La Flèche Wallonne 2026: Favourites
fotobureau Cor VosLa Flèche Wallonne is a battle between the most explosive climbers in the peloton. Mattias Skjelmose showed in the Amstel Gold Race that he is in top form, while Paul Seixas recently dominated the steep climbs of the Basque Country. Last year's runner-up Kévin Vauquelin is another rider to watch. Who can challenge them?
First published on 21 Apil 2026
The winning recipe in La Flèche Wallonne has remained unchanged for years: sit comfortably in the peloton, wait for the final climb, then move up towards the front and make sure you still have enough left in the legs to finish it off when the Mur de Huy flattens out in the final few hundred metres.
Alejandro Valverde mastered the skill to perfection in his time, and the Spaniard is record holder with five victories in La Flèche Wallonne. Of the three times he competed, Tadej Pogacar turned out on top twice. Only on his debut in 2022 did he miss out. The Tour de France champion is not taking part this time, which may open the door for riders who finished just behind him: Kévin Vauquelin (2025) and Mattias Skjelmose (2023). The 2024 edition is hardly a reliable reference point, as the riders were almost frozen to their bikes in horrible conditions. Although Vauquelin finished second that year as well…
But Paul Seixas seems to have the best credentials. The 19-year old Frenchman is already being labelled as Pogacar’s successor — and not without reason. his recent domination of the Tour of the Basque Country was unprecedented. He won three of the six stages and all the classifications. The steep climbs of the Basque Country are not unlike the Mur de Huy.
There are three former winners at the start: Dylan Teuns, Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi. But if any of them take the win, it would come as a huge surprise.
Favourites 2026 La Flèche Wallonne
*** Mattias Skjelmose, Paul Seixas, Kévin Vauquelin
** Romain Grégoire, Lenny Martinez, Alex Aranburu
* Benoît Cosnefroy, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Lennert van Eetvelt
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