With Paris-Roubaix on April 12, the spring cycling calendar immediately pivots to its second great act: the Ardennes Classics. Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday April 15 and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday April 19 represent the climbers’ answer to the cobbled classics — two of the most prestigious one-day races in the world, contested on the relentless rolling hills of the Belgian and Luxembourg Ardennes, and finishing on climbs that reward pure uphill power rather than cobble-riding aggression.
For cycling fans, this is a week of contrasting drama: the same riders who were splattered with mud and mechanicals in the Hell of the North have exactly seven days to recover, travel, and produce a completely different physiological output on punishing climbs. For athletes, it’s one of the most demanding transitions in sports.
Flèche Wallonne: The Wall That Decides Everything
Flèche Wallonne (Wednesday, April 15) is one of cycling’s most unique races because its outcome is almost entirely determined by a single climb: the Mur de Huy. The Mur is only 1.3km long, but it averages 9.6% with a brutal 19% ramp near the summit — climbed three times on race day, with the final ascent serving as the race finish.
This creates a race that is simultaneously straightforward in concept and brutally demanding in execution: survive 200km of Ardennes terrain, position perfectly for the third ascent, then produce a supreme effort over 3–4 minutes to the line. Tactical positioning on the final Mur ascent — knowing when to launch, how to read opponents’ movements — is as important as physical preparation.
Key Contenders
The Mur de Huy traditionally suits pure climbers with exceptional anaerobic capacity in the 3–5 minute range. Tadej Pogačar has been one of the most feared attackers on this climb in recent seasons. Remco Evenepoel’s explosive power profile makes him a consistent Flèche threat. And Alejandro Valverde’s retirement leaves the door open for a new generation of Flèche specialists to emerge.
Liège-Bastogne-Liège: The Grande Dame of Classics
La Doyenne — “The Old Lady” — is cycling’s oldest classic, first contested in 1892, and remains one of the sport’s most demanding single-day challenges. Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Sunday, April 19) covers approximately 260km through the Ardennes with over 4,000m of elevation gain across multiple classified climbs, finishing on the Côte de La Roche-aux-Faucons or — in recent editions — the finishing circuit into Liège city.
Unlike Flèche Wallonne, Liège rewards riders with the ability to suffer repeatedly over a full day of climbing — not just produce one short explosive effort. The race can be decided by attacks on the Côte de Saint-Nicolas, the Côte des Forges, or any of the late climbs in the final 50km. It’s a race that rewards tactical patience as much as pure power.
Key Contenders
Pogačar is again the name to watch — he has developed the rare combination of one-day explosivity and stage-race endurance that Liège demands. Remco Evenepoel, a previous Liège winner, has the time-trial ability and climbing capacity to contend. Jonas Vingegaard — carrying momentum from whatever form he showed at the Giro d’Italia — represents a genuine threat if he prioritises these Classics.
What Makes the Ardennes Relevant to Amateur Cyclists
Beyond the professional racing, the Ardennes offer some of Europe’s most spectacular cycling terrain for recreational riders. The rolling hills of the Belgian province of Liège, the Luxembourg borders, and the Walloon countryside are accessible cycling destinations with challenging but manageable climbs for non-professional athletes.
The physiological demands of the Ardennes Classics — repeated short-to-medium climbs requiring sustained power output — are also directly relevant to any cyclist who rides hilly terrain. Training for this kind of effort emphasises threshold work and VO2max intervals rather than the sustained endurance or cobbled-surface skills required for northern Classics.
Our cycling nutrition guide is particularly relevant for hilly riding, where repeated efforts require careful carbohydrate management to sustain power through multiple climbs without depleting glycogen reserves.
And if you’re considering building your climbing fitness after watching the Ardennes, our guide to getting started with challenging terrain gives a practical framework for developing the strength and cardiovascular capacity that climb-heavy riding demands.
Key Takeaways
- Flèche Wallonne (April 15) is decided by the Mur de Huy — three ascents, the last serving as the finish. Pogačar and Evenepoel are the leading contenders.
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 19) is cycling’s oldest classic, 260km of Ardennes hills requiring full-day sustained climbing ability.
- The Ardennes Classics immediately follow Paris-Roubaix, creating a punishing week-long test of the sport’s most versatile athletes.
- For amateur cyclists, the Ardennes demand a very different training focus than cobbled classics — threshold and VO2max work over flat endurance.
- Both races are broadcast live internationally and represent some of the most tactically watchable races in the professional calendar.
