La Flèche Wallonne

La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. It is part of the UCI World Tour.

The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. At one time, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège were run on successive days as "Le Weekend Ardennais" (both races are organised by Amaury Sport Organisation). Only eight riders have achieved the "Ardennes double" by winning both races in the same year: Alejandro Valverde three times (in 2006, 2015 and 2017), Ferdi Kübler twice (in 1951 and 1952), Stan Ockers (1955), Eddy Merckx (1972), Moreno Argentin (1991), Davide Rebellin (2004), Philippe Gilbert (2011), and Tadej Pogačar (2025).

Since 1998, a women's event has been held on the same day, part of the UCI Women's World Tour.

History

File:Fleche wallonne route 2011.png

The 2011 La Flèche Wallonne route

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 five Classic 'Monuments', the race is widely regarded as among the most significant spring Classics, alongside the Amstel Gold and Strade Bianche, and featured on the UCI Road World Cup and UCI ProTour. It became part of the UCI World Ranking calendar in 2009.

Like many cycle race events, the course has altered considerably over the years, both in route and length. The event was first run on roads from Tournai to Liège (growing from 236 km to 300 km — its longest ever distance — in 1938), after which Mons became the starting point. From 1948, the race started at Charleroi; from 1960 the event ran in the opposite direction, starting at Liège and finishing at Charleroi (or, from 1965, Marcinelle). Some years have seen the event start and finish in the same place: Verviers (1974–1978) or Huy (1983–1985). From 1986, the race started in Spa and finished in Huy. Since 1990, the race distance has not exceeded 210 km.

Since its inception, it has been held every year except 1940, due to World War II. In 2020, it was rescheduled to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, the event starts in Charleroi and heads east to Huy, where the riders do three laps of a tough circuit including the steep Mur de Huy (the Wall of Huy) climb, with several sections steeper than 15% and up to 26% on one section. The finish is at the top of the Mur after the third ascent, and ascent of 'the Mur' is considered the iconic and emblematic feature of the race.

Alejandro Valverde has won the race a record five times. Five riders have won the race three times, two of them Belgians, two Italians, and one Frenchman. Five riders have won the race in back to back years. Indeed, Belgian riders dominated the early years of the event, winning the first 11 editions of the race, and slightly less than half of the editions in total (38 victories up to and including 2011). Italians have won the event 18 times.

Winners

Year	Country	Rider	Team
1936			La Française
1937			Helyett
1938
1939			Leducq-Mercier
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946			Groene Leeuw
1947			Alcyon–Dunlop
1948			Métropole
1949			Mercier–Hutchinson
1950			Bianchi–Ursus
1951			Tebag
1952			Tebag
1953			Peugeot–Dunlop
1954			Alcyon–Dunlop
1955			Elvé–Peugeot
1956			Elvé–Peugeot
1957			Peugeot-BP
1958			Elvé–Peugeot–Marvan
1959			Faema
1960			Peugeot–BP–Dunlop
1961			Gitane–Geminiani–Leroux–Dunlop
1962			Baratti–Milano
1963			Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
1964			Wiel's–Groene Leeuw
1965			Ignis
1966			Molteni
1967			Peugeot–BP–Michelin
1968			Willem II–Gazelle
1969			Dr.Mann–Grundig
1970			Faemino
1971			Mars–Flandria
1972			Molteni
1973			Flandria–Shimano–Carpenter
1974			Watney–Maes
1975			Rokado
1976			Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson
1977			Sanson
1978			Peugeot–Esso–Michelin
1979			Renault–Gitane–Campagnolo
1980			Gis Gelati–Colnago
1981			Capri Sonne–Koga Miyata
1982			Hoonved–Bottechia
1983			Renault–Elf–Gitane
1984			Coop–Hoonved
1985			Hitachi–Splendor–Sunair
1986			Système U
1987			Toshiba–Look
1988			Superconfex–Yoko
1989			Hitachi–Merckx–Mavic
1990			Ariostea
1991			Ariostea
1992			Ariostea
1993			Lampre
1994			Template:Cycling data GEW
1995			Template:Cycling data ONC
1996			Motorola
1997			Template:Cycling data ONC
1998			Template:Cycling data ALM
1999			Template:Cycling data MAP
2000			Template:Cycling data VIN
2001			Template:Cycling data SIL
2002			Template:Cycling data SIL
2003			Template:Cycling data SAE
2004			Template:Cycling data GST
2005			Template:Cycling data LIQ
2006			Template:Cycling data GCE
2007			Template:Cycling data GST
2008			Template:Cycling data THR
2009			Template:Cycling data SDA
2010			Template:Cycling data BMC
2011			Template:Cycling data LOT
2012			Template:Cycling data KAT
2013			Template:Cycling data KAT
2014			Template:Cycling data MOV
2015			Template:Cycling data MOV
2016			Template:Cycling data MOV
2017			Template:Cycling data MOV
2018			Template:Cycling data QST
2019			Template:Cycling data QST
2020			Template:Cycling data SUN
2021			Template:Cycling data QST
2022			Template:Cycling data TBV
2023			Template:Cycling data UAE
2024			Template:Cycling data IPT
2025			Template:Cycling data UAE

Multiple winners

Riders in italics are still active

Wins	Rider	Editions
5	Template:Flagathlete	2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
3	Template:Flagathlete	1943, 1944, 1945
	Template:Flagathlete	1967, 1970, 1972
	Template:Flagathlete	1990, 1991, 1994
	Template:Flagathlete	2004, 2007, 2009
	Template:Flagathlete	2018, 2019, 2021
2	Template:Flagathlete	1951, 1952
	Template:Flagathlete	1953, 1955
	Template:Flagathlete	1949, 1958
	Template:Flagathlete	1973, 1975
	Template:Flagathlete	1979, 1983
	Template:Flagathlete	1985, 1989
	Template:Flagathlete	1995, 1997
	Template:Flagathlete	2023, 2025

Wins per country

Wins	Country
39
18
11
8
3
2
1	Template:GBR2

External links

• Official website
• Template:Cycling archives race