HUY, Belgium — Cycling star Tadej Pogačar launched a trademark attack on a steep climb to win the Flèche Wallonne classic for the second time in his stellar career.
The three-time Tour de France champion won the Belgian race in 2023 and showed his outstanding climbing ability when he surged ahead on the final ascent up the Mur de Huy. None of his rivals could even follow and he crossed the line alone in 4 hours, 50 minutes, 15 seconds.
Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin was 10 seconds behind Pogačar in second place with British rider Tom Pidcock 12 seconds back in third.
Last year, Stephen Williams became the first British winner of the race after battling snowy conditions.
This time the riders dealt with driving rain and wet roads along the 127.2-mile race that culminated in a short and sharp climb up Huy, which has an average gradient of 9.6% and sections as steep as 19%.
A trio of Norwegian riders rode out in front but the chasing pack caught them seven kilometers from the end as they reached the bottom of the Huy ascent.
Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel was alongside Pogačar, but could not respond to his attack about halfway up.
There is more racing in the Ardennes at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. It is one of the “monuments” of cycling — the five most prestigious one-day races — along with the Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Lombardy.
Danish rider Mattias Skjelmose beat Pogačar and Evenepoel in a sprint finish to win the Amstel Gold race.
Skjelmose crashed on a downhill section some 40 kilometers from the end of the Flèche Wallonne race and had to abandon.
