Brutal Festivities
January 21 st 2026 - 13:00
Happy anniversary! La Flèche Wallonne celebrates its 90th spring in 2026 and, for this special occasion, remains faithful to the traditions that have gradually taken shape since the founding victory of Philémon de Meersman. At the time, there was no talk yet of an “unofficial world championship for puncheurs.” But between Tournai and Liège, riders were already parading through immense popular enthusiasm, a distant echo of the great celebration that has taken hold in recent decades on the slopes of the Mur de Huy. At the finish, there were barely around twenty pioneers, roughly a third of the starters. The road battered the riders, pushing them to their limits, and the public relished it. The essence of La Flèche has remained the same.
Iconoclastic, Tadej Pogacar may display his talent from the spring cobbles to the July summits, yet he too bore the marks of intense fatigue when he triumphed on the Mur de Huy last year. The Slovenian is no penitent like the others, but the path of chapels also torments his celestial legs. Victors and vanquished alike—this is the common fate of all the riders who line up at the start of La Flèche. The twists and turns through the Ardennes have changed over the years. The Huy slopes had to wait until 1982 to appear on the race, and until 1985 to host the finish. Weather conditions have often added an epic dimension to these battles. Invariably, the peloton has suffered—and will suffer again.
This year, the race will start for the first time from Herstal, very close to Liège. The menu ahead is well known. The course twists and turns, the road rises and falls relentlessly and, after a demanding warm-up on the Trasenster and Forges climbs, riders will quickly face the emblematic circuit of the modern La Flèche Wallonne: some 37 kilometres concentrating the slopes of Ereffe, Cherave and above all the Mur de Huy, which must be conquered three times to fully celebrate the race’s 90th anniversary. The festivities will be magnificent—especially for the spectators. For the riders, they will be brutal.
Christian PRUDHOMME
Director of Cycling
