Spring is in the (2 wheeled) air
The term 'Epic' is thrown around a lot in sport these days but when you apply it to the Classics season in Europe it is a fitting enough. For those who might not have seen or know about this time of the year the Classics are a series of single day races through various countries. They are generally the realm of the single day specialist.
Occasionally the Grand Tour riders step out to play on these cycling battlefields but they are more content to stay away and leave the madness of classics season to those who have no aspirations of the 3 week challenges. Not that we don't see them but they avoid these races due to the weather, danger and intensity of the hardest bike racing in the world.
And while being a predominately triathlon site we always like to peek over the fence at our cycling neighbour's backyard at this time of the year.
We've come up with 5 reasons why we love the cycling classics.
they are the monuments of cycling. The excitement pre race is palpable as these legends of the sport gather for a day of who knows what. The racing is always unpredictable as there is a constant shift in the tactics. The races form and ebb and flow. The favorites are never out until it's over too. Falls are common but quitting is last option.
the terrain. This is the part we love. The terrain is always tough. There are never any completely flat races meaning that only the strongest get through them. Then there are the road surfaces. The early season classics are raced over the cobbles. And they are not the pretty, council manufactured cobbles that we see on the new housing estates. Layed by the Romans they are hard, sharp and uneven. Put a skinny wheeled bike on them, add speed and you have the perfect recipe for mayhem.
the weather. In a word it's generally horrible. Take Het Volk last weekend in Belgium. The weather was atrocious. Western Europe was getting smashed by some truly bibilical weather. And they still raced. Sideways rain, sleet, snow or heat the riders, known as convicts of the road, saddle up and ride whatever the weather. What it means for us spectators is that we get to watch the riders battle yet another element.
the history. Some of these races have been going since the early 1900's. They are steeped in history. And so are the course routes. Famous climbs that have been the breaking point of many a favorite are talked about with reverence. To win at a big classic like Flanders or Roubaix is to etch your name with the gods of the sport. To repeat is to make yourself immortal. There is a lot at stake.
the crowd. Fanatics would be a better word for it. No matter how hyped you have seen a crowd at a football game nothing compares to the cheers of 15,000 Belgiums at the old stone velodrome in Roubaix when their favorites is sighted.
Whether it is a Merckx, a Duclos Laselle, Museeuw or a Boonen the locals react with as much passion if not more. And pre race too at the classics you can go watch your favorite rider warm up and maybe steal a few words of encouragement or an autograph, Try doing that at the SuperBowl or at the AFL Grand Final. The Classics are the people's races and they love it.
So there you have it. While the North American season is starting to wind up in triathlon so too is a war on wheels in Europe.
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