the winner expected shortly after 17:30.

Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) lines up as the home favourite, with Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) and Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) all serious threats on this kind of terrain.

Defending champion Roger Adrià (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) and last year’s runner-up Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team from 2026) also return with unfinished business, while Clément Champoussin and Émilien Jeanniere add further depth to the start list. Movistar bring an ambitious squad built around Lorenzo Milesi and Natnael Tesfatsion, with Fernando Gaviria looking to rediscover form.

The 200 km course starts in Dison and offers little respite for the peloton. The Côte de Trasenster (3.7 km at 5%) comes almost immediately, a likely launchpad for the day’s break. After 47 km the Côte de Werbomont (4.4 km at 3.9%) adds to the early climbing before the race settles into a succession of rolling terrain.

The finale features a decisive trilogy of climbs:

Côte d’Ermeton (1.8 km at 3.6%)
Tienne aux Pierres (3.1 km at 4.8%)
Côte de la Citadelle de Namur (3.1 km at 4%)

As ever, the Citadelle finish is expected to deliver a reduced group contest, rewarding punchy climbers and classics specialists over the pure sprinters.

*** Roger Adrià, Arnaud de Lie, Paul Lapeira
** Alex Aranburu, Tim Wellens, Clement Champuossin, Biniam Girmay, Alexandre Delettre
* Danny van Poppel, Antonio Morgado, Soren Waerenskjold, Florian Vermeersch, Louis Barré, Lorenzo Milesi, Sandy Dujardin

Pick: Paul Lapeira

How: Small group sprint