Katarzyna Niewiadoma has come close in a lot of big races over the past five years since she took the 2019 Amstel Gold, but she earned a famous win in Wednesday’s La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, her first victory since June 2019. The Pole was the strongest on the Mur de Huy, outclimbing Elisa Longo Borghini and Demi Vollering. Olivia Baril was the top Canadian in 12th, Simone Boilard climbed into 21st, Clara Emond was 23rd and Magdeleine Valliers came 30th, three days after all four raced Amstel Gold.
The Course
The women’s edition would face three climbs in the first 3/5 of 156 km before taking two 32-km finishing circuits, each containing Cote d’Ereffe (2.1 km of 5.4 percent) and the Mur de Huy. The final showdown was on the last Mur de Huy, an imposing 1.3-km wall of 9.3 percent, with ramps up to 26 percent. The first half of the race was tackled in grim conditions.
Practically huddling together for warmth in the cold rain, it took 40 km for a breakaway to flare out from the field. This trio crested the third climb of the day, Côte d’Evrehailles, with a 50-second gap. By the first passage of Cote d’Ereffe, the lead was much bigger. Between Cote d’Ereffe I and Mur de Huy I a duo lit out after the soggy leaders.
The Huy dislodged one escapee, but the remainders kept most of their gap over the 40-strong peloton. Over the top, Lotte Kopecky tested the others with a surge that Longo Borghini deftly countered.
The Final Circuit
With 22 km to race, Canyon-SRAM started to pacemake, as Sara Martín and Julie Van de Velde were still 2:00 up the road. By the final ascent of Cote d’Ereffe, 45 seconds had been clipped from the gap.
A move between the two climbs created a high-powered quartet with Kopecky and Longo Borghini at its nucleus. Kopecky’s teammate Vollering chased it down. Visma-Lease a Bike’s Riejanne Markus made a dig with 5 km remaining. The Dutch rider hit the foot of the Huy with a 17-second advantage, but she wouldn’t keep it.
Vollering led a sextet towards the citadel at the top. Niewiadoma came alongside her. The Pole accelerated and didn’t look back. Longo Borghini tried but couldn’t come around Vollering to take the runner-up spot.
Ardennes Week concludes on Sunday with the mighty Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.
2024 La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
1) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland/Canyon-SRAM) 3:55:29
2) Demi Vollering (The Netherland/SD…
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