Dylan Teuns has surprisingly won the Flèche Wallonne cycling classic. The Belgian was the strongest rider after 202 kilometres on the final climb in Huy, which was up to 25 percent steep, and relegated five-time Flèche winner Alejandro Valverde from Spain to second place.
Russian Aleksandr Vlasov from the German team Bora-hansgrohe finished third. Teuns took off around 300 metres before the finish line and held off the top favourites Tadej Pogacar and Julian Alaphilippe. Valverde was the last chaser to run out of steam 200 metres later.
In the women's race, Liane Lippert was in a good position going into the dreaded final climb. But the legs of the Amstel Gold Race bronze medallist were not good enough for a podium finish. As at the Amstel a week and a half ago, the Italian Marta Cavalli secured victory ahead of the Dutch duo Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering. Previously, the Dutchwoman Anna van der Breggen, who has since retired, had won the race seven times in a row.
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