WHO WILL TAKE QUEEN ANNA'S CROWN?

January 18 ^th 2022 - 12:00

Anna van der Breggen ended her reign undefeated. The Dutchwoman, who will now be doling out nuggets of wisdom from her team manager's car, extended her run in the Flèche Wallonne to seven consecutive wins before hanging up her bicycle.  

Her succession is wide open and likely to whet the appetite of the non-Dutch contingent, seeing how another force of nature, Marianne Vos, had already raised the flag of Oranje atop the Mur de Huy five times before her compatriot's interminable streak. More than ever before, the Mur de Huy set the scene for the decisive selection of the 25th edition, as the women tackled three ascents of the climb for the first time before the finish at the summit.  

The women's course is increasingly in synch with the men's. The approach loop has been shortened this year to make sure that both races are aligned over almost 115 km. A double serving of the Côte d'Ereffe and a triple dose of the Côte de Cherave, placed in succession with the decisive Mur, will definitely shrink the circle of contenders.  

We have amped the challenge up to eleven, with an altitude gain even greater than what we had in 2021, as well as packing the programme from the mid-morning with a finale featuring six high-stakes passages (three for the women and three for the men) and the race caravan. Not to mention a fine tradition we fully intend to keep going: the start from the heart of Huy, from the Grand-Place, where we hope to bring the champions face to face with their fans. 

Christian Prudhomme