Scaroni noticed Pogačar absence at Flèche Wallonne: 'A much bigger group arrived at the Mur this time'

For spectators, the Mur de Huy is a brief, breathless climax at the end of a long afternoon. For the riders, it feels endless. Eleventh-place finisher Christian Scaroni told Bici.PRO it felt exactly that way, while also making a pointed observation about UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

It has been a strong run for the Italian. After a breakthrough 2025 season that included a Giro d'Italia stage win and a string of top results, Scaroni carried that form seamlessly into 2026, winning the overall classification at the Tour of Oman. Wednesday in Huy was a chance to add to that, but he came away empty-handed.

"I haven't achieved my best result yet, but there are many years ahead to come back for that," he said, clearly already thinking about a return. The XDS Astana leader blamed a misjudgement in his effort — something that rarely catches him out.

"I wanted to start my sprint at 250 metres from the finish. I made my move, thinking I was in control, but instead I went into the trap," he explained. Scaroni noticed that Lenny Martinez made the same mistake at around the same moment. "We were riding fifth and sixth at one point, but we both paid for it."

He knows what to do differently next year. "I think the right moment to give everything is in the final hundred metres." Not that waiting would have helped against the eventual winner. "He may seem less explosive than other riders, but the pace is so high that you have no choice but to let him go in the end," he said admiringly of Paul Seixas.

For a higher personal result, Scaroni believes he was missing one key ingredient: the defending champion. "It was clear that UAE didn't have control — the pace going into the Mur was lower than in other years. We were riding at a decent tempo, but it wasn't hard enough for us," he said. "If it had been a harder race, I think I would have benefited from that, along with a few other riders."

He points directly to the absence of a dominant team leader at UAE. "A much bigger group arrived at the Mur de Huy this time compared to other years. As a rider who thrives when things are hard, I prefer more selection and more accumulated effort in the legs." Fortunately for Scaroni, Pogačar will be at the start of Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday.

And there, he is already looking forward to Seixas challenging the Slovenian again. "I hope for the spectators' sake that it's a great battle between those two." He is less convinced by Remco Evenepoel. "I think he's still half a step below them on some of the climbs." Evenepoel is, however, someone Scaroni measures himself against. "I think he could easily end up in third place again — just like at the Tour of Flanders."