2018 Flèche Wallonne (women's race)

The 21st running of the women's Flèche wallonne was held on 18 April 2018. The race started and finished in Huy. The route featured seven categorized climbs, including two ascents of the Mur de Huy. The finish line was on the top of the final ascent of the Mur.[1] Anna van der Breggen claimed her fourth Flèche Wallonne victory in a row.[2]

For the men's race, see 2018 La Flèche Wallonne.
2018 Flèche Wallonne (women's race)
2018 UCI Women's World Tour, race 8 of 23
Race details
Dates18 April 2018
Distance118.5 km (73.63 mi)
Winning time3h 10' 14"
Results
  Winner  Anna van der Breggen (NED) (Boels–Dolmans)
  Second  Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) (Cervélo–Bigla Pro Cycling)
  Third  Megan Guarnier (USA) (Boels–Dolmans)

Route

The race started and finished in Huy. The final 30 km loop was covered twice, totaling 118.5 km.[3]

Race profile

There were 7 categorized climbs:

  • 45.5 km: Côte de Warre - 2.2 km climb at 4.9%
  • 73 km: Côte d'Ereffe - 2.1 km climb at 5%
  • 83.5 km: Côte de Cherave - 1.3 km climb at 8.1%
  • 89.5 km: Mur de Huy - 1.3 km climb at 9.6%
  • 102 km: Côte d'Ereffe - 2.1 km climb at 5%
  • 112.5 km: Côte de Cherave - 1.3 km climb at 8.1%
  • 118.5 km: Mur de Huy - 1.3 km climb at 9.6%

Teams

Twenty-three teams participated in the race. Each team had a maximum of six riders:[4]

Professional women's teams

Race summary
Ferrand-Pévot, Spratt and Ensing on the first ascent of the Mur de Huy
UCI Report

The race was run in exceptionally warm and sunny weather, with temperatures exceeding 20°C.[2] On the first ascent of the Côte de Cherave, at 35 km from the finish, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot broke clear, immediately followed by Megan Guarnier, Amanda Spratt and Janneke Ensing. They crested the first ascent of the Mur de Huy in the lead. Spanish rider Mavi García tried to bridge the gap, but was caught again before the Côte de Cherave. The leading quartet's lead rose to 40 seconds at 20 km from the end, but the unrepresented teams led the chase in the peloton and narrowed the gap to ten seconds by the foot of the final Mur de Huy.[5]

South African Ashleigh Moolman was the first to accelerate from the main group, under the one-kilometre banner, and bridged the gap to the four leaders. Guarnier managed to hang on, followed by Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten. Van der Breggen powered ahead in the last 200 m to take her fourth consecutive Flèche victory. Ashleigh Moolman finished second, Megan Guarnier third.[5] It was van der Breggen's third World Tour win of 2018, which moved her into the overall lead of the World Tour classification.[2]

Results
Podium of the 2018 edition.
Result
Rank Rider Team Time
1  Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels–Dolmans 3h 10' 14"
2  Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Cervélo–Bigla Pro Cycling + 2"
3  Megan Guarnier (USA) Boels–Dolmans s.t.
4  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Mitchelton–Scott + 6"
5  Amanda Spratt (AUS) Mitchelton–Scott + 17"
6  Shara Gillow (AUS) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope + 19"
7  Sabrina Stultiens (NED) WaowDeals Pro Cycling + 22"
8  Sofia Bertizzolo (ITA) Astana s.t.
9  Anastasiia Iakovenko (RUS) BTC City Ljubljana + 25"
10  Margarita Victoria García (ESP) Movistar Team + 28"

UCI World Tour
Main article: 2018 UCI Women's World Tour

Attributed points
Position[6]1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16-30th31-40th
World Tour points200150125100857060504035302520151053
Anna van der Breggen became the new leader of the Women's World Tour.

Individual ranking after Flèche Wallonne
WorldTour points classification
Rank Rider Team Points
1  Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels–Dolmans 608
2  Chantal Blaak (NED) Boels–Dolmans 538
3  Amy Pieters (NED) Boels–Dolmans 455
4  Jolien D'Hoore (BEL) Mitchelton–Scott 405
5  Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) Canyon–SRAM 400
6  Marta Bastianelli (ITA) Alé–Cipollini 370
7  Amanda Spratt (AUS) Mitchelton–Scott 370
8  Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Cervélo–Bigla Pro Cycling 365
9  Chloe Hosking (AUS) Alé–Cipollini 280
10  Marianne Vos (NED) WaowDeals Pro Cycling 273

References
  1. "La Flèche wallonne féminine 2018 – Classic". Le Tour. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  2. "Van der Breggen wins La Fleche Wallonne Feminine". Cyclingnews. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  3. "Parcours 2018". la-fleche-wallonne-femmes.be. ASO. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  4. "2018 La Flèche Wallonne Féminine - Startlist". FirstCycling. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  5. Fruch, Franck. "Flèche Wallonne — Mme Van Der Breggen de Huy". velo101.com (in French). Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  6. "Règlement UCI du sport cycliste - Titre II, épreuves sur route - Chapitre X, classement UCI - Article 2.10.017, Barème des points Femmes Elite, dispositions générales - version au 1er janvier 2018" (pdf). uci.ch (in French). Retrieved 20 April 2018.
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