The races of spring come thick and fast and after an exhilarating few weeks on the cobbles, and an intriguing Amstel Gold Race, Ardennes Week continues tomorrow with La Flèche Wallonne.
And while the Tour of Flanders has the Oude Kwaremont, and Amstel has the Cauberg, the Walloon Arrow has the formidable ramp of the Mur de Huy.
A leg-sapping 1,300 metres of relentlessly ascending tarmac, with an average gradient of nine per cent, and a crippling peak gradient of 22 per cent, it offers Flèche a denouement to match any in cycling.
Little wonder then that the world’s best riders were leaving nothing to chance by heading out onto its slopes the day before the race, testing their legs on its ferocious gradient.
World number one, Joaquim Rodriguez, his Katusha team-mate, Dani Moreno (last year’s winner), and Team Sky’s formidable young talent, Peter Kennaugh, were among those training on the Mur today.
Tomorrow, this iconic slope will be lined on either side by thousands of cheering spectators, and we’ll bring you a full report and photo gallery, as well as post-race analysis of the action.
For now, we’ll whet your appetite with this full-width gallery from official UCI WorldTour photographer, Stefano Sirotti.
