Profiles. From the 22nd to 26th of July the race outside France at the highest level returns, the Tour de Wallonie will be one of the preparation races for the World Championships and will provide explosive racing.
The five days of racing are set to see the overall classification decided in a 32-kilometer time-trial, but the remaining four days of racing present opportunities for the sprinters and the classics specialists, looking to build their form ahead of Glasgow.
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Stage 1: Huy - Hamoir, 189.4 kilometers
The race will begin in Huy, a landmark in the region. It's an explosive day with several hilltops towards the finale, with three intermediate sprints all the top of small ascents. The ride into Hamoir will see a downhill finale, it's definitely a route that favours late attacks.
Stage 2: Saint-Ghislain - Walcourt, 180.1 kilometers
Stage 2 takes the riders from Saint-Ghisland to Walcourt and it's a classic Walloon day. On paper it could quite well be for the sprinters if the teams manage to to control it, however it features a lot of rolling roads and a few difficult bumps towards the finale where differences can be made.
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Stage 3: Thuin - Mont-Saint-Guibert, 187.3 kilometers
Stage 3 is the one that features a summit finish. It is not categorized but the day will see plenty explosive climbing. The middle of the day features several climbs but most will likely save their legs for the final 10 kilometes where there are roads to make a difference, it's going to be quite an exciting run for the line in Mont-Saint-Guibert.
Stage 4 (ITT): Mons - Mons, 32.5 kilometers
The decisive day of the race will be the time-trial. It's 32 kilometers long, clearly in order to lure the riders who want to prepare for the time-trial World Championships. It's a very long one, for example more than the Tour de France itself. It's mostly flat and well suited to the specialists.
Stage 5: Banneux (Sprimont) - Aubel, 214 kilometers
The race ends on the fifth day but it is by no means an easy one. After the time-trial, the final day of racing is also the longest with 214 kilometers on the menu, eight classified climbs and plenty small ascents all throughout the day. A grinding and very open day where it's hard to preview how it'll go, the GC can be played out from far but it can come to a bunch sprint and everything inbetween.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026
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J-4! Toutes les étapes de l’Ethias Tour de Wallonie se dérouleront aussi sur @Club_RTL et @RTLplay ! Un rendez-vous quotidien avec toute l’équipe de @RTLsportsbe à ne pas manquer, du 22 au 26 juillet! ➡️Communiqué > trworg.be/la-course-avec… #ethiastourdewallonie2023
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