Classic cycle races
From Freepedia
The Classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional cycling road races in Europe. Most of the events have been fixtures on the professional calendar for decades and are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most revered races are sometimes described as the 'Monuments'.
From 2005, the Classics have formed part of the UCI ProTour run by the Union Cycliste Internationale. This competition also incorporates various stage races including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España, Paris-Nice and the Critérium de Dauphiné Libéré, and various non-Classic single day events. The ProTour replaced the UCI World Cup series which contained only one-day races.
The 'Monuments'
- Milan-San Remo (Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy) – the first true Classic of the year, hence its Italian name, La Primavera, this race is normally held in late March. First run in 1907.
- Tour of Flanders (Image:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium) – The Ronde van Vlaanderen, the first of the 'Spring Classics', is normally raced in early April. First held in 1913.
- Paris-Roubaix (Image:Flag of France.svg France) – the Queen of the Classics or the Hell of the North is traditionally one week after the Tour of Flanders, and was first raced in 1896
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Image:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium) – late April. La Doyenne, the oldest Classic, was first held in 1892 as an amateur event; a professional edition following in 1894.
- Tour of Lombardy (Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy) – the Giro di Lombardia, also known as the Race of the Falling Leaves, is normally held in October. Initially called the Milan-Milan in 1905, it became the Tour of Lombardy in 1907.
Only three riders, all Belgians, have won all five “Monument” one-day races during their careers: Roger De Vlaeminck, Rik Van Looy and Eddy Merckx.
Other Classics
Other European professional events commonly regarded as Classics include:
- Omloop "Het Volk" (Image:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium) – normally held in early March
- Gent-Wevelgem (Image:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium) – normally held mid-week between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix
- Amstel Gold Race (Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands) – normally held mid-April. First run in 1966
- La Flèche Wallonne (Image:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium) – The Walloon Arrow is traditionally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. First run in 1936.
- Rund um den Henninger Turm (Image:Flag of Germany.svg Germany)
- Clásica de San Sebastian (Image:Flag of Spain.svg Spain)
- Züri Metzgete (Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Switzerland)
- Paris-Brussels (Image:Flag of France.svg France/Image:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium)
- Paris-Tours (Image:Flag of France.svg France)
Some past Classics are no longer run. These include the gruelling 560km, partly motor-paced event, Bordeaux-Paris, run from 1891 to 1988.
See also
List of important cycling events
