Cycling revelation Marc Hirschi won the Walloon Arrow on Wednesday. The young Swiss from Sunweb was the first of a thinned peloton on top of the Wall of Huy.
In the last meters Hirschi defeated the Frenchman Benoît Cosnefroy and the Canadian Michael Woods. Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar finished ninth and Wout Poels was the best Dutchman in sixteenth place. Tom Dumoulin played no role and got off.
Hirschi is the revelation of the peloton in recent months. He won a stage in the Tour de France and was named the most combative rider. On Sunday he finished third in the road race at the World Cup.
The 22-year-old rider succeeds Julian Alaphilippe as winner of the Flèche Wallonne. The brand new world champion felt too tired after the World Cup in Imola to participate this year. Only one Swiss managed to win the Ardennes race long ago: Ferdi Kubler was the best in 1951 and 1952. Among the women, the victory Wednesday for the sixth time in a row to Anna van der Breggen.
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The podium of the Walloon Arrow 2020. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Dutchman Paasschens in early flight
The Walloon Arrow was the first of a series of spring classics that will be held in the autumn due to the corona crisis. The 84th edition of the Ardennes race was 202 kilometers long with three local circuits at the end, the finish was on the short but steep Wall of Huy.
Early on, a leading group emerged with the Rotterdammer Mathijs Paasschens (Bingoal-WB), the Belgians Mauri Vansevenant (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Aaron Van Poucke (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and the French Marlon Gaillard (Total Direct Energy).
Paasschens stayed in front for a long time, but was caught by the peloton at about 15 kilometers from the finish. Vansevenant, the 21-year-old son of former pro Wim Vansevenant, remained solo.
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The Wall of Huy. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Young breakaway Vansevenant falls into the final
From the group of favorites, Portuguese champion Rui Costa was the first to attack, but he was quickly caught again. On the penultimate climb, the Côte du Chemin des Gueuses, Rigoberto Urán attacked with 10 kilometers to go.
Vansevenant fell 4 kilometers from the finish, after which the Colombian Urán caught up with him. Shortly afterwards, the peloton, led by the teams BORA-hansgrohe and UAE Emirates, managed to close the gap, so that a thinned group started the short final climb.
Richie Porte tried to drive away without success, after which Woods was the first to start the sprint. But he had to watch Hirschi pass him and celebrate another great success in his fledgling career.
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