Your favourite Classic

ivancarlos
ivancarlos Posts: 1,034
edited July 2007 in Pro race
What's your favourite classic? Mine probably is Paris Roubaix followed very closely by the Tour of Flanders.

I feel pain!!!!
I have pain!
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Comments

  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    The Tour of Lombardy - quite simply it is a beautiful race.
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    I love Liege Bastogne Liege most
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Tour of Flanders, followed by Paris-Roubaix. Flanders is an amazing race, held on an incredible course. It's more varied than Roubaix, and it's tougher to pick a winner.

    ---
    Jeff Jones

    European News Editor, Bike Online Project
  • ivancarlos
    ivancarlos Posts: 1,034
    A man of my own thinking, what I like about Flanders is how incredibly steep the climbs are- and on cobbles! The countryside and bleakness make these real races for the tough guys.

    I feel pain!!!!
    I have pain!
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I agree with you Ivan - that's what I like about it, as well as all the twists and turns and narrow roads. I rode the whole bloody thing year and gained a new appreciation of what the pros have to go through. The 130km that you've done in the wind and rain before you hit the 'hill zone' really takes the sting out of your legs. And you're only halfway at that point!

    ---
    Jeff Jones

    European News Editor, Bike Online Project
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    I'm torn between Lombardy and Flanders to be honest.

    But Lombardy wins it - More beautiful, really hard and usually the best guy wins. The cobbles can rob the best guys of victory just through bad luck.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Flanders is the best in my opinion, it always has top action and the toughness of the course is what makes it special.
    Roubaix and fleche are my other two fave classics but Flanders just has that special something.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Having ridden the courses of 3 of the monuments - Flanders, P-Rx and L-B-L, I'd say that P-Rx is outstanding because of the toughness / severity of the course and consequently the outright strength and agression required to win it. At the other extreme, L-B-L is an epic course due to the unrelenting hills which therefore requires a degree of fitness and is the true 'racer's race'. Flanders is somewhere inbetween, with both the hills and the cobbles to break it up. I disagree about the cobbles spoiling the race - strength, technique and teamworks counts for as much as luck on the day - LeFevre hasn't won it 8 times purely by chance
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • The Paris Roubaix for me,especially in the rain,all them cobbles and all that mud.For the hardmen,but love watching them all.
  • TOUR OF LOMBARDY.......................[:D]


    No guestion !


    AmerliN[:o)]

    <font color="green"><center>"LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO RIDE CRACKED CARBON"</center></font id="green">
    <font color="green">"LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO RIDE CRACKED CARBON"</font id="green">
  • I FARKED UP MY SIGNATURE. LETS SEE IF I FIXED IT.


    YES I DID............BOOOOOOYAH


    aMERLIn

    <font color="green">"LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO RIDE CRACKED CARBON"</font id="green">
    <font color="green">"LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO RIDE CRACKED CARBON"</font id="green">
  • <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by andyp</i>

    The Tour of Lombardy - quite simply it is a beautiful race.
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

    100% agree with that one.

    I would love to go and watch it one day, with a nice cup of coffee in a lakeside cafe...(looks out of the window at mist and darkness of a Cambs winter day)

    http://fenlandclarioncc.wordpress.com/
  • Paris Roubaix for me http://www.cervelo.com/home.aspx?ref=1024:768 click on cervelo tv for some nice clips.Notice in Paris Roubaix that Boonen goes through a closed railway barrier,on a double track rail but doesn't get disqualified like the other 3 riders,WHY???
  • funaki
    funaki Posts: 29
    I must say LBL always gets my vote, i just love that climb at the end it's a real leg breaker. Paris-Roubaix comes a close second for me.
  • grimpeur
    grimpeur Posts: 230
    Agree about LBL, the finish is superb.
  • Its a cracking finish, but give me a scenic Italian climb over the dark brick houses of that climb in Ans any time.

    http://fenlandclarioncc.wordpress.com/
  • paris roubaix for me -- got to watch it in person in 2001, in the rain, on the cobbles. it's no wonder hinault called it a circus, but a spectacular one that.
  • EdMax
    EdMax Posts: 5
    Lombardy. Can I also add (don't laugh) San Sebastian, I went a few years ago and my memories are influenced by the meal we had in a fantastic seafood restaurant that evening.

    Ed
  • Paris Roubaix but only when Eurosport don't cut away at the vital moment to go to the motor racing - as is their want.
    Author of The Breakaway - Cycling the Mountains of the Tour de France
    http://www.rolfraehansen.com
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    Liege. Lombardy is too late in the season and a lot of classics riders are out of form. Liege is beatiful and the true blue ribband one day event.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • FAUSTO
    FAUSTO Posts: 34
    Milano - San Remo...of course!!!
  • I think as an all-round event you can't go far wrong with the Tour of Flanders. It has such a great atmosphere especially with the parcours weaving around all the different bergs.

    But, as far as an epic one-day event goes - nothing gets close to Paris Roubaix. The cobbles look bad enough on TV. Seeing them first hand really makes you realise just how hard the conditions are
  • Cougar
    Cougar Posts: 100
    Paris-Roubaix. The stuff of legends!
  • Paris-Roubais, rough terrain and usually miserable weather makes for an icredible challenge for the riders.

    Keep The Rubber Side Down
    Keep The Rubber Side Down
  • thomasmc
    thomasmc Posts: 814
    Hi
    Great question to get us all looking forward to the new season! Mine is Paris Roubaix!
  • Paris Roubaix......What else??????????
  • PRB
    PRB Posts: 9
    Oh for sure I'd have to say the Paris Roubaix

    www.cycleseen.com
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    I have just got back from Het Volk/ K-B-Kuurne again. Pozzatto(no 124)watched the
    Belgians play and then took off. Beautiful to watch and remember. YES I like your choices but I never miss The ARDENNES CLASSICS because thats where the "BIG" boys
    start to flex their muscles. This Year we might see BASSO.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • I`ll go for the Clasica San Sebastian. It`s always spectacular racing, and, well, I`m an Euskaltel fan, so I guess that`s partly the reason..
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    I am back on line now that I'm home from my wanderings.
    The ARDENNES were Great this year and I was suprised after
    the GIRO that Di Luca has become one of the "BIG" Boys!
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972