Riding The Classics – La Flèche Wallonne

Riding The Classics: La Flèche Wallonne

by Stephan Rumbelow, European Cycle Tourism Blogger

RIDING THE CLASSICS
Stephan Rumbelow

European Cycle Tourism: La Flèche Wallonne

Introduction

This is the ultimate cycling challenge in Wallonia, in the beautiful Belgian region of Spa. I rode the heroic 215km route in 2018, taking in the famous climbs of Stockeu, Wanneranval and Rosier and I can promise you breathtaking views and great satisfaction when you add this classic to your personal palmarès.

You can enter this epic event directly with the organisers (https://www.flechedewallonie.be/fr/) along with over four thousand other cyclists, all keen for adventure. This ultimate challenge takes place in May each year, so time to get training over the winter months! There are four route options (87km, 134km, 183km and 215km), so this is an event for everyone.

History

La Flèche Wallonne (French for “The Walloon Arrow”) is the first of two Belgian Ardennes classics and is normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. La Flèche Wallonne was created to boost the sales of a newspaper Les Sports during the 1930s and was first run in 1936. While perhaps not as revered as one of the Classic ‘Monuments’, the race is widely regarded as a ‘Classic’ and became part of the UCI World Ranking calendar in 2009.

Only seven riders have achieved the “Ardennes double” (including Alejandro Valverde, Eddy Merckx and Philippe Gilbert), with Valverde having won the race a record five times. Unsurprisingly the Belgian riders dominated the early years of the race, winning the first eleven editions. But, La Flèche Wallonne also attracts the best Italian climbers and stage racers, who have won the race 18 times, with two Italian riders (Moreno Argentin and Davide Rebellin) having both won the race three times each.

La Flèche Wallonne is essentially won or lost on the short but brutal Mur de Huy, which is 1.3km long with an average gradient of 9.6%. This is the steepest finishing climb in Classics cycling and features three times along the course ridden by the pros. The Mur de Huy starts easy before ramping up to a maximum gradient of 26% and this definitely the ‘place to be’ to watch all the action and outcome of this truly great Belgian classic.

Route

As tradition dictates, the cyclo sportive starts and finishes in Spa – no transfers needed! The long route is undoubtedly one of the most demanding Proximus cycling challenges, at 215km and over 4,000m of elevation. But at the same time, it’s a superb experience with some of the most beautiful climbs in the Ardennes. Personally, I found La Flèche Wallonne to be an undiscovered little gem and one of my favourite Classics I’ve ever ridden, with breathtaking scenery and stunning forest climbs through the beautiful Ardennes countryside.

The 215km route includes all of the best climbs, challenging yet beautiful at the same time. The Liège–Bastogne–Liège climb of Le Rosier is climbed twice, with the west climb coming early into the ride, making a good warm-up as it averages a 5.5% gradient over the 4km, with the maximum slope hitting 8%. Next up there’s the Wanneranval which doesn’t lack any spice with a 16% maximum slope and averaging 9.5% over 1.8km, but the beautiful location and wooded environment will help ease the pain (a little).

The route continues to get spicy as you hit the Côte de Roche-à-Frêne – a 2km ascent with an average of 9.5% and listed as the 33rd most difficult ascent in Belgium. Next up is The Haute Levée, best known from Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and whilst the average slope of 5.6% over 3.5km doesn’t sound that insurmountable, with 100km in your legs it will make your legs sting! Then finally, the long-awaited Stockeu – this will turn you into a real climber, with sections hitting 21% over 2.2km – good legs are required!

Personally, I found it to be a clearly navigated route, with technical support available and four excellent food stops – the Belgian waffles are definitely not to be missed and give you that much needed second, third, fourth and fifth wind!

You can download the route gpx at the foot of this page and ride it yourself.

How I got there

I took the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais with my bike in the back and drove four hours (342km) to Spa. I stayed at the Hotel La Villa des Fleurs (Rue Albin Body 31, Spa, 4900) – located in the city centre, very close to the start and whilst I wasn’t able to take my bike into my room the parking was secure with a locked gate at night. At less than 1km from the start/finish, this was definitely the best location to stay!

Spa is one of Belgium’s most popular tourist destinations, renowned for its natural mineral springs and the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps which hosts the annual Belgian Grand Prix. You can find out more information on where to stay at the Spa Tourist Office (www.spatourisme.be/nl)

Click For GPX File

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