Mattia Skjelmose was one of a number of riders to abandon La Fleche Wallonne, suffering and shaking with signs of hypothermia after racing the cold and rain, as spring in the Belgian Ardennes turned into a day of survival.
Just 106 riders finished the women’s race after they started their 146 km race in the cold rain. Only 44 men finished their race after they were hit by rain and hailstone showers mid-race as the temperatures dropped to just 1°C and the heavens opened. At one point, even snowflakes fell from the dark skies. Even the local Belgian media described the weather conditions as Dantesque.
Skjelmose’s Lidl-Trek teammate Gaia Realini also suffered in the women’s race, opting to give up her protected leadership role and allow Elisa Longo Borghini to go for a podium position.
“It was a very cold and kind of strange race. It started raining at the very beginning of the race,” Longo Borghini explained after finishing third behind Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) in the women’s race.
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As it happened: Stevie Williams sprints to win freezing Flèche Wallonne
“I’m sorry for my teammate Gaia who doesn’t cope really well with the cold weather, because I think normally on this final she could win. In the end it was just a pity she couldn’t be there.”
Skjelmose suffered on the second of four climbs of the Mur de Huy, alongside Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and others. He was later seen shivering uncontrollably by a roadside spectator, with team staff lifting him off his bike and carrying him across the road to the podium area at the finish for treatment.
Lidl-Trek were quick to confirm that Skjelmose and other riders soon felt better thanks to a warm shower, hot drinks and hot air in the team bus.
“We know there are quite impressive videos from fans about the moment he (Skjelmose) abandoned the race, but luckily we can confirm again he is OK,” Lild-Trek said. “No major treatment was required and everything is definitely under control.”
Ten out of the 44 finishers in the men’s La Fleche Wallonne were from Scandinavia, with the Uno-X Mobility team handling the conditions the best.
Tobias Halland Johannessen was their best finisher in sixth, with all the other riders also finishing. In contrast, all the UAE Team Emirates, Ineos Grenadiers and Jayco AlUla riders failed to finish, perhaps preparing to save themselves for Sunday’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
“We were really prepared for the weather, so we know that when it started to snow we just had to wait for half an hour and the whole peloton would be gone,” Halland Johannessen said.
“It gave us a lot of motivation to have the whole team there in the end. I’m really proud of the team. I had good legs but it was a tough and cold race, so hard to push through to the end.”
The only riders smiling at the finish atop the Mur de Huy were winner Stevie Williams, second-placed Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and third-placed Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny).
“What a day,” Williams said post-race. “It was freezing as soon as we came onto the finishing circuits, so to win an edition like this in such difficult conditions is really special.”
