Walloon Arrow 2025, Pogacar's redemption: opponents demolished. The order of arrival

Huy (Belgium), 23 April 2025 - The campaign in the Ardennes continues with the Walloon Arrow 2025, which well before the final bangs sees Mattias Skjelmose, the winner ofAmstel Gold Race 2025, abdicate due to a fall. So no one will report this year the very complicated en plein in the triptych, with the second act seeing the success of Tadej pogacar, almost a novelty after the very recent disappointments (so to speak): third place at Milan-Sanremo 2025, second place at the Paris-Roubaix 2025 and second place, precisely, to the Amstel Gold Race 2025, slipped away by a matter of less than half a wheel. The Slovenian doesn't accept this and returns to raise his voice, this time without overdoing it from the distance: better to rely on the work of the faithful gregarious Brandon McNulty e Jan Christen (curiously fallen previously but very good at getting back in the saddle), the very young Swiss wanted by the world champion in his UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The work of his men having been completed, on the last passage on the Wall of Huy and in particular on the hardest stretch at 19% it's the turn of the most anticipated protagonist, who this time leaves on the spot Remco Evenepoel, who will even finish ninth, with Kevin Vauquelin e tom pidcock to complete the podium of the day. This time nothing to do for the 'humans', including the Italians, with Davide formolo, 16esimo, as the best of the representatives, for a fast that therefore sees the regret Davide rebel as the latest winner on the roll of honour of this race.

Race report

The second act of the Ardennes Triptych and the Walloon Arrow 2025: 205,1 km da Ciney a Huy who set off with the usual hunt for a good escape. Just before the first hill of the day, that of View (1,4 km with an average slope of 4,6%), the good escape is immediately formed, which sees the protagonists Artem Schmidt (Ineos Grenadiers), Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Ceriel Desal (Wagner Bazin WB), Tom Paquot (Intermarché-Wanty) e Siebe Deweirdt (Team Flanders-Baloise). Surprisingly, well before Petite Sommes Coast (1,2 km with an average slope of8,5% and maximum of 13,4%) the race ignites behind the leaders: they sprint Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) e Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious), who after a short chase managed to catch up with the first hour's breakaway. Then they tried to attack Fredrik Dversnes e Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility): The two hook up Deweirdt, who had lost the wheels of the leading group before being engulfed and overtaken by the group, in which he slipped Jonah Koch (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Also Paquot loses contact from the escape, which after the Cote d'Ereffe (2,1 km with an average slope of 5,5%) includes Schmidt, Guglielmi, Desal, Stannard, Foss, Dversnes e Leknessund. We then move on to Cherave Coast (1,1 km with an average slope of 7,7%) and al Wall of Huy (1,2 km with an average slope of 9,7% and maximum of 19%), which will be decisive in the subsequent passages. The race enters a transition phase: escapees ahead of 1'10 " compared to the group, which controls the situation while waiting for the walls to return. When you return to the Cote d'Ereffe the geography of the escape changes again: it breaks away Guglielmi, while the rest is done by the Cherave Coast, which takes away Schmidt e Stannard, It is on Wall of Huy falls Desal. At the same point, in the group, a potential winner like Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek): the fresh winner of theAmstel Gold Race 2025 leaves the race with severe pain in his right shoulder, with his teammate Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) who seems to suffer from the cold as the outgoing champion did previously Stephen Williams (Israel-PremierTech), who leaves the race. Meanwhile, the all-Norwegian trio composed of Foss, Dversnes e Leknessund, but now the group is just a handful of seconds away: the platoon surprisingly slows down and gives new verve to the action of the three and one of the causes is also the wind, which complicates the pursuit. The action of Foss, Dversnes e Leknessund it loses consistency on the Cote d'Ereffe before finally running out on the first ramps of the Cherave Coast: just at this juncture a mechanical problem takes the matter to a halt George Bennett (Israel-PremierTech). Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who had fallen earlier, raised the pace and filtered through the group, and it is no coincidence that important names such as Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) e Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike). It is the prelude to the downhill stretch of Tadej pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), immediately rebuffed by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step). The exchange between the two favourites creates a rift in the leading group, with Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ) which is in charge of the pursuit to close the gap. Shoot now Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) before the race reaches the decisive final pass on the Wall of Huy, once again the referee of the Vallone Arrow. Christen try throwing again pogacar and so it is: the Slovenian overtakes at double speed Ben Healy (EF Education-Easy Post), which then almost acts as a stopper for the other best ones. pogacar overcome the hardest part, the one at 19%, and goes on to win peremptorily, by a wide margin, this time leaving a team empty-handed evenepoel which also remains outside the podium: completing it are Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) e tom pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team).  

Arrival order Freccia Wallone 2025

  1) Tadej Pogacar (UAD) in 4h50'15" 2) Kévin Vauquelin (ARK) +10" 3) Tom Pidcock (Q36) +12" 4) Lenny Martinez (TBV) +13" 5) Ben Healy (EFE) +13" 6) Santiago Buitrago (TBV) +16" 7) Romain Grégoire (GFC) +16" 8) Thibau Nys (LTK) +16" 9) Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) +16" 10) Mauro Schmid (JAY) +19"