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After an incredible cobbled classics season which saw some fabulous racing, can the battle of the Ardennes over the next week be of the same quality? Guess we will have to watch intently to find out.
First up on Sunday is the Amstel Gold Race, held around the town of Limburg, and the punishing finishing climb of the Cauberg.
The final climb of the Cauberg only averages out at five per cent, but at its steepest it gets to 12 per cent.
In the past the race finished at the top of the peak, but to move itself away from a Fleche Wallonne style finish, the course over the previous few years has continued an extra 1.5 kilometres on a punishing false flat gradient towards the line.
Therefore, it is not as straight forward as picking the most explosive puncher to guarantee getting your money’s worth. In the past we have seen a few men come over the top together, to then be caught by a larger group of riders as was the case last year.
Some riders will bank on that happening and not waste all their energy following the big attacks up the Cauberg, in hope to save up enough energy for the final dash.
I like the slight change to the route because of this very reason; it opens itself up for a few different riders to win it, instead of a select few.
I will be looking forward to seeing whether any of the punchy sprinters can stay up the final climb with the punchers, like Michael Matthews did last year.
On Wednesday the riders will take part in Fleche Wallonne and will tackle the excruciatingly difficult final ascent of the Muur De Huy. If you have failed to watch Fleche before, you may remember this final climb from Stage 3 of last year’s Tour de France.
The parcour of Fleche Wallonne is quite different to the two other Ardennes classics. While both Amstel and Liege cover significant climbs for the majority of the race, Fleche only really covers difficult climbing in the last 1 and a half hours of racing.
At just under 200 kilometres it is much shorter than both Amstel (258 kilometres) and Liege (253 kilometres).
So it is shorter, has less climbing and is shown on a weekday. Many may not tune in to the coverage.
Yes, it is probably the least exciting of the three races, but the final push up the Muur is always a great battle to watch.
The final itself will be the hardest of the week as the Muur averages out at aroundtenper cent for 1.2 kilometres, with sections towards the top of around 25 per cent.
To make matters worse, riders will need to be positioned well for the preceding climb, only a few kilometres from the bottom of the Muur.
The Cote de Cherave tops out with only 4 kilometres to go until the bottom of the Muur and is a difficult climb in itself. With an average gradient of eight per cent for 1.4 kilometres, positioning will be key to come over the top in the front group, but to also help use as least energy as possible for the final up the Muur.
Poor positioning into the final climb will mean race over, as the Muur is an extremely tight road, with most of the riders blocking off most of the road in the early slopes of the climb to control the pace for a final dash to the line.
Often, this climb is conquered by riders who are patient, not necessarily the strongest. If you go to early on the climb, you will really hit the wall around the final right hand kink. Timing is everything on the Muur.
The final piece to the Ardennes puzzle is the fourth monument of the year Liege-Bastogne-Liege. For some of the riders, only 253 kilometres of hell await them before a much needed midseason rest.
Before they get their well earned rest, they will have to suffer for six long hours, having to deal with the constant lumpy nature of the roads around Liege.
If both Amstel and Fleche are more like big one out efforts up the Cauberg and Muur respectively, Liege is a long grind, from the first climb of the day to the finishing test into Ans.
The bunch will be nervous all day, as positioning is key as the riders click over 80 kilometres to go into the stage, as the climbs start to come thick and fast.
There will be little to no respite in the final two hours of racing, with nine climbs to be ridden over, including La Redoute and the Cote de Saint Nicholas.
Being well positioned coming into the climbs will be key, as the teams will look to close down the race to keep their riders well positioned. There will be not be much of an opportunity to move up once these climbs start.
Over the past few years, we have seen the groups contesting the final climb into Ans grow and grow and grow. Last year, a group of almost 15 hit the bottom of the final climb together, with Alejandro Valverde taking his third win.
This race is not supposed to be like Amstel or Fleche where a group of riders come to the finish – or at least in my mind it shouldn’t be.
With the amount of climbing and the severity of such climbs, plus some extremely strong teams looking for victory, hopefully this year’s edition is raced with an attacking mindset, much like Astana did in last year’s edition.
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