With the absence of five-time Flèche Wallonne winner, Marianne Vos (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2013), the race could be wide open when the best of the women’s peloton gathers in Huy, Belgium next Wednesday. Without her prolific Rabo-Liv teammate, world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will have to defend her 2014 title with one less arrow in the quiver.
Wearing the rainbow jersey, the 23-year old Frenchwomen will be marked from the start. And her rivals may be more dangerous than ever.
England’s Lizzie Armitstead (Boels Dolmans), runner-up to ‘PFP’ last year at the top of the Mur de Huy, has already notched three wins this season, plus the overall at the Ladies Tour of Qatar. At the end of March, she won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda ahead of Ferrand-Prévot.
Armitstead’s American teammate Evelyn Stevens, winner of the 2012 Flèche, could also pose a threat, though she has yet to win a race this season, aside from the team time trial at the Women’s Tour of New Zealand.
Perhaps Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle-Honda) will pose the most formidable challenge to the Boels-Dolmans ladies. She’s on good form, having won the women’s Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) in a solo move earlier this month. Plus, she knows how to ride well at Flèche, placing second in 2013 and third in 2014.
25 teams: The leaders
Australia
Orica-AIS: Johansson (S), Scandalora (I)
Belgium
Lensworld.eu Zannata: De Vuyst (B)
Lotto-Soudal Ladies: Cecchini (I), Daams (B)
Topsport Vlaanderen Pro-Duo: Druyts (B)
Canada
Canadian National Team: Pilote-Fortin (Can)
France
French National Team: Souyris, Lesueur (F)
Poitou-Charentes Futuroscope 86: Pader, Biannic (F)
Germany
Velocio-SRAM: Amialiusik (Blr), Brennauer (G), Cromwell (Aus),
Great Britain
Matrix Fitness: Trott (GB)
Wiggle-Honda: Longo Borghini, Bronzini (I), Cordon (F)
Italy
Ale Cipollini: Berlato, Tagliaffero (I)
BePink-LaClassica: Valsecchi (I)
Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi: Ratto (I)
Servetto Footon: Neff (Sui)
Kazakhstan
Astana Acca Due O: Solovey (Ukr)
Netherlands
Boels Dolmans: Armitstead (GB), Stevens (USA), Van Dijk (Nl)
Parkotel Valkenburg Continental Team: Rooijakkers (Nl)
Rabo-Liv Women : Ferrand Prévot (F), Brand (Nl), Van der Breggen (Nl)
Liv Plantur: Pieters (Nl)
Norway
Hitec Products: Becker (All), Guderzo (I)
Russia
Russian National Team: Kozonchuk (Rus)
Slovenia
BTC City Ljubljana: Bujak (Pl)
Spain
Bizkaia Durango: Ilinykh (Rus)
Switzerland
Bigla: Moolman Pasio (SA), Van Vleuten (Nl)
United States
U.S. National Team: Small (USA)
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