Tough day for Ben Healy and Archie Ryan at Flèche Wallonne | Video

Ben Healy among his team mates yesterday before the weather turned Baltic - and the field was shredded - at La Flèche Wallonne (Photo: Gaetan Flamme)

Ben Healy and Archie Ryan of EF Education-EasyPost endured a testing day at La Flèche Wallonne when the Belgian spring thew everything at the riders in the shape of rain, sleet and even snow, with some of the riders suffering hypothermia.

In an usual, and riveting, edition of the midweek Ardennes classic, the field was shredded as the usual script of a big bunch arriving intact for the final ascent of the Mur de Huy to the finish was ripped up.

Richard Carapaz was the lead man for EF Education-EasyPost and Healy focused his efforts on working for the Ecuadorian; chasing down a breakaway on the penultimate passage of the finishing circuit. After that, Healy was spat out the back of the rapidly reducing bunch on the second last time up the Mur, though Ryan hit very bad luck even before that.

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The neo pro, who should be very much suited to the challenge of the Mur de Huy in the years ahead, punctured just before the second passage of the climb. And as the team cars were a long way back, behind dropped riders, Ryan was forced to wait for a new wheel.

When he finally got going again, the gap back to what was left of the main field was much too big to close; the Irish rider ending the day as a non-finisher. Healy persisted in the race and finished 34th at 3:26.

Carapaz was the only other finisher for the team and he claimed 13th place at 20 seconds, having fired some of his bullets in a dangerous looking breakaway that was eventually brought back on the final lap.

Another man in that breakaway - Stephen Williams of Israel Premier Tech - was clearly in the form of his life yesterday as he went on to win the race; a huge breakthrough for the 27-year-old.

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When the breakaway he and Carapaz were in was caught, Williams kept his powder dry in the main field. He was notably better wrapped up than the other riders, wearing tights and a long sleeved top all the way through the event.

As the lead group reached the Mur for the last time, Williams waited and waited before letting rip with a surging effort about 150-200 metres before the line. The Welsh rider opened a big gap and though his legs looked like they were coming off in the last 50 metres, he had done enough to win.

Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) made a good fist of trying to catch Williams. Though he almost got to his back wheel, the duo finishing on the same time, there was no stopping the Brit. Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny) was 3rd at three seconds.

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