The Amaury Sports organisation (ASO) announced a couple of changes to two of its races, the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. ASO announced the news today at a meeting in Paris.
Flèche Wallonne, which takes place on April 21, will switch its small and large loop, according to rtbf.be. The larger 100km loop will now be ridden first, followed by the smaller 30km loop. As a consequence, the second of the three Mur de Huy ascents will be located only around 30km from the finish. So far, the second time up in Huy was done with more than 100km left to go.
The finish hasn’t changed – the third time up the steep climb, with pitches of up to 25 percent, will determine the winner.
Just four days later, Liège-Bastogne-Liège takes place – this time without the côte de la Haute-Levée. The six-percent climb suffered some road damage during recent storms. The replacement route will take in the Mont Theux climb, before the riders will go back to the traditional route just before La Redoute.