The French sensation Paul Seixas, 19, has been outstanding since the start of the season and faces La Flèche Wallonne and its daunting Mur de Huy on Wednesday.
Second in the Volta ao Algarve and Strade Bianche, winner of the Classic Ardèche and the Tour of the Basque Country with three stage wins, the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale phenomenon is the overwhelming favorite for the 90th edition of La Flèche Wallonne.
With a victory, the Lyon-born rider would become by far the youngest winner of this venerable Belgian classic, a record held since the first edition in 1936 by Philémon De Meersman, who was 21 years and 150 days old.
The peloton will be without its main superstars on Wednesday, and the race even resembles a small French Championship, with Kévin Vauquelin, second in the last two editions, also among the favorites.
Reigning champion Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel have chosen to save themselves for the highlight of the Ardennes triptych, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where they will meet Seixas for an anticipated three-way duel on Sunday.
There is also great curiosity to see how the young Frenchman will handle the mythical Mur de Huy, which has hosted the finish of La Flèche Wallonne for four decades.
As has been the case since 2003 and the last victory by a breakaway rider, Spaniard Igor Astarloa, the win should be decided on the third and final ascent of this brutally steep climb (1.3 km at 9.6%), where riders virtually grind to a halt, their faces contorted in a grimace of suffering.
“Beautiful and Horrible”
“Winning at the top of the Mur de Huy is as beautiful as it is horrible,” summarizes Julian Alaphilippe, a three-time winner of La Flèche, who made the Mur his kingdom in his prime.
In total, seven French riders have triumphed atop the Chemin des Chapelles