Classic cycle races

Although cycling fans and sports media eagerly use the term "classic", there is no clear consensus about what constitutes a classic cycling race. UCI, the international governing body of cycling, has no mention at all of the term in its rulings. This poses problems to define the characteristics of these races and makes it impossible to make precise lists. Several criteria are used to denote the importance of a cycling race: date of creation, historical importance and tradition, commercial importance, location, level of difficulty, level of competition field, etc. However, many of these paradigms tend to shift over time and are often opinions of a personal nature. One of the few objective criteria is the official categorization of races as classified by the UCI, although this is not a defining feature either, as many fans dispute the presence of some of the highest-categorized races and some older races are not included in the UCI World Tour.

Because of the growing ambiguity and inflation of the term "classic", the much younger term "monument" was introduced in the 21st century to denote the five most revered of the classic cycling races.

Until the 1980s there were originally eight recognised classics, the five Monuments (see Cycling Monuments below) plus Fleche-Wallone, Paris-Brussels and Paris-Tours. Due to various traffic and organizational problems these events came and went in various guises (for example, Paris-Tours became Blois-Chaville, before returning in its current form). Paris-Brussels disappeared altogether between 1967 and 1976. Fleche-Wallone was always on the Saturday before Liege-Bastogne-Liege (it was known as The Ardennes Weekend), before being shortened and moved to the preceding Wednesday. The remaining five then became known as the 'Monuments'.

Rik van Looy is the only rider to win all eight. Eddy Merckx and Roger de Vlaeminck both won seven, both missing out at Paris-Tours.

Season openers are usually not regarded as highly as other classics, but receive a lot of attention because of their position early in the season, typically in February.

• Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – opening the Belgian cycling season, forming a double header with Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne which is held the following day
• Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise – opening the French cycling season
• Trofeo Laigueglia – opening the Italian cycling season
• Trofeo Pollença – opening the Spanish cycling season as part of the Vuelta a Mallorca

Some Classics have disappeared, often because of financial problems.[4] These include:

• Paris–Brest–Paris – an exceptionally long event (ca. 1200 km), held once every 10 years from 1891 to 1951 as a professional race
• Bordeaux–Paris – the gruelling 560 km, partly motor-paced event, run from 1891 to 1988
• Wincanton Classic – held from 1989 to 1997, the most important British race in the 1990s
• Porto–Lisboa – held from 1911 to 2004 (the longest one-day classic from 1989 until it was cancelled)
• Züri–Metzgete – also known as the Championship of Zürich, held from 1914 to 2006; in its heyday considered the sixth Monument
• Giro del Lazio – held from 1933 to 2008 (The race returned briefly in 2013 and 2014 as the Roma Maxima)[5]
• Giro della Romagna – held from 1911 to 2011 (the race merged with the Memorial Marco Pantani in 2013, as they were both held in Emilia–Romagna)[6]

The Monuments are generally considered to be the oldest, hardest and most prestigious one-day events in cycling.[7][8][9] They each have a long history and specific individual characteristics. They are currently the one-day races in which most points can be earned in the UCI World Tour.

• Milan–San Remo – the first major Classic of the year, its Italian name is La Primavera (the spring), because it is held in late March. First run in 1907, it is notable for being considered the sprinter's classic. This race is particularly long (ca. 300 km (190 mi)) though mostly flat along the Ligurian coast, enabling sprinters to compete.
• Tour of Flanders – the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Dutch/Flemish, the first of the Cobbled classics, is raced every first Sunday of April. It was first held in 1913, making it the youngest of the five Monuments. Notable for the narrow short hills (hellingen) in the Flemish Ardennes, usually steep and cobbled, the route forces the best riders to continually fight for space at the front. The course changes slightly every year: since 2017 the race starts in Antwerp and since 2012 finishes in Oudenaarde.
• Paris–Roubaix – the Queen of the Classics or l'Enfer du Nord ("The Hell of the North") is raced traditionally one week after the Tour of Flanders and is the last of the cobbled races. It was first organized in 1896. Its decisive sites are the many long sections of pavé (roads of cobblestones) making it uniquely hard on the racers' bodies. It is considered by many to be the most heroic one-day cycling event of the year. The race finishes on the iconic Roubaix Velodrome. At the end of the race, riders are usually covered in dirt and/or mud in what is considered one of the most brutal tests of mental and physical endurance in all of cycling.
• Liège–Bastogne–Liège – held in late April. La Doyenne, the oldest Classic, is the last of the Ardennes classics and usually the last of the spring races. It was first organized in 1892 as an amateur event; a professional edition followed in 1894. It is a long and arduous race notable for its many sharp hills in the Ardennes and uphill finish in the industrial suburbs of Liège, favouring climbers and even grand tour specialists.
• Giro di Lombardia – the Autumn Classic or the Race of the Falling Leaves, is held in October or late September. Initially organized as Milano–Milano in 1905, it was called the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy) in 1907 and Il Lombardia in 2012. It is notable for its hilly and varied course around the Como Lake with a flat finish in Bergamo or a hilly finish in Como. In 2012 it had a new, earlier date at the end of September, one week after the World Championship. From 2013 to 2017 it was held in the first week of October. Since 2018 it has been held on a Saturday in the second week of October. It is often won by climbers with a strong sprint finish.

Both Belgian 'monuments' – The Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège – also have women's events.[10] A women's version of Milan–San Remo, named Primavera Rosa, was initiated in 1999, but cancelled after 2005.[11]

• Ruban Jaune
• List of road bicycle racing events
• Grand Tour (cycling)
• Flanders Classics

• Bouvet, Philippe; Brunel, Phillipe; Callewaert, Pierre; Gatellier, Jean-Luc; Laget, Serge (2010). The Spring Classics: Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races. VeloPress. ISBN 978-1-934030-60-8.
• Cossins, Peter (2014). The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling’s Greatest One-day Races. London: A & C Black. ISBN 978-1-4088-4682-7.
• Fotheringham, William (2003). A Century of Cycling: The Classic Races and Legendary Champions. London: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-0-7603-1553-8.
• Henderson, Noel (1989). European Cycling: The 20 Classic Races. Vitesse Press. ISBN 978-0-941950-20-6.
• Schneider, Mathias (2015). CONNECTED, Four Northern Spring Races. Wanderer Books. ISBN 978-3-945572-03-0.