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Van der Breggen continues astonishing hot streak with sixth consecutive La Fleche Wallonne title

Dutch ace rolling with World Championship double and Giro Rosa title all within two weeks

September 30, 2020
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It came down to another tussle on the mighty Huy, but the result was the same: Anna van der Breggen (The Netherlands/Boels-Dolmans) won her sixth consecutive La Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday. The win comes the week after van der Breggen won the double at the world championships in Imola, Italy. Van der Breggen also hoisted the Giro Rosa trophy on September 19.

The Course

It was a changed route this edition, with the Cherave switched for the Cote du chemin des Gueuses, which meant that there was a longer gap between the penultimate climb and the Huy. The women would ride two laps of a finishing circuit, each containing the Cote d’Ereffe, Gueuses and the Huy. The 23rd edition was a total of 124 km.

By the first passage of the Cote d’Ereffe, a three-rider breakaway had been sopped up. The bunch was reduced on the first climb of the Huy and Trek-Segafredo applied pressure at the front of the peloton.

On the final lap, van der Breggen’s teammates took over the pace making, Chantal Blaak and Amy Pieters doing their best to shrink the pack on the Cote du Chemin des Gueuses.

The Huy

Twenty riders approached the 1.3 km, 9.6 percent Huy. With 350 metres to go Demi Vollering of Parkhotel Valkenburg accelerated, but Van der Breggen grabbed her wheel. When Vollering fell off, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig fancied a sprint with van der Breggen but finished two seconds in arrears.

Alison Jackson was the top Canadian at 40th, Leah Kirchmann placed 44th and Karol-Ann Canuel came 53rd. Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin finished outside the time limit.

2020 La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
1) Anna van der Breggen (The Netherlands/Boels-Dolmans) 3:17:28
2) Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark/FDJ) +0:02
3) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/Parkhotel Valkenburg) +0:06
40) Alison Jackson (Canada/Sunweb) +6:55
44) Leah Kirchmann (Canada/Sunweb) +7:01
53) Karol-Ann Canuel (Canada/Boels-Dolmans) +7:19