The term Spring Classic gets thrown around a lot these days, but what does it really mean?
While many people in the cycling community use the term Spring Classics and Monuments interchangeably, they are, in fact, two distinct kinds of races. Unlike multi-stage races such as the Tour de France, Spring Classics are typically one day races. And tough ones, at that.
Let’s take a look.
The Monuments are well defined and agreed to. They are the five most prestigious one day races on the professional calendar, four of which take place in spring, with Il Lombardia conducted in autumn. These races are always on the UCI World Tour Calendar. They are each at least 250km long.
Milano – San Remo nicknamed La Primavera (spring in Italian), is the first monument each year as well as the longest (ca 290 km). It was first held in 1907.
Ronde van Vlaanderen is so important, it might as well be a national holiday in Belgium. It was first held in 1913 and features wind, steep climbs, cobbles and — wait for it — steep cobbled climbs. The course is so selective it is rare that the strongest racer of the day doesn’t win.
Paris Roubaix is the Queen of the Classics and is also known as L’Enfer du Nord (the Hell of the North). It was first held in 1896 and typically is the last of the cobbled classics. It is held one week before the hilly Ardennes Classics begin in earnest. The course is just brutal with 50k of the roughest cobbles that France has to offer. A winner must not only be strong, but luck must also go their way due to the frequency of mechanical issues and crashes caused by the cobbles.
Liege-Bastogne-Liege is the oldest of the monuments, first held in 1892. Its nickname is La Doyenne (“the Old Woman”, but best translated as the Elder). It is a race of attrition in the heart of the steep wooded Ardennes. This race is so different from the other spring monuments, it often attracts stage race contenders.
The monuments are races that define careers; you don’t win one by luck. If you do win one, you are considered one of the greats, and will never have to buy a beer for yourself again.
The Spring Classics is the overall name given to the great races of spring, but is also a sub-category of races whose prestige lies between the first and third tiers of these type events. These races have practically the same level of importance and prestige as the Monuments, but are not given the same nomenclature since the monuments have been arbitrarily capped at 5 events. These Spring Classics are usually, but not always, part of the World Tour Calendar, since the UCI (Cycling’s World Governing Body) likes to mix up the schedule each year. They are long hard races, but typically are not 250km long like the monuments. Among their ranks include event like:
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the first major European race each season, and was first held in 1945 and was started as a rival event to de Ronde. It is typically held the last weekend in February.
Strade Bianche is the youngest of the classics being first held as a professional race in 2007. The name comes from the white gravel roads of Tuscany. It is a race born from L’Eroica, a vintage bike Gran Fondo held on many of the same roads.
E3 Harelbeke is a race named after both a highway, and its host city. First held in 1958, it is often a teller of fortune for the Ronde, since it contains many of the same roads.
Gent Wevelgem is a sprinter’s classic since it finishes on flat terrain. Despite a few steep cobbled climbs, most notably the Kemmelberg, it runs through Flanders Fields made infamous by the trench warfare of World War I. It was first held in 1934.
Amstel Gold Race is the first of the 3 Ardennes classics. Held in the Netherlands since 1966, it has more than 30 sharp climbs; who knew the Dutch had so many hills!
La Fleche Wallonne was first held in 1936. The race finishes on top of the Mur de Huy, which is climbed three times throughout the race and has a maximum grade of 26%.
Win one of these, and your career is also made.
Lastly, there are the Semi-Classics. These are prestigious races that sometimes make it onto the World Tour Calendar, but are often contested by invited second tier professional teams along with the top teams, to provide greater local interest. Often these are used as training races by stars tuning up for the Monuments, and in Belgium are often held on Wednesdays. A typical distance is 200km. Among their ranks are races like:
Trofeo Laiguelia has been held in mid-February since 1964. Held in Liguria Italy, it proves that not all Semi-Classics are conducted in Belgium.
Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne first held in 1946 is run the day after Het Nieuwsblad and used to be considered a consolation race. Nowadays some of the field may not have competed the day before.
Dwars Door Vlaanderen began in 1945 and is held between E3 and the Ronde, and serves as a final tune-up.
Scheldeprijs was first held in 1907; the course crosses from Belgium into the Netherlands. It is the oldest race still conducted in Flanders. It is now held as a transition race between the hilly Ronde and the relatively flat Paris Roubaix. It typically ends in a field sprint.
Brabantse Pijl (the Brabant Arrow) started in 1961 is now held as a transition race between the cobbled classic Paris Roubaix and the Ardennes Classic, Amstel Gold Race. The course crosses the Flemish French language border in Belgium, and hence is also named La Flèche Brabançonne.
Tro Bro Leon in Brittany held first in1984 as an amateur event, and became a professional race in 2000. It is best known for being conducted over 24 sections of Ribinoù, which is a Breton word meaning anything that is not tarmac (such as farm tracks and gravel roads). It is also known for awarding a live piglet to the winner.
Eschborn – Frankfurt was previously known as the Rund um Henninger Turm (the Tour of the Henninger Tower), named after Germany’s Henninger Brewery, the original title sponsor in 1962. It is typically held on May Day (May 1) and is the last of the Spring Classics, with the important stage races starting shortly after.
These are just a few of the semi-classics; there are races of their ilk weekly from mid-February through April. Some of them, like those listed above are well known while others are lesser known and competed between the second and third tier professional teams on the UCI Europe Tour.
While the Semi-Classics are prestigious, winning one won’t make your career, but it will certainly help in your next contract negotiation. They often serve as a stepping stone for bigger things to come.
The Kermesse Sport Spring Classics pay homage to these iconic European races, giving seasoned cyclists a chance to test their pre-season legs against the gravel, wind and elevation changes. The Sourland Semi-Classic is our Dwars Door, the Hell of Hunterdon is our Ronde, the Fleche Buffoon is our Ardennes tribute, while the Fools Classic is our Strade Bianche.