Rally UHC Cycling Is Headed To Fleche Wallonne in 2019

January 22, 2019

Rally UHC Cycling received an invitation to one of the world’s most historic one-day races, Le Flèche Wallonne. As part of Belgium’s Ardennes Classics Week, this grueling one-day race occupies the heart of the spring season for the professional peloton. The team’s inclusion in this event marks the first time in history that an all-North American team will take part.

Racing La Flèche Wallonne in only the team’s second year in the Pro Continental ranks is a testament to the team’s hard work and commitment to building in Europe. Performance Director Jonas Carney, with the team since its humble beginnings in 2007, summed it up best.

“We worked our tails off for 12 years to build this program and now we’ve received an invitation to one of the most prestigious races in the world.”

When asked if the invitation was anticipated, Carney didn’t skip a beat.

“It was a big surprise. We did not expect to receive this but once it was confirmed, we were elated.”

The 83rd edition of Le Flèche Wallonne takes place on April 24th. Starting in the town of Seraing and traveling through the hilly Ardennes region of eastern Belgium, the peloton snakes its way towards the finishing town of Huy where they face the brutal Mur de Huy climb in the race’s finale. At 1,300 meters in length with an average gradient of 9.3% and some pitches reaching nearly 20%, the climb is a monumental challenge for even the world’s punchiest climbers. The race will likely be decided on the Mur de Huy from a highly select group.

“The level of competition at Flèche is incredibly high and most of our riders have never done this race,” said Carney. “It’s a big ask of our team to get a result, but you can trust that we’ll be swinging for the fences.”

Rally UHC Cycling starts its season at the Challenge Mallorca before splitting between Ruta del Sol and the Tour of Oman. The La Flèche Wallonne roster will be decided by the end of the Vuelta a Andalucia.

Rally UHC Cycling's upcoming race calendar:
Challenge Mallorca (January 31 – February 3)
Volta Communitat Valenciana (February 6 – 10)
Vuelta Murcia (February 15 – 16)
Clasica de Almeria (February 17)
Tour of Oman (February 16 – 21)
Vuelta a Andalucia/Ruta del Sol (February 20 – 24)

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