Velominati Super Prestige: Women’s La Fleche Wallonne 2017

Some years ago, halfway across Belgium from Huy, a farmer grew jealous of his neighbor, whose fields were bisected by the brutally famous cobbled climb, the Koppenberg. Refusing to be outdone by chance, nature, topography, and certainly not his neighbor, he built his own cobbled climb through one of his fields, giving birth to the Paterberg.

The Mur de Huy boasts a similar reputation, albeit un-cobbled and it isn’t in a field (it’s near a town center). Some distance to the north, Belgium’s Border Sister, The Netherlands, tried to emulate the finale of La Fleche by hosting the finish of its Amstel Gold Race atop the Cauberg. After a few years they realized it sucked, and they went back to a non-uphill sprint finish. The Mur kind of sucks as a finish, too, but on the other hand one has to admire the race’s unflinching dedication to keeping its trademark climb as the final coup de gras for their midweek race.

Going back to previous eras of this race, breakaways would often survive to contest the final slog up the Mur from a small group. When Pharmstrong won in 1996, he won from a two-man break. These days, the bunch comes together like clockwork and the race features what amounts to an uphill bunch sprint of Jenny Craig members.

Be that as it may, I believe La Fleche was the first major one-day race to feature a fully supported women’s edition, and for that I respect them as much as I resent them for holding their races on a Wednesday and confusing me about when I’m supposed to put up a VSP.

I still can’t find a start list, but Contemplate the start list, go find a reliable octopus and put down your pencils by the time the clock goes to zero. Good luck!

[vsp_results id=”104292″/]

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72 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Women’s La Fleche Wallonne 2017”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Kasia Niewiadoma
    3. Lizzie Deignan
    4. Elisa Longo Borghini
    5. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
  2. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Elisa Longo Borghini
    3. Annemiek van Vleuten
    4. Kasia Niewiadoma
    5. Lizzie Deignan
  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Der Breggen, Anna
    2. Deignan, Lizzie
    3. Longo Borghini, Elisa
    4. Ferrand-Prevot, Pauline
    5. Niewiadoma, Kasia
  4. VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Der Breggen
    2. Ferrand Prevot
    3. Cecchini
    4. Borghini
    5. Rivera
  5. van der Breggen should be too strong

    VSP PICKS:

    1. van der Breggen
    2. Deignan
    3. Borghini
    4. Niewiadoma
    5. van Vleuten
  6. VSP PICKS:

    1. Lizzie Deignan
    2. Anna van der Breggen
    3. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
    4. Kasia Niewiadoma
    5. Coryn Rivera
  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. van der Breggen
    2. Niewiadoma
    3. Longo Borghini
    4. van Vleuten
    5. Moolman-Pasio
  8. Come on Anna–Let’s do it again!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Van der Greggan
    2. Longo Borghini
    3. Coryn Rivera
    4. Ferrand-Prevot
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  9. VSP PICKS:

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    2. Niewiadoma
    3. Ferrand-Prevot
    4. Longo-Borghini
    5. Rivera
  10. VSP PICKS:

    1. van der Breggen
    2. Longo-Borghini
    3. Rivera
    4. Ferrand-Prevot
    5. van Dijk
  11. VSP PICKS:

    1. A. van der Breggen
    2. A. van Vleuten
    3. P. Ferrand-Prevot
    4. E. van DIjk
    5. K. Niewiadoma
  12. VSP PICKS:

    1. VAN DER BREGGEN Anna
    2. LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
    3. FERRAND PREVOT Pauline
    4. NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna
    5. CECCHINI Elena
  13. Oops, hit return too soon…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. AVDB
    2. Deignan
    3. Borghini
    4. Van Vleuten
    5. Niewiadoma
  14. Crap shoot

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Van der Breggen
    2. Borghini
    3. Newiadoma
    4. Rivera
    5. Deignan
  15. VSP PICKS:

    1. VAN DER BREGGEN
    2. LONGO BORGHINI
    3. Niewiadoma
    4. Ferrand-Prevot
    5. Guarnier
  16. Making it up as I go along

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Megan Guarnier
    3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
    4. Alena Amialiusik
    5. Katrin Garfoot
  17. fixing a

    typo…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Van Vluten
    3. Bronzini
    4. Guarnier
    5. Garfoot
  18. FFS, fixing another typo…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. van Vleuten
    3. Bronzini
    4. Guarnier
    5. Garfoot
  19. And another roll of the dice!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Kasi Niewiadoma
    3. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
    4. Megan Guarnier
    5. Giorgia Bronzini
  20. And another roll of the dice!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
    3. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
    4. Megan Guarnier
    5. Giorgia Bronzini
  21. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
    3. Lizzie Deignan
    4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
    5. Giorgia Bronzini
  22. VSP PICKS:

    1. Guarnier
    2. Niewiadoma
    3. Longo Borghini
    4. Van der Breggen
    5. Ferrand-Prevot
  23. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
    3. Megan Guarnier
    4. Pauline Ferrand Prevot
    5. Annemiek van Vleuten
  24. May the best Anna win!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Kasia Niewiadoma
    3. Lizzie Deignan
    4. Annamiek van Vleuten
    5. Ashleigh Moolman
  25. VSP PICKS:

    1. VAN DER BREGGEN, Anna
    2. MOOLSMAN PASIO, Ashleigh
    3. LONGHO BORGHINI, Elisa
    4. FERAND PREVOT, Pauline
    5. NIEWIADOMA, Kasia
  26. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van Der Breggen
    2. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
    3. Annemeik van Vleuten
    4. Coryn Rivera
    5. Elizabeth Deignan
  27. VSP PICKS:

    1. Kasia Niewadoma
    2. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio
    3. Anna van der Breggen
    4. Annemiek van Vleuten
    5. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
  28. VSP PICKS:

    1. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
    2. Elisa Longo Borghini
    3. Coryn Rivera
    4. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio
    5. Elizabeth Deignan
  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van Der Breggen
    2. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio
    3. Lizzie Deignan
    4. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
    5. Kasia Niewiadoma
  30. VSP PICKS:

    1. NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna
    2. van VLEUTEN Annemiek
    3. DEIGNAN Elizabeth
    4. BRONZINI Giorgia
    5. FERRAND-PREVOT Pauline
  31. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
    3. Lizzie Deignen
    4. Annemiek van Vleuten
    5. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio
  32. VSP PICKS:

    1. NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna
    2. van VLEUTEN Annemiek
    3. FERRAND PREVOT Pauline
    4. GUARNIER Megan
    5. van der BREGGEN Anna
  33. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. Marianne Vos
    3. Megan Guarnier
    4. Annemiek van Vleuten
    5. Elizabeth Deignan
  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sabrina Stultiens
    2. Elizabeth Deignan
    3. Allie Dragoo
    4. Pauline Ferrand Prevot
    5. Marianne Vos
  35. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna Van Der Breggen
    2. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
    3. Elisa Longo Borghini
    4. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
    5. Megan Guarnier

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