Men’s La Flèche Wallonne 2026 takes place on Wednesday 22nd April, with the race once again narrowing towards the Mur de Huy. The 2026 start list has a slightly different feel from a full-strength Ardennes showdown because Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, Matteo Jorgenson, Juan Ayuso and Ben Healy are all absent, which opens the door for a deeper group of puncheurs, climbers and opportunists. Paul Seixas, Kévin Vauquelin, Lenny Martinez, Romain Grégoire, Mattias Skjelmose and Christian Scaroni all sit high in the conversation for a race where timing the final ascent can mean everything.
For wider race context, this guide sits naturally alongside ProCyclingUK’s How to watch La Flèche Wallonne 2026 in the UK, Full start list for La Flèche Wallonne 2026 and the Men’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026 route guide.
Decathlon CMA CGM Team
Paul Seixas is the most interesting name in the race and probably the rider who changes the feel of the whole start list. Still only 19, he arrives after winning Itzulia Basque Country and now gets a race that suits his ability to climb hard, respond late and produce a sharp finish after repeated efforts. La Flèche Wallonne is not the same as a stage race, but the Mur de Huy is exactly the kind of climb where freshness and confidence can count for a lot.
Paul Lapeira gives Decathlon another option if the race is slightly less selective than expected. He is not the obvious Mur de Huy favourite in the same way as Seixas, but he is useful in a reduced group and gives the team tactical flexibility before the final climb. Léo Bisiaux, Stan Dewulf and Jordan Labrosse add support for a squad that should be built around getting Seixas into position without asking him to spend too much too early.
INEOS Grenadiers
Kévin Vauquelin is the clear focus for INEOS Grenadiers. He has finished second at La Flèche Wallonne in each of the last two editions, which makes him one of the most credible names in the field. The question is how much his Amstel Gold Race crash has taken out of him, but if he is close to full level, he is exactly the sort of rider who can win on the Mur.
Dorian Godon offers another strong card. He has the punch and experience for this kind of terrain, while Bob Jungels, Jack Haig, Axel Laurance and Brandon Rivera make the team solid around Vauquelin. INEOS look less like a team built for a long-range demolition and more like one trying to deliver its leader cleanly to the final climb.
Bahrain Victorious
Lenny Martinez gives Bahrain Victorious a genuine winning chance. The Mur de Huy suits riders who can produce a sharp, steep effort after a hard race, and Martinez has the climbing acceleration to make him dangerous if he is well positioned at the base. He is one of the riders most likely to benefit from a race without Pogačar and Evenepoel, because it removes two of the most obvious controlling forces.
Pello Bilbao adds experience and tactical depth, while Matej Mohorič and Edoardo Zambanini give Bahrain options earlier in the race. This is a team with enough quality to shape the approach rather than simply wait. Martinez is the likely finisher, but Bahrain should be visible before the final kilometre.
Photo Credit: GettyGroupama-FDJ United
Romain Grégoire is one of the best fits for this race. He has the uphill punch, race instinct and finishing speed to make sense on the Mur, especially in a field where the biggest superstars are missing. If the race becomes a contest of timing rather than pure climbing numbers, Grégoire belongs high on the list.
Ewen Costiou and Quentin Pacher give Groupama-FDJ United useful support in the hilly phase, while Kévin Geniets and Rudy Molard add experience. This looks like a team built around getting Grégoire into the final circuit with as little wasted effort as possible. If they do that, he has the profile to finish it off.
Lidl-Trek
Mattias Skjelmose gives Lidl-Trek one of the most complete contenders in the race. His Amstel Gold Race performance showed he is already racing well in this Ardennes block, and the absence of Juan Ayuso means the leadership picture is clearer. Skjelmose is not only a climber here. He can read a difficult finale, position well and produce the controlled final effort the Mur demands.
Albert Withen Philipsen is an intriguing second card, while Bauke Mollema, Patrick Konrad and Carlos Verona give the team plenty of experience around him. Lidl-Trek should not need to chase every early move, but they do need to make sure Skjelmose reaches the bottom of the Mur in the front part of the race.
XDS Astana Team
Christian Scaroni is one of the most dangerous outsiders in the field. He has the right blend of climbing punch and one-day instinct for La Flèche Wallonne, and in a slightly more open edition he becomes a very serious threat. This is exactly the kind of race where a rider below the absolute headline tier can step into the space left by absent favourites.
Diego Ulissi adds another strong uphill finisher, and Clément Champoussin gives the team even more punch on this terrain. Astana are not arriving with the deepest squad by reputation, but their lead options are well matched to the Mur de Huy.
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi give Tudor Pro Cycling Team one of the most interesting dual-leader setups in the race. Both have history with this kind of Ardennes finish, and both understand how narrow the margin is on the Mur. Alaphilippe brings experience and timing, while Hirschi brings a more measured but still highly dangerous uphill profile.
The difficulty is deciding who gets protected if the race is still together late. If one of them feels clearly stronger, Tudor have a real chance. If they hesitate between the two, the Mur will not wait for them to solve it. Yannis Voisard and Roland Thalmann add useful Swiss depth behind them.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG
With Tadej Pogačar sitting this one out, UAE Team Emirates-XRG look very different from the team most people associate with La Flèche Wallonne. That does not make them weak. Benoît Cosnefroy is one of the more obvious Mur de Huy riders in the field, and Tim Wellens is always dangerous in Ardennes terrain.
Pavel Sivakov gives the team climbing depth, while Mikkel Bjerg and Rune Herregodts can help manage the approach. Without Pogačar, UAE may not control the race in the same suffocating way, but Cosnefroy gives them a proper winning route if he hits the final climb in the first dozen wheels.
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
Remco Evenepoel’s absence changes Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe’s race completely. Without him, the focus shifts towards Jai Hindley and Daniel Martínez, with Finn Fisher-Black also giving the team another rider who can handle steep finales. It is not the explosive headline version of the squad, but it is still a strong climbing group.
The question is whether they have the right kind of final punch for the Mur. Hindley and Martínez are excellent climbers, but La Flèche Wallonne often rewards a very specific one-minute-to-three-minute brutality rather than broader stage-race strength. They may need to make the race harder before the final ascent if they want to tilt it away from the sharper puncheurs.
Photo Credit: GettyTeam Jayco AlUla
Mauro Schmid looks like the obvious leader for Team Jayco AlUla. He has the punch, positioning sense and resilience for a race like this, and the Mur should suit him if he can arrive fresh enough. Andrea Vendrame gives the team a second finishing option if the race is slightly less selective.
Anders Foldager’s Brabantse Pijl win adds another layer of confidence to the squad. He may not be the first name for the Mur de Huy, but that result showed he can handle a hard hilly one-day race and finish it off. Jayco arrive with momentum and multiple usable cards.
Uno-X Mobility
Tobias Halland Johannessen is the key rider for Uno-X Mobility. He has the climbing quality for the Mur and enough punch to make the final selection if the race is properly hard. Andreas Kron is also a useful option in Ardennes terrain, especially if the race becomes tactical before the final climb.
Alexander Kamp gives the team experience and a decent uphill finish, while Anders Johannessen and Ådne Holter add depth. Uno-X may not be the team everyone looks at first, but they have a line-up suited to a selective race.
EF Education-EasyPost
With Ben Healy absent after his Itzulia injury, EF Education-EasyPost lose their most obvious La Flèche Wallonne weapon. That shifts attention towards Alex Baudin and Mikkel Honoré, both of whom can ride well on hilly terrain but probably need the race to break in their favour before the final climb.
James Shaw and Lukas Nerurkar also give EF some climbing depth. Without Healy, they may be better served by racing aggressively before the Mur rather than waiting for a straight shootout. A hard move on the final circuit would suit them more than a fully controlled final ascent.
Cofidis
Cofidis have one of the more interesting line-ups for this race. Dylan Teuns has won La Flèche Wallonne before, which immediately gives him credibility, even if he is not arriving as the central favourite. Ion Izagirre brings experience and control, while Alex Aranburu adds punch and finishing speed.
This is a team with several riders who can place well, and that depth could be useful if the final circuit becomes chaotic. Teuns remains the name that makes the most sense for the Mur, but Cofidis are not restricted to one scenario.
Photo Credit: GettyMovistar Team
Cian Uijtdebroeks is the most obvious leader for Movistar Team, and this race gives him an interesting test. He has the climbing ability, but the Mur de Huy is not simply a climber’s finish. It asks for timing, positioning and explosiveness, and those are the areas that will decide whether he can turn strength into a top result.
Iván Romeo and Roger Adrià give Movistar good support in rolling terrain, while Davide Formolo brings experience. This is a team that may be more comfortable if the race is hard before the final climb rather than left to a pure uphill sprint.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Matteo Jorgenson’s collarbone injury removes Visma’s most obvious Ardennes leader. In his absence, Ben Tulett looks like the main option, with Jørgen Nordhagen another interesting name for the future and possibly for the present if the race becomes attritional.
Tijmen Graat and Menno Huising add young climbing depth, but this is not the full-strength Visma team people might have expected. They can still influence the race, but they look more like outsiders than a squad built around a clear favourite.
Soudal Quick-Step
Soudal Quick-Step bring a strong group for this kind of terrain without necessarily having the top favourite. Valentin Paret-Peintre is an excellent fit for the Mur if he arrives well positioned, while Junior Lecerf and Ilan Van Wilder give the team more climbing depth.
Mauri Vansevenant is always worth watching in a race that rewards discomfort and repeated accelerations. Filippo Zana adds another useful option. Soudal Quick-Step could be one of the teams that makes the final circuit difficult rather than simply waiting for the last 300 metres.
Alpecin-Premier Tech
Gal Glivar and Francesco Busatto look like the most relevant names for Alpecin-Premier Tech. Both can handle punchy racing, and Busatto in particular has the kind of one-day instincts that can be useful on a route where positioning and timing matter so much.
This is not a line-up built around an obvious winner, but Alpecin can still play a role if the race opens up earlier than expected. They are more likely to look for movement before the final Mur ascent than to dominate the final climb itself.
Photo Credit: ASO-Billy CeustersTeam Picnic PostNL
Frank van den Broek and Bjorn Koerdt give Team Picnic PostNL their main direction, with Warren Barguil adding experience and Alexy Faure-Prost another climbing option. Van den Broek is probably the most interesting name because this terrain suits a rider who can absorb repeated climbs and still push late.
The team may not have one of the five obvious favourites, but they have enough hilly strength to be visible. Their best chance may come from a final-circuit move rather than waiting for a pure Mur sprint against the sharper finishers.
Lotto Intermarché
Lennert Van Eetvelt is the headline option for Lotto Intermarché. If he is at his best, he has the climbing quality and punch to be relevant on the Mur. Jenno Berckmoes and Georg Zimmermann add depth for the hilly approach, while Lorenzo Rota gives another experienced card.
Van Eetvelt is the key. He is exactly the kind of rider who could turn a slightly open edition of La Flèche Wallonne into a major result. The final climb suits him better than a flatter reduced sprint, and Lotto should ride with that in mind.
NSN Cycling Team
Alexey Lutsenko, George Bennett and Marco Frigo give NSN Cycling Team a solid core for this race. Lutsenko is the rider with the most obvious one-day quality, while Bennett brings climbing experience and Frigo can be useful if the race becomes harder earlier.
This may not be a team built around the final acceleration on the Mur, but it has enough strength to be present deep into the race. Lutsenko is the rider most likely to turn that presence into a result if the favourites leave room for opportunism.
Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
Quinten Hermans and Xandro Meurisse make Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team very relevant for a race like this. Hermans is punchy, tactically alert and dangerous in hilly one-day races, while Meurisse brings experience and consistency on this terrain.
Milan Vader and Harm Vanhoucke add climbing depth. This is a line-up that looks better than a simple outsider label. Hermans in particular could be dangerous if the race becomes a reduced uphill fight but not a pure climbers’ shootout.
TotalEnergies
Mattéo Vercher looks like the rider most likely to give TotalEnergies a strong result. He has shown enough on difficult terrain to be taken seriously, especially in a race where the absence of several headline stars opens up more space behind the favourites.
Alexandre Delettre and Valentin Retailleau give the team support, but TotalEnergies may need to be proactive rather than passive. A top result from a straight Mur shootout is possible, but a more aggressive final circuit could suit them better.
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA bring a line-up suited to racing for opportunities. Fernando Barceló, Joan Bou, Alex Molenaar and Eduard Prades all offer experience, and Prades’ finishing ability could matter if the race breaks into a slightly larger reduced group before the final climb.
Realistically, this is not one of the teams expected to control the race. Their best route is to get ahead of the favourites’ teams before the final circuit becomes fully locked down.
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Photo Credit: Getty
Team Flanders-Baloise
Team Flanders-Baloise are unlikely to be thinking only about the final Mur de Huy sprint. Their stronger chance is to animate the race early, get into the break and give themselves visibility before the favourites’ teams start to squeeze the race.
Vincent Van Hemelen and Milan Lanhove are among the names to watch for that kind of role. On a race day like this, a ProTeam can still have a meaningful impact without fighting for the win.
Unibet Rose Rockets
Unibet Rose Rockets bring riders such as Odd Christian Eiking, Clément Venturini and Lander Loockx, which gives them enough experience to be visible if the race becomes fragmented. Eiking is the most natural climbing option, while Venturini gives them a rider with one-day instincts.
Like the other invited teams, their best route is likely through early aggression or a move before the race becomes completely controlled. Waiting for the final Mur against Seixas, Vauquelin, Skjelmose and company is a difficult ask.
The overall team picture
The strongest team stories are fairly clear. Decathlon have the rider with the most momentum in Seixas. INEOS have the recent La Flèche Wallonne near-miss in Vauquelin. Bahrain have the sharp climbing threat of Martinez. Lidl-Trek have the most complete proven Ardennes option in Skjelmose. Groupama-FDJ United have Grégoire, while Tudor have the most decorated pairing in Alaphilippe and Hirschi.
The absences make this edition feel more open than it might have done on paper. Without Pogačar, Evenepoel, Jorgenson, Ayuso and Healy, the race is less about whether one superstar simply bends it to his will and more about which team can deliver its punchiest rider to the final climb in the right condition. That should make the Mur de Huy no less decisive, but the road towards it much more interesting.
