Hirschi among the big crash victims at the Flèche Wallonne — while Laurance pulls a 'Froomie'

The spring Classics are always a nervous affair. The cobbles of Belgium and northern France tend to claim the most victims, but the hilly Classics have their share of carnage too. Wednesday's Flèche Wallonne was no exception — several riders paid a heavy price, while one moment of chaos also produced an image that was hard not to smile at.

The first significant crash came around 40 kilometres from the finish. On the descent towards the second passage of the Mur de Huy, Finn Fisher-Black and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) both hit the deck at high speed. The Norwegian, an outsider for the win, managed to chase back to the peloton — but found his legs had nothing left when it mattered. He eventually finished 44th in Huy. Fisher-Black was not so fortunate. The New Zealander was on the ground for longer and could not continue, recording a DNF. Two hundred metres further along the road, Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) also went down, and also had to abandon.

In the final circuit, another significant crash unfolded at high speed with less than 20 kilometres to go. Among those caught up in it: Marc Hirschi (Tudor), Warren Barguil (Picnic PostNL), Brandon Rivera (INEOS Grenadiers) and Anton Schiffer (Visma | Lease a Bike). The Swiss former winner Hirschi — victorious at this same race in 2020 — appeared to suffer the worst of it, grabbing immediately at his shoulder.

After the race, his team confirmed the damage. "Following his crash in the Flèche Wallonne, Marc has been diagnosed with a fracture of the left clavicle," Tudor Pro Cycling announced. "X-ray examinations have ruled out any additional fractures. Due to the nature of the injury, he will undergo surgery tomorrow. We wish him a smooth recovery."

The other riders involved were able to remount — but less than a kilometre later, there was more trouble, and Tudor were involved again. Yannis Voisard was this time's unlucky victim, though he was somewhat luckier than Hirschi: his crash, along with those of Clément Venturini (Unibet Rose Rockets), James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost) and Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana), happened on an uphill section, so the speeds were low.

Amid all the misfortune, there was also one lighter moment. Kévin Vauquelin, INEOS Grenadiers' team leader, suffered a mechanical problem. Teammate Axel Laurance handed over his own bike — and then set off running down the road until he could be handed a replacement. It was impossible not to think of Chris Froome in 2016, when a crash on Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France produced one of cycling's most iconic images: the race leader sprinting up the climb on foot in his cycling shoes.

Mark Sergeant, Belgian former professional and long-time cycling analyst, suggested a change to the route to improve safety. "The nervousness remains a real problem at the Flèche Wallonne. That is partly down to the distance and the weather. A race of around 200 kilometres in pleasant spring sunshine is simply no longer hard enough for this peloton. Everyone can handle it, with the result that every team leader still has so many domestiques around them in the final 40 to 30 kilometres that it automatically turns into a scrum."

That creates danger — and Sergeant has a suggestion. "Perhaps the organisers should think about a different approach to the Mur de Huy. My suggestion: send a local scout to find some additional obstacles. A few climbs where the wind can play a role, so domestiques are forced into action earlier and there is already more of a selection before the Mur de Huy even comes into view. It would benefit safety," the Belgian concluded.