Choice in the Ardennes

Cycling is a very serious matter. When chaos rules, cycling always has the final word. Anyone who hasn’t fallen under the spell these days in the Ardennes must have no heart.

The last weeks of April are always magical; the so-called Ardennes Triptych—Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège—forms a gateway to a different world. From this point forward, one-day races begin to fade, making way for stage races—sometimes more predictable, sometimes more cerebral, but never losing that element of discovery and surprise.

Somehow, Liège already marks a change; in a team Lotto dominated almost absolutely by the Orca Aero during the first part of the season, the spotlight now shifts to welcome another great lady of the scene: the curtain rises, and Orca takes the stage.

Liège is the moment when our riders must decide who they want to be. Will they be the light and reactive Orca, making the difference on the crucial climbs of La Redoute and Roche-aux-Faucons? Or will they harness the rolling power of the Orca Aero, preparing to attack in the final kilometers or hold on and launch a reduced group sprint?

Two weeks ago, Jarno Widar chose the latter. The U23 rider attacked on La Redoute, cresting the top with a 20-second gap. But, aware that he had an infallible ally, he reined himself in and waited for the chasing group, keeping an ace up his sleeve. In the final kilometer, he launched his Orca Aero into a second attack, one that no one could answer. Widar and his Aero crossed the Liège finish line alone.

This year, Orca Aero was the winning choice in the U23 edition, whereas last year, the climbing prowess of Orca made the difference in the elite race, almost coming to the podium.

The most efficient aero bikes will never be truly lightweight, just as the lightest bikes will never be ultra-aerodynamic. When we try to make a bike excel at multiple purposes, the result often falls short in each. Choosing a bike often requires our most considered judgment, to understand what kind of rider we are, and what kind of rider we want to become.

Orca is light and reactive, designed for pure climbers who want to give their all on the ascents and attack at key moments. When your speed drops below 15 km/h on a climb, gravity matters more than aerodynamics. The exact slope where this happens varies for each rider, but it’s in these moments where a lightweight bike clearly has the advantage.

Orca Aero, meanwhile, is aerodynamic, stiff, and fast—ideal for those who want to launch an attack on the flats or win in a final sprint. It’s hard to beat the feeling of power that a great aero bike delivers. The balance between aerodynamics, stiffness and weight is key to cutting through the wind effortlessly.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest of the Monuments and probably the toughest. It’s an incredibly complete race: more than ten climbs for the men and women fighting for victory, most of them packed into the final kilometers; but also plenty of flat, windy terrain to overcome.
La Doyenne presents a challenge that forces us into difficult decisions, as reading the needs of the race is never easy.

Choosing the right bike is especially crucial on this terrain. Even so, once you’ve played your cards, once the die is cast and you think you know how it will all end, you start to drift into inertia, something jolts you awake again. In Liège, in Valkenburg, or on the Mur de Huy, a tipping point, a perfect move, a decisive choice reignites the race.

We leave spring behind with the Ardennes still in our eyes—may their unexpected spirit guide us to the right choice, because there is no wrong one. Whether on an Orca or an Aero, cycling, which is a very serious matter, always has the final word.