Ardennes Classics: Women’s races to be broadcasted live

September 29 ^th 2020 - 17:30

- Both Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes will be broadcasted live for the first time ever. Live coverage of the race, produced by Belgian host broadcaster RTBF, will be available for viewers across 190 countries via 20 TV channels.
- Dutch rider Anna Van der Breggen will sport the rainbow jersey on the Flèche Wallonne after her double triumph on the recent World Championships, looking forward to further increase her tally of five victories atop the Mur de Huy. Her main rival will be another five-time winner of this race, Marianne Vos.
- Both Classics will be live-tweeted at @flechewallonne and @LiegeBastogneL.

It was 1998 when the Flèche Wallonne maiden women’s edition was held, 2017 being the debut for the female peloton at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. This year, both events will step up by being broadcasted live for the first time in their history. Fans will be able to watch the race as it happens from 190 different countries via 20 TV channels, with one hour and a half of coverage including the final kilometres of the race and the podium ceremony. The appeal of women’s cycling and the amount of resources that race organisers devote to better showcase it keep growing every year. The women’s race will enjoy practically enjoy the same TV production as the men’s, with three motorbikes and a helicopter providing live pictures and Belgian TV channel RTBF acting as a host broadcaster. At the Flèche Wallonne, 11 cameras will capture every metre of the Mur de Huy.

It will be the best possible way to watch Anna Van der Breggen race for the first time on her recently attained rainbow jersey. The Dutch rider conquered the World Championships last weekend, winning both the ITT and the Road Race. She has won five times in a row atop the Mur de Huy between 2015 and 2019, including one in the rainbow jersey already last year. Anyway, her victory on this edition of the Flèche Wallonne is far from a foregone conclusion. Her compatriot Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv), a five-time winner of this race herself, will be her main opponent and counts on the support of the South-African rider Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio. Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) and Kasia Niewadoma (Canyon SRAM) have both already been on the podium of the Flèche Wallonne and come in great shape after excellent performances in the Giro Rosa and the World Championships. Finally, a couple of rising stars who were in the top10 of the race in 2019 will again line up ambitioning to improve their previous results: Demi Völlering (Parkhotel Valkenburg) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope).

Main broadcasters of the women’s Ardennes Classics:
Australia: SBS
Belgium: RTBF, VRT
Denmark: TV2 Danmark
Spain: RTVE
United States: NBC Sports Gold (digital)
France: francetvsport (digital)
Italy: RAI
Japan: J SPORTS
Norway: TV2 Norway
International: Eurosport, Supersport, ESPN, beIN Sports, GCN Racing