All roads lead to the Mur

January 21 ^st 2020 - 12:00

May they start from Ans, Seraing, Charleroi or now Herve, the contenders chasing glory in the Ardennes are set to battle it out in Huy, on the way up the mighty Chemin des Chapelles. The Mur de Huy is a peak with a modest altitude but atop which the lungs scream for air as they would in the Alps. These 1,300 metres of climbing with an average slope of 10%, bends where the gradient reaches 20% and the famous curve named after Claudy Criquielon (first winner atop the Mur in 1985) shall once again determine the winner in 2020.

Riders are now used to fighting for the win in a final circuit around Huy. Their habits shouldn't change much with the introduction of the climb up the côte du chemin des Gueuses, instead of the côte de Cherave. With three loops featuring three ascents in about 30 kilometres, champions will empty their legs and try to overcome their pain while remaining lucid for one of the most intense challenges of the season.

The most resistants lead the battle from far away, the peloton quickly slims down and the race runs towards the final climb where ecstasy and agony come together. Riders bow down but victory is only a few pedal strokes away. The charming city of Herve and the calm spring of the Six Fountains will then seem very far away as the riders take us aboard on the way to Huy.

Christian Prudhomme