The Wall of Huy is only 1.3 kilometres (but super-steep) and the prior climbs are not so testing that they can reduce the pack to a selective group. So to win the Fleche Wallonne you got to have explosive power. The Wall of Huy is puncheurs territory. No wonder a rider like Valverde won the Fleche Wallone several times. He is an explosive climber and good sprinter.
The likes of Tim Wellens and Daniel Martin should force a gap before the climb and give it all they’ve got to stay ahead of the troops. That’s exactly what home rider Wellens aimed to do last year, but to no avail. Maybe it works out this time. After all, the 24-year old is more experienced and he has got a few fine victories under his belt, some of them in the Ardennes. It is definitely the terrain that suits him.
Contenders who have tasted the sweetness of a victory in the Fleche Wallonne are Alejandro Valverde (2006, 2014, 2015), Philippe Gilbert (2011), Joaquim Rodríguez (2012) and Daniel Moreno (2013).
Favourites La Fleche Wallonne 2016:
*** Alejandro Valverde, Daniel Martin, Tim Wellens
** Joaquim Rodriguez, Julian Alaphilippe, Daniel Moreno
* Tony Gallopin, Michael Albasini, Philippe Gilbert, Petr Vakoc
La Fleche Wallonne 2016: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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