The Climbs of Omloop het Nieuwsblad – Men’s & Women’s Races

The Climbs of Omloop het Nieuwsblad – Men’s & Women’s Races

Omloop het Nieuwsblad has been the start of the Spring Classics season for a while now. Even when known as Omloop het Volk it usually took pride of place in the opening weekend with Kuurne Brussels Kuurne. Given the race takes part in West Flanders, there’s a fair amount of crossover with the climbs of […]

Cycling Getaways: Flanders (Belgium)

Cycling Getaways: Flanders (Belgium)

Whilst many people fly to Mallorca come springtime, I like to off to Flanders in Belgium for some fun at the Spring Classics. The mix of fans and riders is almost like nothing else in the rest of the season. It helps that the local area suits my style of riding more I think. Plenty […]

Climbs of the Tour of Flanders

Climbs of the Tour of Flanders

We’ve missed out on the Tour of Flanders this year (other than on Bkool) but the climbs are still there. The race has legendary status amongst the locals as it features in their national identity. Ronde van Vlaanderen race day is almost like a national holiday in that part of the world. The race itself […]

2020 Women’s Spring Classics Race Dates and Favourites

Just like the men’s peloton, in the early part of 2020, there are a collection of races known as the spring classics. The women’s cycling calendar loosely follows the men’s, however, there are some differences. There’s no women’s Milan San Remo for instance. But they do have their own well-established Italian classic in Alfredo Binda. […]

2020 Spring Classics Race Dates and Favourites

2020 Spring Classics Race Dates and Favourites

In the early part of 2020 are the collection of races known as the spring classics. These races all have lots of character and tradition and for the most part take place in Belgium (with the odd exceptions in France, Italy and the Netherlands). A lot feature the brutal addition of cobblestones, some are on […]

Fleche Wallonne Photos 2019

Fleche Wallonne Photos 2019

After heading to the Netherlands for Amstel Gold, I stayed on and moved into Belgium for today’s Fleche Wallonne. I last saw this race in person in 2016 and managed to ride the finishing circuit the day before the race this year. The Mur de Huy is the centre point of the race, but it’s […]

Men and Women’s Fleche Wallone 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile

Men and Women’s Fleche Wallone 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile

Wednesday 24th April sees the men and women’s pelotons tackle Fleche Wallone. Unlike Amstel Gold the women’s race has a solid continuous history since the first race in 1998 and similarly to the men has had a single rider dominate the finish in recent years. Alejandro Valverde’s run of 4 wins in a row was […]

Scheldeprijs 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile

Scheldeprijs 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile

In the gap between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix is Wednesday’s Scheldeprijs. It’s become known as the sprinter’s classic in recent years and the modern winner’s list rather backs this up. Marcel Kittel has won it 5 times and when he’s not won it Mark Cavendish (3 times), Tom Boonen (2 times), Alexander Kristoff, […]

Women’s Tour of Flanders 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile

The women’s Tour of Flanders has been taking place since 2004 and takes place again on Sunday 7th April. Its podiums have always been a who’s who of the strongest cyclists in female cycling. 2018 saw Anna Van der Breggen take the crown, finishing just over a minute ahead of Amy Pieters and Annemiek Van […]