Classic cycle races
The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional road cycling races in the international calendar. Some of these events date back to the 19th century. They are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most revered races are often described as the cycling monuments.
For the 2005 to 2007 seasons, some classics formed part of the UCI ProTour run by the Union Cycliste Internationale. This event series also included various stage races including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España, Paris–Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. The UCI ProTour replaced the UCI Road World Cup series which contained only one-day races. Many of the classics, and all the Grand Tours, were not part of the UCI ProTour for the 2008 season because of disputes between the UCI and the ASO, which organizes the Tour de France and several other major races. Since 2009, many classic cycle races are part of the UCI World Tour.
Problems with definition
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.
Classic cycle races
Until the 1980s there were originally eight recognised classics, the five Monuments plus Fleche-Wallone, Paris-Brussels and Paris-Tours. Due to various traffic and organizational problems these events came and went in various guises. Paris-Brussels disappeared altogether between 1967 and 1976. Fleche-Wallone was always on the Saturday before Liege-Bastogne-Liege, 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.
Spring classics
Together, Milan–San Remo, the Cobbled classics and the Ardennes classics make up the "Spring Classics", all held in March and April.- Strade Bianche – race that includes sections of strade bianche gravel roads. Despite its relatively short history, the Strade Bianche has quickly gained prestige. First held in 2007.
- Milan–San Remo – the first true Classic of the year, its Italian name is La Primavera or La classicissima. This race is normally held on the Saturday closest to the vernal equinox. First run in 1907. It's the longest classic.
Cobbled classics
- E3 Harelbeke – the first of the "Spring Classics" in Flanders, first held in 1958.
- Gent–Wevelgem – first raced in 1934, in recent years held on the Sunday between Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders.
- Tour of Flanders – is normally raced in early April, first held in 1913.
- Paris–Roubaix – La Reine or l'Enfer du Nord is traditionally held one week after the Tour of Flanders, and was first raced in 1896.
Ardennes classics
- Amstel Gold Race – normally held mid-April, it is the first of the three Ardennes Classics or hill classics, one week after Paris–Roubaix. First run in 1966.
- La Flèche Wallonne – the Walloon Arrow is the second Ardennes Classic, since 2004 held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. First run in 1936.
- Liège–Bastogne–Liège – La Doyenne, the oldest Classic, was first raced in 1892. It is the third Ardennes Classic, held in late April, one week after the Amstel Gold Race.
Summer classics
- Clásica de San Sebastián – known as Donostia–Donostia in Spain
- EuroEyes Cyclassics, formerly HEW Cyclassics and Vattenfall Cyclassics – also known as the Hamburg Cyclassics
- Trittico Lombardo – three separate races in Lombardy, traditionally in August but since 2014 moved to September:
- * Coppa Ugo Agostoni - held on Saturday
- * Coppa Bernocchi - held on Sunday a day after Coppa Ugo Agostoni
- * Tre Valli Varesine – the Three valleys of Varese, held on Tuesday 4 days before Giro di Lombardia since 2015
- Bretagne Classic – held on a Sunday in late August on a circuit near the small Breton village of Plouay, traditionally known as Grand Prix Ouest France - Plouay
- Grand Prix de Fourmies – held since 1928 in Northern France, held on a Sunday in the first half of September since 1976, a week or two after Bretagne Classic
- Laurentian Classics – two one-day races in Canada, named after the Saint Lawrence River that runs through Quebec, organized since 2010
- * Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec – raced on a Friday in early September
- * Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal – held on Sunday two days after the Grand Prix de Québec
Autumn classics
- Paris–Brussels – First held in 1893, since 2013 renamed the Brussels Cycling Classic and only run on Belgian territory
- Paris–Tours – known as the "Sprinters' Classic", first race in 1896
- Giro dell'Emilia – one week before the Giro di Lombardia, one of the hardest Classics on the calendar, with the famous San Luca, Bologna circuit.
- Trittico di Autunno – three Italian races in the week after the World Championship late September:
- * Milano–Torino – first run in 1876, the race had some continuity problems due to financial problems but has returned to the UCI calendar in 2012.
- * Giro del Piemonte – first run in 1906
- * Giro di Lombardia – also known as the "Race of the Falling Leaves", first held in 1905 as Milano–Milano. Considered the biggest Autumn Classic in cycling
- Japan Cup – held since 1992, at the end of October, around Utsunomiya
Season openers
- 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
Past classics
- Paris–Brest–Paris – an exceptionally long event, 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
- 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
- Giro della Romagna – held from 1911 to 2011
Cycling monuments
- Milan–San Remo – the first major Classic of the year, its Italian name is La Primavera, 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 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 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 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 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 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.