From "PFP" to Pieterse, "le Mur" brings them all together!

April 20 ^th 2026 - 15:28

• With the return of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Anna van der Breggen to Huy, five former winners of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes will once again aim for victory on the Path of the Chapels.
• The Frenchwoman and the Dutch rider, crowned respectively in 2014 and from 2015 to 2021, will notably face Demi Vollering (winner in 2023), Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (2024), and Puck Pieterse (2025).
• Also a podium finisher in the race, South African rider Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is preparing to make history with a 16th consecutive participation.

They are not the kind to shy away from a challenge - even at the foot of the fearsome Mur de Huy. Five former winners of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes are preparing for another assault this Wednesday, at the 29th edition of the race. Crowned last year, Dutch rider Puck Pieterse will defend her title against compatriots Anna van der Breggen (who holds the record with seven consecutive victories from 2015 to 2021) and Demi Vollering (winner in 2023), as well as France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (2014) and Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (2024).

With the exception of Marta Cavalli (2022), La Flèche Wallonne Femmes thus brings together the winners of the last twelve editions. For Ferrand-Prévot, it marks a first appearance since 2018, as the French rider only competed in Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes last year upon her return to road racing - highlighted by her triumphs at Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. As for Anna van der Breggen, she had withdrawn on the very morning of the race (due to illness); she now returns to the Mur de Huy five years after her last victory.

Both champions have shown strong form in recent weeks to fuel their Ardennes ambitions, but the same goes for Pieterse (10th at the Amstel after finishing on the podium at the Tour of Flanders), Niewiadoma-Phinney (2nd at the Amstel in her return after a crash at Milano-Sanremo) and Vollering (winner of the Tour of Flanders, 3rd at the Amstel). The latter may be the best supported, with Évita Muzic (4th in 2024) and Juliette Berthet (7th in 2024 and 2025) alongside her within the FDJ United-Suez team.Van der Breggen will rely on Mischa Bredewold and Nienke Vinke (SD Worx - Protime).

However, all of them were beaten in Limburg by Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ), winner in her first participation at the Amstel and who will now discover the finish atop the Mur de Huy. The young Spaniard hopes to get to grips with a race that the South African Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) knows by heart: on Wednesday, she will take part in La Flèche Wallonne Femmes for the 16th consecutive year. Having stood on the podium twice (3rd in 2013, 2nd in 2018), she has seen eight different champions dominate the Mur de Huy. Most of them will be back again this year.

21 teams, main contenders  

Germany
Canyon//Sram Zondacrypto : Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (POL), Cecilie Ludwig (DNK)
Lidl - Trek : Niamh Fisher-Black (NZL), Ricarda Bauernfeind (DEU), Riejanne Markus (NLD)

Australia
Liv-AlUla-Jayco : Monica Trinca Colonel (ITA)  

Belgium
AG Insurance - Soudal Team : Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (ZAF)
Fenix-Premier Tech : Puck Pieterse, Yara Kastelijn (NLD)
Lotto Intermarché Ladies : Annelies Nijssen (BEL)  

United Arab Emirates
UAE Team ADQ : Mavi Garcia (ESP), Maëva Squiban (FRA), Paula Blasi (ESP)  

Spain
Laboral Kutxa - Fundacion Euskadi : Usoa Ostolaza (ESP)
Movistar Team : Liane Lippert (DEU), Mareille Meijer (NLD)  

United States
EF Education - Oatly : Magdeleine Vallieres (CAN), Noemi Rüegg (CHE)
Human Powered Health : Nina Buijsman (NLD), Mona Mitterwallner (AUT)  

France
Cofidis Women Team : Nikola Noskova (CZE)
FDJ United-Suez : Demi Vollering (NLD), Juliette Berthet, Évita Muzic (FRA), Elise Chabbey (CHE)
Ma Petite Entreprise : Morgane Coston (FRA)
Mayenne Monbana My Pie : Carolina Perekitko (POL)
St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 : Clara Emond (CAN)  

Norway
Uno-X Mobility : Ingvild Gaskjenn (NOR)  

Netherlands
Picnic PostNL : Eleonora Ciabocco (ITA)
Team SD Worx - Protime : Anna van der Breggen, Mischa Bredewold, Nienke Vinke (NLD)
Team Visma-Lease a Bike : Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA), Sarah Van Dam (CAN)
VolkerWessels Cycling Team : Esmée Peperkamp (NLD)