Last year, Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) won the women's race and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) the men's race. The Dutchwoman thus took the second step towards her Ardennes triple: in addition to the Fleche Wallonne, she also won the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège within a week. Second place in the women's race of the Walloon Arrow went to the German Liane Lippert from Team Movistar.
Fleche Wallonne 2024: The most important facts in brief
- Date: 17 April 2024, estimated finish time: ~ 16:11 - 16:38 (men), ~ 17:45 - 18:10 (women)
- Distance: 199.1 kilometres (men), 143.5 kilometres (women)
- Start: Charleroi (men), Huy (women), Target: Mur de Huy
- Profile: hilly
- UCI category: (Women's) World Tour
- Organiser: A.S.O.
- Premiere: 1936, 88th edition (men), 1998, 27th edition (women)
- Last year's winner: Tadej Pogacar (men), Demi Vollering (women)
- The TOUR favourites check
- Click here for the race report of the men's race
- Click here for the race report of the women's race
- Skjelmose suffers hypothermia
The Fleche Wallonne, also known as the Walloon Arrow in German, is part of the Ardennes Trilogy and traditionally takes place on the Wednesday between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Although it is one of the most famous one-day races in professional cycling, it is not one of the five monuments (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Tour of Lombardy). Due to factors such as route length and history, the Fleche Wallonne cannot compete with the really big races and is therefore categorised as a semi-classic, like Gent-Wevelgem, for example.
Rolf Gölz the only German winner
The first Walloon Arrow was held in 1936 and won by the Belgian Philemon Demeersman. Since then, the race has been held 87 times. The Spaniard Alejandro Valverde holds the record with five victories. In 1988, Rolf Gölz took the only German victory to date at the Fleche Wallonne.
A women's race, the Fleche Wallonne Femmes, has also been held since 1998. It is part of the UCI Women's World Tour and is held on the same day as the men's race. The Dutchwoman Anna van der Breggen holds the record for the most victories with seven. The only German winner of the Fleche Wallonne Femmes is Hanka Kupfernagel, who took first place in 1999.
This is the route of the Fleche Wallonne 2024
This year, nine climbs await the riders. Compared to last year, the route of the men's race is slightly longer and the Mur de Huy has to be conquered a total of four times for the first time - the 40th time the race has ended on the legendary climb.
The race starts in Charleroi, from where the riders set off along the Cote d'Yvoir on a circuit that has been modified and shortened compared to last year. The 31.6 kilometre course, which includes the Cote d'Ereffe and the Mur de Huy, is completed four times in total. The riders are expected to cross the finish line at around 16:30.
Last year, the race started in Herve, from where it travelled past Liège in an easterly direction to Huy. This year, however, the race starts in Charleroi, which lies to the west of Huy. The riders will pass Namur to the south before reaching the circuit after almost 75 kilometres.
The Mur de Huy
The Mur de Huy has become one of the most famous climbs in cycling and has also been part of the Tour de France. Although it is only 1.3 kilometres long, it has an average gradient of 9.6 per cent and peaks at over 20 per cent. The middle section of the Mur in particular is extremely steep, while the first and final sections are somewhat flatter.
These are the climbs of the men's race
- KM 43.2 - Cote d'Yvoir
- KM 91.2 - Cote d'Ereffe (1)
- KM 104.1 - Mur de Huy (1)
- KM 122.9 - Cote d'Ereffe (2)
- KM 135.8 - Mur de Huy (2)
- KM 154.6 - Cote d'Ereffe (3)
- KM 167.5 - Mur de Huy (3)
- KM 186.2 - Cote d'Ereffe (4)
- KM 199.1 - Mur de Huy (4)
Fleche Wallonne 2024 Women: The route
The women's race is being held for the 27th time and has been significantly extended compared to last year. Instead of 127, it now covers 143.5 kilometres. The riders have to tackle a total of seven climbs - two of which are the Mur de Huy.
After the start at 2 p.m. in Huy, the riders will take on the three climbs of Cote de Gives, Cote de Courriere and Cote d'Evrehailles after 90 kilometres on a circuit that they will tackle twice: They also have to cross the Cote d'Ereffe and the Mur de Huy, where the women's race also finishes at around 6 pm.
These are the climbs of the women's race
- KM 7.1 - Cote de Gives
- KM 35.1 - Cote de Courriere
- KM 50.8 - Cote d'Evrehailles
- KM 98.9 - Cote d'Ereffe (1)
- KM 111.8 - Mur de Huy (1)
- KM 130.6 - Cote d'Ereffe (2)
- KM 143.5 - Mur de Huy (2)
Fleche Wallonne 2024: TV coverage and live stream
The men's Fleche Wallonne 2024 will be broadcast both on TV and via live stream. Eurosport 1 will be showing the men's race from 14:30, while the live stream on Discovery Plus (for a fee) is already on air from 12:55. There is no live television coverage planned for the women's race. There will be a live stream on Discovery Plus from 16:55.
All the winners of the women's Fleche Wallonne
- 1998 Fabiana Luperini (Italy)
- 1999 Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany)
- 2000 Genevieve Jeanson (Canada)
- 2001 Fabiana Luperini (Italy)
- 2002 Fabiana Luperini (Italy)
- 2003 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
- 2004 Sonia Huguet (France)
- 2005 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
- 2006 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
- 2007 Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
- 2008 Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
- 2009 Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
- 2010 Emma Pooley (Great Britain)
- 2011 Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
- 2012 Evelyn Stevens (USA)
- 2013 Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
- 2014 Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France)
- 2015 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2016 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2017 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2018 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2019 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2020 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2021 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2022 Marta Cavalli (Italy)
- 2023 Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
All winners of the Fleche Wallonne
- 1936 Philemon De Meersman (Belgium)
- 1937 Adolph Braeckeveldt (Belgium)
- 1938 Emile Masson (Belgium)
- 1939 Edmond Delathouwer (Belgium)
- 1941 Sylvain Grysolle (Belgium)
- 1942 Karel Thijs (Belgium)
- 1943 Marcel Kint (Belgium)
- 1944 Marcel Kint (Belgium)
- 1945 Marcel Kint (Belgium)
- 1946 Desire Keteleer (Belgium)
- 1947 Ernest Sterckx (Belgium)
- 1948 Fermo Camellini (Italy)
- 1949 Rik van Steenbergen (Belgium)
- 1950 Fausto Coppi (Italy)
- 1951 Ferdinand Kübler (Switzerland)
- 1952 Ferdinand Kübler (Switzerland)
- 1953 Stan Ockers (Belgium)
- 1954 Germain Derycke (Belgium)
- 1955 Stan Ockers (Belgium)
- 1956 Richard van Genechten (Belgium)
- 1957 Raymond Impanis (Belgium)
- 1958 Rik van Steenbergen (Belgium)
- 1959 Jos Hoevenaers (Belgium)
- 1960 Pino Cerami (Belgium)
- 1961 Willy Vannitsen (Belgium)
- 1962 Henri De Wolf (Belgium)
- 1963 Raymond Poulidor (France)
- 1964 Gilbert Desmet (Belgium)
- 1965 Roberto Poggiali (Italy)
- 1966 Michele Dancelli (Italy)
- 1967 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
- 1968 Rik van Looy (Belgium)
- 1969 Jos Huysmans (Belgium)
- 1970 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
- 1971 Roger De Vlaeminck (Belgium)
- 1972 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
- 1973 Andre Dierickx (Belgium)
- 1974 Frans Verbeeck (Belgium)
- 1975 Andre Dierickx (Belgium)
- 1976 Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands)
- 1977 Francesco Moser (Italy)
- 1978 Michel Laurent (France)
- 1979 Bernard Hinault (France)
- 1980 Giuseppe Saronni (Italy)
- 1981 Daniel Willems (Belgium)
- 1982 Mario Beccia (Italy)
- 1983 Bernard Hinault (France)
- 1984 Kim Andersen (Denmark)
- 1985 Claude Criquielion (Belgium)
- 1986 Laurent Fignon (France)
- 1987 Jean-Claude Leclercq (France)
- 1988 Rolf Gölz (Germany)
- 1989 Claude Criquielion (Belgium)
- 1990 Moreno Argentin (Italy)
- 1991 Moreno Argentin (Italy)
- 1992 Giorgio Furlan (Italy)
- 1993 Maurizio Fondriest (Italy)
- 1994 Moreno Argentin (Italy)
- 1995 Laurent Jalabert (France)
- 1996 Lance Armstrong (USA)
- 1997 Laurent Jalabert (France)
- 1998 Bo Hamburger (Denmark)
- 1999 Michele Bartoli (Italy)
- 2000 Francesco Casagrande (Italy)
- 2001 Rik Verbrugghe (Belgium)
- 2002 Mario Aerts (Belgium)
- 2003 Igor Astarloa (Spain)
- 2004 Davide Rebellin (Italy)
- 2005 Danilo Di Luca (Italy)
- 2006 Alejandro Valverde (Spain)
- 2007 Davide Rebellin (Italy)
- 2008 Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg)
- 2009 Davide Rebellin (Italy)
- 2010 Cadel Evans (Australia)
- 2011 Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)
- 2012 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain)
- 2013 Daniel Moreno (Spain)
- 2014 Alejandro Valverde (Spain)
- 2015 Alejandro Valverde (Spain)
- 2016 Alejandro Valverde (Spain)
- 2017 Alejandro Valverde (Spain)
- 2018 Julian Alaphilippe (France)
- 2019 Julian Alaphilippe (France)
- 2020 Marc Hirschi (Switzerland)
- 2021 Julian Alaphilippe (France)
- 2022 Dylan Teuns (Belgium)
- 2023 Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia)
