14 Feb Canyon’s guide to Spring classics cycling
Canyon has published a guide to the Spring Classics, a set of high profile, one-day races that are among the most iconic and celebrated events in the cycling calendar.
These races are steeped in history, have shaped legends of professional cycling, and provided some of the most memorable moments the sport has ever seen.
The series kicks off on 25 February and runs until 23 April.
They include:
- Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Belgium, with a number of Flemish climbs and 200km of racing.
- Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Belgium, takes place the day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with less climbs in the second half of the race.
- Strade Bianche, Italy, a relatively new classic dating to 2007 and set against the picture postcard setting of the Tuscan landscape.
- Milan-San Remo, Italy, tops out at nearly 300 kilometres, and has provided cycling fans with some of the most emphatic and exciting moments since the race’s inception in 1907.
- Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem, Belgium, raise the curtain on a series of cobbled races. The parcours contains three ascents of the lung-busting Kemmelberg, with often harsh weather.
- Tour of Flanders, Belgium’s most important and illustrious one-day race. The men’s race dates all the way back to 1913 and is the second Monument of the season, while the women’s event was established in 2004.
- Paris-Roubaix, northern France, arguably the most famous one-day race in the cycling world, dating back to 1896. Nicknamed ‘The Hell of the North’ due to its arduous nature
- The Ardennes – the culmination of the Spring Classics made up of three races:
- Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands
- La Flèche Wallonne in Belgium
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium
Click here to read Canyon’s blog in full.