News

Belgium is the land of the classics par excellence, but this doesn't exclude it from also hosting several stage races. This is the case with the Ethias - Tour de Wallonie, which will be held in the French-speaking region of the country starting this Saturday, July 26. Therefore, the first two stages coincide with the final weekend of the Tour de France, so they risk going under the radar.

 
Route

The race consists of 5 stages. The general classification will likely be decided in the three stages designed for Ardennes classics specialists (stages 1, 4, and 5). Especially the fourth stage, which includes climbs from the famous Liège-Bastogne-Liège like Côte de la Roche Aux Faucons (3.5 km at 3.9%) and Côte de la Redoute (1.6 km at 9.4%), and the final stage, with over 3000 meters of elevation gain, are expected to be decisive.

The route is completed with a couple of sprint stages (stages 2 and 3).

 
Favorites

With no major mountain passes, explosive puncheurs are the main contenders for the general classification. Riders like Corbin Strong (600), Mathias Vacek (600), Roger Adrià (400), Tibor del Grosso (200), Lorenzo Rota (200), Davide De Pretto (200), Carlos Canal (200), Rémi Rochas (200), Brandon Rivera (200), Natnael Tesfazion (200), Ben Turner (200), and Juan Pedro Lopez (200) are some of the top favorites.

For the sprints, Milan Fretin (400), Enrico Zanoncello (400), Arne Marit (200), Matevž Govekar (400), Corbin Strong (600), Milan Menten (400), and Luca Mozzato (400) are among the fastest on paper.

 
Photo: © Ethias - Tour de Wallonie