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Pogacar’s presence as pre-race favourite has become quite the norm of late, with defeating the Slovenian doubling as an almost impossible task.
The retirement of five-time Fleche champion Alejandro Valverde only aids the UAE Team Emirates star’s cause on Wednesday, as does the absence of three-time winner Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep), defending champion Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).
A field lacking such household names will make for some interesting racing throughout the 194.2-kilometre route, though hopefuls will take comfort in Pogacar’s surprisingly unusual record at the Walloon Arrow.
In three starts, the 24-year-old has finished 53rd in 2019, ninth in 2020, and 12th in 2022 – he did not compete in the 2021 edition due to a positive COVID-19 test that caused the entire UAE team to withdraw the night before.
Nevertheless, there is an expectation the two-time Tour de France champion will finally come good on the Mur de Huy, so long as he can overcome the following five contenders:
Giulio Ciccone
Ciccone has shown he is more than capable of challenging on summit finishes, having opened the season with stage victories in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Volta a Catalunya.
Though the Italian has not raced since Catalunya, his performance against Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) will give him confidence on the road, as will the presence of a strong Trek-Segafredo team supporting him.
Diego Ulissi
While it remains to be seen how UAE Team Emirates plan to utilise Ulissi as it pertains to Pogacar and Marc Hirschi, there is no doubt the 33-year-old looms as a potential winner.
A third-place finish in 2019 is the standout showing in a run containing three top-10 finishes, and the Italian has every chance to add to that tally.
Tom Pidcock
Pidcock will line up in Herve looking to fight for the podium just as he did at the Amstel Gold, where he finished third behind Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and winner Pogacar.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider cited distance as a factor in his performance fading in the finale, but that won’t be an issue in Wallonia as the route runs more than 50 kilometres shorter.
A sixth-placed performance in his Fleche debut two years ago will also provide motivation to improve, and the Briton will hope he can do so on a climb as challenging as the Mur de Huy.
WATCH past editions of Fleche Wallonne via SBS On Demand
Michael Woods
Of the three Ardennes Classics, this is the one that suits Woods’ impressive positioning and uphill sprint the best.
Having finished sixth last year, the absence of Teuns means Israel-Premier Tech will now back the experienced Canadian on his quest to return to the podium for the first time since 2020.
Mattias Skjelmose
A potential co-leader alongside Ciccone for Trek-Segafredo, Skjelmose, too, could challenge at the top end of the Huy climb.
The 22-year-old finished fourth on the Huy when it was used in the Tour de Wallonie last year and already has two stage wins this season in the form of the Etoile de Besseges and Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var.
Skjelmose also finished eighth in the Amstel Gold Race last weekend and such showings have many believing his breakthrough is just around the corner.
SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand will provide all the action from the women's and men's races, with coverage commencing from 7:10pm (AEST) on April 19.
