Queens of the Hill

April 18 ^th 2025 - 11:30

The strongest climbers in the world will go head to head on Wednesday, 23 April in the 28th edition of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes. The top six riders in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will set out to tame the Mur de Huy, including Kasia Niewiadoma, the reigning champion in both the French Grand Tour and the Belgian classic.

Also on the start list are the three previous winners of the race: Demi Vollering (2023), Marta Cavalli (2022) and Anna van der Breggen (2015–2021), who will be able to count on the support of the world champion, Lotte Kopecky, in her return to the event.

Elisa Longo Borghini, Ashleigh Moolman, Gaia Realini and Liane Lippert will be spearheading a cohort of outsiders determined to add their names to the annals of the Belgian classic.

There is no shortage of candidates to take the throne of the 28th edition of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes, just five days away. The last four victors have thrown their hats into the ring: Kasia Niewiadoma (2024), Demi Vollering (2023), Marta Cavalli (2022) and… Anna van der Breggen, who is returning to a race where she has almost never experienced defeat. The Dutchwoman turned the Mur de Huy into an impregnable fortress, claiming seven victories in a row, more than any other male or female rider.

After three seasons away from the peloton (but not from cycling, as she had been working as sports director for SD Worx–Protime), the 35-year-old climber came out of retirement earlier this year. She has definitely not lost her touch, as she proved from the beginning of the season, when she was the only rider able to match Demi Vollering —whom she had been training throughout the last three seasons— pedal stroke for pedal stroke on long climbs. The duel between the undisputed master of the race and her former apprentice, who already put on quite a show in the Strade Bianche, promises to keep fans on the edges of their seats.

Demi Vollering (FDJ–Suez) is bringing serious firepower to bear —with Elise Chabbey (ninth in 2023), Évita Muzic (fourth last year and fifth in 2023) and Juliette Labous (sixth in 2021), who finished an impressive fourth in the Strade Bianche, all podium contenders in their own right—, but Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx–Protime) will have Lotte Kopecky at her side. The three-time Tour of Flanders winner and two-time world champion only made her first foray into this race last year, when she came in fourteenth, but her continued progression in the mountains makes her one of the hot favourites. Could she become the second Belgian rider to stand on the podium, following in the slipstream of Cindy Pieters, who finished third 26 years ago?

As usual, the event is one of the top prizes for the best climbers in the world. Among them are the first six riders on GC of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: Kasia Niewiadoma, Demi Vollering, Pauliena Rooijakkers, Évita Muzic, Gaia Realini and Cédrine Kerbaol. Last year, four months before she brought her adventure in yellow to a successful close, Kasia Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) had tasted victory in La Flèche Wallonne Femmes. A repeat win would therefore be a good omen for the Pole. She is on the upswing (fourth in the Tour of Flanders) and can rely on a rock-solid team, with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (second in 2020) having joined her Praetorian Guard last winter.

However, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) or Ashleigh Moolman (AG Insurance–Soudal) could finally get their break this year. Twelve years after sharing their first podium, with the Italian in second place and the South African in third, these two riders have yet to taste glory in Huy despite their metronomic consistency. Moolman Pasio has cracked the top 6 eleven times in fourteen starts, while Longo Borghini has clinched four podium finishes. Fifth and third last year, respectively, they have now got their sights firmly set on the same target. The same goes for Gaia Realini (Lidl–Trek, third in 2023), Liane Lippert (Movistar, second in 2023) and all the other riders who want to become the Queen of the Hill.

24 teams, main contenders

Australia

Liv-Al-'Ula-Jayco: Silke Smulders (NED), Monica Trinca Colonel (ITA)

Belgium

AG Insurance–Soudal: Ashleigh Moolman (RSA), Kim Le Court de Billot (MRI)

DD Group Pro Cycling Team: Chloe Desmet (BEL)

Fenix–Deceuninck: Puck Pieterse, Pauliena Rooijakkers, Yara Kastelijn (NED)

Lotto Ladies: Maureen Arens (NED)

France

Arkéa–B&B Hotels Woman: Valentina Cavallar (AUT),  Lotte Claes (BEL)

FDJ–Suez: Demi Vollering (NED), Elise Chabbey (SUI), Juliette Labous, Évita Muzic (FRA)

Cofidis Women Team: Nikola Nosková (CZE), Julie Bego (FRA)

St. Michel–Preference Home–Auber93: Lucie Fityus (AUS)

Winspace Orange Seal: Karolina Perekitko (POL)

Germany

CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto: Kasia Niewiadoma (POL), Neve Bradbury (AUS), Antonia Niedermaier (GER), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN)

Ceratizit Pro Cycling Team: Dilyxine Miermont (FRA), Sandra Alonso (ESP)

Netherlands

Team SD Worx–Protime: Lotte Kopecky (BEL), Anna van der Breggen, Femke Gerritse (NED)

Team Picnic PostNL: Marta Cavalli (ITA), Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR), Eleonora Ciabocco (ITA)

Team Visma–Lease a Bike: Marion Bunel (FRA), Rosita Reijnhout (NED), Viktória Chladoňová (SVK)

VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team: Bodine Vollering Eline Jansen, Anne Knijnenburg (NED)

Norway

Team Coop–Repsol: India Grangier (FRA)

Uno-X Mobility: Mie Bjørndal Ottestad, Katrine Aalerud (NOR)

Spain

Laboral Kutxa–Fundación Euskadi: Ane Santesteban, Usoa Ostolaza (ESP)

Movistar Team: Liane Luppert (GER), Cat Ferguson (GBR), Marlen Reusser (SUI)

Switzerland

Roland: Morgane Coston (FRA)

United Arab Emirates

UAE Team ADQ: Elisa Longo Borghini, Erica Magnaldi (ITA), Dominika Włodarczyk (POL), Maëva Squiban (FRA)

United States

EF Education–Oatly: Noemi Ruegg (SUI), Cédrine Kerbaol (FRA), Veronica Ewers (USA)

Lidl–Trek: Niamh Fisher-Black (NZL), Riejanne Markus, Shirin van Anrooij (NED), Elizabeth Deignan (GBR), Gaia Realini (ITA), Amanda Spratt (AUS)