A battle royale to dethrone Cavalli

April 13 ^th 2023 - 16:38

After she succeeded Queen of the Ardennes Anna van der Breggen, Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez) returns with the support of Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig to retain her crown in the 26th Flèche Wallonne Femmes, on Wednesday 19 April.

From world road champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) to cyclo-cross wonderkids Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) and Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo), Dutch stars gear up to storm Huy. 

The field of champions is notably completed by Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo), returning to competition after giving birth to her second child.

How long can Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez) reign over the Mur de Huy? The Italian star is back in the Ardennes, a year after she won the 25th edition of the Flèche Wallonne Femmes, the first since 2014 to crown a champion who is not Anna van der Breggen (a 7-time winner from 2015 to 2021). To defend her victory, the revelation from the 2022 spring classics will benefit from the explosive support of Denmark’s Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (2nd in 2020), before Grace Brown joins them for Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but they will also face some intense competition.  

Cavalli’s first 15 pursuers last year are also on the list of entrants getting ready for new battles in Huy, starting with the Dutch stars Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and Demi Vollering (SD Worx), who both stood on the podium of 2022. Van Vleuten has conquered every summit… with the notable exception of the Mur, where she finished 2nd on three occasions (2015, 2019 and 2022). With the rainbow jersey back on her shoulders, the "oranje" star has one last chance to claim the Flèche, before she retires at the end of the year. Unless she propels her new partner, the young (and brilliant) German puncher Liane Lippert, to success?  

Vollering comes without Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (4th in 2022), who left the Dutch powerhouse SD Worx to support the young talents of AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step and in particular Belgium’s Justine Ghekiere. Another seasoned champion in the Ardennes, the Spaniard Mavi Garcia (5th in 2021 and 2022) now races with Liv Racing Teqfind. Her former squad UAE Team ADQ comes with the gifted Italian Silvia Persico, who discovers the Flèche Wallonne Femmes.   Brilliant on the road and in cyclo-cross, Persico will face familiar rivals: the Dutch wonderkids Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) and Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo), who respectively won the Elite and Under 23 cyclo-cross world champion titles in February. Since then, Van Anrooij has achieved a first major success on the road at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda.  

Already 13th last year, she is part of a Trek-Segafredo armada led by two riders who have already stood on the podium of Huy: Elisa Longo Borghini (2nd in 2013, 3rd in 2014 and 2021)… and Lizzie Deignan (2nd in 2014 and 2017). The British star, who won in Liège in 2020, returns to the Ardennes after giving birth to her second child at the end of last year and before turning for the first edition of La Vuelta Feminina by Carrefour.  

The entry list includes another rider who already made it to the top 3 of the Flèche: Kasia Niewiadoma (2nd in 2021, 3rd in 2017), accompanied in particular by Switzerland’s Élise Chabbey for Canyon//Sram. The Polish puncher is a natural favorite after a strong start of the season. But the next generation is preparing to take over the Ardennes!

24 teams, the main contenders  

Australia
Team Jayco AlUla: Ane Santesteban (Esp), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus)  

Belgium
AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step: Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Rsa), Justine Ghekiere (Bel)
Duolar-Chevalmeire: Olha Kulynych (Ukr)
Fenix-Deceuninck: Yara Kastelijn (Ned)
Lotto Destiny Ladies: Mijntje Geurts (Ned)  

France
Cofidis Women Team: Rachel Neylan (Aus)
FDJ-Suez: Marta Cavalli (Ita), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den)
St Michel-Mavic-Auber93: Dilyxine Miermont (Fra)  

Germany
Canyon//Sram Racing: Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol), Élise Chabbey (Sui)  

Great Britain
Lifeplus Wahoo: Margaux Vigié (Fra)  

The Netherlands
Liv Racing Teqfind: Mavi Garcia (Esp), Katia Ragusa (Ita)
Parkhotel Valkenburg: Femke Gerritse (Ned)
Team DSM: Juliette Labous (Fra)
Team Jumbo-Visma: Fem van Empel (Ned)
Team SD Worx: Demi Vollering (Ned), Marlen Reusser (Sui)  

Norway
Team Coop-Hitec Products: Josie Nelson (Gbr)
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: Anouska Koster (Ned)  

Spain
Movistar Team Women: Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned), Liane Lippert (Ger)
Zaaf Cycling Team: Danielle de Francesco (Aus)  

Switzerland
Israel Premier Tech Roland: Claire Steels (Gbr)  

The United Arab Emirates
UAE Team ADQ: Silvia Persico (Ita)  

The United States of America
EF Education-Tibco-SVB: Krista Doebel-Hicock (Usa), Georgia Williams (Nzl)
Human Powered Health: Nina Buijsman (Hol)
Trek-Segafredo: Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita), Elizabeth Deignan (Gbr), Shirin van Anrooij (Hol)