Some truly great names are expected on Wednesday, April 23rd at the 89th edition of the Arrow of Wallonia, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first finish at Mur de Huy, conquered in 1985 by local hero Claude Criquielion. Since then, the Chemin des Chapelles and its exhausting slopes, which reach 20%, have become an annual pilgrimage site for champions determined to follow in the footsteps of "Le Crique", who even had the steepest curve of the Mur named after him, renamed "Claudy Criquielion turn" after his death in 2015.

Remco Evenepoel is Flemish but was born in Aalst, the city where Criquielion died, and his love for the Ardennes climbs is evident. After a serious training accident in December, the Belgian superstar is making his return to racing, has declared he has Liège in his sights, and returns to race on the Mur de Huy, which he has so far only faced once, finishing 43rd in 2022.

Since then, Evenepoel has won the Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice and worn the world champion jersey, just like Criquielion did when he first triumphed in Huy (he also won in 1989).

Speaking of world champions on the Mur, Cadel Evans won in 2010 and Julian Alaphilippe in 2021, at his third Arrow after 2018 and 2019. This year the Tudor rider will be joined by another race winner, Marc Hirschi (2020).

But obviously, they'll have to reckon with Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG): after battles with Mathieu Van der Poel at Sanremo, Flanders, and Roubaix, the Slovenian finds new rivals starting with Evenepoel, who stood with him on the last Tour de France podium.

The participant list includes another previous winner, Dylan Teuns (Cofidis) who in 2022 emulated Criquielion. Many other contenders dream of entering the Huy legend, starting with a group of young riders who have been on the podium in recent years: Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl - Trek).

The latter will be accompanied by a rapidly rising Belgian talent, Thibau Nys, eagerly awaited for his debut in Huy. With Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), youth looks ambitiously towards Huy. And among them is Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), another athlete with the skills to shine on the Mur.

The Most Anticipated Protagonists
Jayco AlUla: O’Connor (Aus), Schmid (Sui)
Bahrain Victorious: L. Martinez (Fra), Buitrago (Col), Bilbao (Esp)
Alpecin - Deceuninck: Hermans (Bel), Vergallito (Ita)
Flanders - Baloise: Van Hemelen (Bel)
Intermarché-Wanty: Barré (Fra), Rota (Ita)
Lotto: Van Eetvelt (Bel), Livyns (Bel)
Soudal Quick-Step: Evenepoel (Bel), Schachmann (Ger), Van Wilder (Bel)
Wagner Bazin WB: De Tier (Bel), Meens (Bel)
Arkéa - B&B Hotels: Vauquelin (Fra), Garcia Pierna (Esp)
Cofidis: Teuns (Bel), Aranburu (Esp)
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale: Godon (Fra), Lafay (Fra)
Groupama - FDJ: Grégoire (Fra), Madouas (Fra), Martin-Guyonnet (Fra)
Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe: Van Gils (Bel), Fisher-Black (NHL), D. Martinez (Col)
Ineos Grenadiers: Sheffield (Usa), Laurance (Fra)
Israel-Premier Tech: Blackmore (Gbr), Lutsenko (Kaz)
XDS Astana: Champoussin (Fra), Scaroni (Ita), Ulissi (Ita)
Picnic PostNL: Barguil (Fra), Onley (Gbr)
Visma-Lease a Bike: Benoot (Bel), Tulett (Gbr), Valter (Hun)
Uno-X Mobility: T.H. Johannessen (Nor), Cort (Den)
Movistar: Mas (Esp), P. Sanchez (Esp)
Q36.5: Pidcock (Gbr), Donovan (Gbr)
Tudor: Alaphilippe (Fra), Hirschi (Sui), Brenner (Ger)
UAE Team Emirates - XRG: Pogacar (Slo), Narvaez (Ecu), Sivakov (Fra)
EF Education-Easypost: Powless (Usa), Healy (Irl)
Lidl - Trek: Skjelmose (Den), Nys (Bel), Bagioli (Ita)