La Flèche Wallonne 2026: Great opportunity for talents

The second of the three Ardennes classics is traditionally the Flèche Wallonne. This year's race once again promises a tactical finale, which will probably be decided on the steep Mur de Huy. As last year's winner, Tadej Pogačar is not in his team's line-up, which gives other riders a better chance. Among the top favourites, Paul Seixas, Kévin Vauquelin, Romain Grégoire and Mattias Skjelmose stand out in particular. They all have different strengths, but all have the profile to make the decisive attack on the final climb or to win the uphill finale with an explosive sprint.

The favourites for Flèche Wallonne 2026

At the age of 19, Paul Seixas seems to have little stopping him at the moment. He has already proven that he can do one-day races as well as tours, which is why he probably has the best chance of winning Flèche Wallonne. However, Mattias Skjelmose only showed on Sunday that the Ardennes really suit him. The Dane almost experienced a little déjà vu at the Amstel Gold Race. This time, however, he was beaten by Remco Evenepoel in the final sprint. Nevertheless, he is one of the big favourites for Wednesday's second Ardennes race. The young Romain Grégoire, on the other hand, is still missing the big classic victory. After strong results this season, he could reward himself with the big one, his breakthrough is only a matter of time. Kévin Vauquelin is the fourth rider in the group of favourites. The Frenchman has finished second on the Mur de Huy in the past two years, so it would be time for victory.

Behind them, a strong second row is forming with riders such as Lenny Martinez, Tobias Halland Johannessen and Tim Wellens. As an easy climber, Martinez has the ideal prerequisites for the brutal gradients, while Johannessen can make the decisive attack with his punch. Benoît Cosnefroy, on the other hand, has already delivered in his last two races. With two third places, he is probably the captain of the UAE team, as Tim Wellens is not yet back to full strength after his crash at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

A handful of other professionals also have outsider chances. These include Christian Scaroni, Giulio Ciccone, Mauro Schmid and Dorian Godon. The race is much more open than in previous years, as the really big stars will probably want to save their strength for the two bigger Ardennes classics. Overall, there are many signs of a selective race in which the field thins out early on before the decision is made on the Mur de Huy, as is so often the case.