2006 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Amgen Tour of California is a professional cycling stage race which made its debut on February 19, 2006. Sponsored by the biotechnology company Amgen, the eight-day, 700 mile race started in San Francisco, winding its way down the California coast to finish in Redondo Beach. With many of the European UCI ProTour teams in attendance, the inaugural Tour of California proved to be one of the largest cycling races in the United States since the demise of the Coors Classic in 1988. Among the professional cyclists in attendance were George Hincapie (Discovery), Floyd Landis (Phonak), Chris Horner and Freddy Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto), Bobby Julich and Dave Zabriskie (Team CSC), Levi Leipheimer (Team Gerolsteiner), and Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir).
2006 - The Amgen Tour of California is a profes ...
2005 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Eneco Tour or Tour of the Benelux is a multi-stage road cycling race and is part of the UCI ProTour. Its name refers to its main sponsor, the energy company Eneco. The first Eneco Tour took place from August 3 to August 10, 2005, but it has intermittently existed since 1948 as the Tour of the Netherlands. The last few years, the Dutch Tour was already called the Eneco Tour, but because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005 the tour was reinvigorated. The Eneco Tour continues the faltering Tour of the Netherlands, which UCI president Hein Verbruggen deemed necessary for marketing reasons [1]. The Dutch Tour organisation got a better sponsor (Eneco) and a strong vice-president, Henk van Mulukom. But because the race was not difficult enough, it could not be accepted into the new ProTour. At that point the organisation sought help from the organisation of the Tour of Belgium and the Tour of Luxembourg. They envisaged a Tour of the Benelux that would replace the three. This led to the Tour of Belgium as a co-organiser. The Tours of Belgium and Luxembourg will continue as such. The co-organisation or incorporation of the Tour of Luxembourg did not materialize. In a few years, the name will officially become the Tour of the Benelux. In August 2005, the vice-president, Henk van Mulukom, admitted that two years prior the organizers of the Tour of the Netherlands were not enthusiastic about the collaboration, but eventually they began to warm to the idea. The number of participants increased from 120 to 184 and as a result of the increased media exposure the budget grew by 150 %. Bobby Julich of the United States was the winner of the 2005 Eneco Tour.
2005 - The Eneco Tour or Tour of the Benelux is ...
1999 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour Down Under is a cycling race held in picturesque Adelaide, South Australia, and the surrounding area. The race starts on the third Tuesday of January each year, and it attracts esteemed riders from across Australia and around the world. In 2005, the Tour Down Under was promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale to the international rating of Hors Classe 2, making it the largest and highest ranking cycling event outside of Europe. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) holds the record as the only rider to have won the Tour Down Under twice (in 1999 and again in 2001).
1999 - The Tour Down Under is a cycling race he ...
1998 - Cycling Races
La Flèche Wallonne is a major professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne (the Walloon Arrow) is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Beginning in 1998, a women's race was held in conjunction with the men's race. From the following year onwards, the women's La Flèche Wallonne was a World Cup event. The women raced the same course, but did one less circuit.
1998 - La Flèche Wallonne is a major profession ...
1996 - Cycling Races
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AvailableUnder the idea of Malaysia ex-prime minister Tun Dr. Seri Mahathir Mohammad, Le Tour de Langkawi (French for "Tour of Langkawi") is an annual cycling race event which is held in Malaysia. The name of the event comes from the starting point of the first few editions, in Langkawi, Kedah, although some later editions did not include Langkawi in the race at all. The race is part of the UCI Asia Tour. The tour is held across the peninsular Malaysia and so far are not traveled over the overseas. Unlike 1997, the tour were switch to Sabah and Sarawak after the mid of the tour, however since the rider had lost the passport after arrived at airport, the tour were never step into the two state again. From 1997 to 2001, the stages of the race are 13 stages included one prologue stage but no time will be count. Start 2002, under the UCI request, the stages were decreased to 10 and no rest day were given. Genting Highlands and Dataran Merdeka were only the two places appeared in every edition of the race.
1996 - Under the idea of Malaysia ex-prime mini ...
1985 - Cycling Races
Danmark Rundt is a Danish stage race for professional road bicycle racers organized as a part of the UCI Continental Circuits. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, Post Danmark, and the race is therefore also known as Post Danmark Rundt. Currently 15 teams, with 8 riders each, participate in the 6 stages long race. The race was first run yearly from 1985 to 1988 and, after a break of 7 years, from 1995 until most recently 2005, with no plan to end it. It has approximately half a million spectators on the road, and half the Danish population follow in on the media. In 2004 it was won by Kurt-Asle Arvesen, after his CSC team mate Jens Voigt let him win a stage. In 2005 Ivan Basso (Team CSC), just returned as the overall runner-up in the 2005 Tour de France, totally dominated the race, and won overall as well as 4 out of 6 stages. Since the race was run the same time as the UCI ProTour race Eneco Tour, only three UCI ProTour teams participated.
1985 - Danmark Rundt is a Danish stage race for ...
1985 - Cycling Races
Veenendaal-Veenendaal is a semi classic professional cycling race in the Netherlands starting and finishing in the town of Veenendaal with a route based around the Veluwe National Park and the Nederrijn river valley in the south east corner of Utrecht province. The event is part of the UCI Continental calendar of events with a ranking of 1.HC and is the second biggest cycling race in the Netherlands after the Amstel Gold Race. The race only came into being in 1985 so it is very young by European cycling standards, it was instigated by the Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) who wanted to create a preparation race in August just before the World Championships. In 1994 the event was moved to mid April and given a date on a Thursday, the day after La Flèche Wallonne and a few days before Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The race organisers were never happy with this because it reduced the quality of the field with the top teams unwilling to race three times in four days, however in 2004 the UCI agreed to a date change to a less intense week on the Friday after Paris-Roubaix and two days before the Amstel Gold Race. In 2005 Veenendaal-Veenendaal benefited from the creation of the new UCI ProTour structure when it was elevated to 1.HC standard bringing to the same level as Belgium's Omloop "Het Volk" and Germany's Rund um den Henninger Turm, thus bringing more sponsorship and publicity. In 2001 the race looked like being cancelled as the Foot and Mouth outbreak hit the Netherlands but the race eventually went ahead as the organisers modified the route to avoid sensitive areas. The race itself takes place on winding roads through the Veluwe National Park over a distance of roughly 209 km which is interspersed with little steep cobbled climbs, the most significant of which are the Grebbeberg at the town of Rhenen and the Posbank. The list of winners includes some top class riders such as Joop Zoetemelk, Jean-Paul van Poppel, Olaf Ludwig, Viatcheslav Ekimov, Andrei Tchmil and Jeroen Blijlevens.
1985 - Veenendaal-Veenendaal is a semi classic ...
1982 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Race Across America, or RAAM is an ultra marathon bicycle race across the USA that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race. RAAM is the best-known and longest annual endurance cycling event in the world. The exact course of the race has varied substantially during its history, but has always been from the West Coast to East Coast of the United States, approximately 3,000 miles (4800 km). In 2005, the course was from San Diego, California, to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Unlike most multi-day bicycle races, RAAM has no stages or designated rest periods. Instead, the clock runs continuously from start to finish. The winner of the race usually finishes in eight to nine days, after riding approximately 22 hours per day through the varied terrain of the US. Each racer has a crew that follows in one or more vehicles to provide food, water, and other supplies. At night, a crew vehicle fitted with flashing lights is required to follow closely behind the rider at all times to ensure they are visible. Race is held in several divisions. Because the course has varied in length and difficulty over the years, performances in different years are sometimes not comparable. Records are usually recorded in terms of average speed, not total time, to account in part for the different course lengths. The fastest men's average speed for a crossing was by Pete Penseyres in 1986, when he rode 3107 miles (5000 km) at 15.40 miles per hour (mph)(24.8 km/h) to finish in 8 days, 9 hours, and 47 minutes. The fastest woman to ride the race was Seana Hogan in 1995, who averaged 13.23 mph (21.3 km/h) to finish 2912 miles (4686 km) in 9 days, 4 hours, 2 minutes. The shortest elapsed time ever for a crossing was actually outside of an official RAAM, by Michael Secrest in 1990, when he finished in 7 days 23 hours.
1982 - The Race Across America, or RAAM is an u ...
1981 - Cycling Races
The Clasica San Sebastian is a bicycle race held every summer since 1981 in the Basque region of Spain. It is traditionally a climbers race, with several famous Grand Tour stars claiming the race over its 25 year history. Clasica San Sebastian is famous for its spectacular views of the coastline and for its winding, climbing race route. The current race route is approximately 227 kilometres in length and includes the tough Alto de Jaizkibel climb at around the 200 kilometre mark. This climb is usually the decisive point of the race. Until 2004 it was round 7 of the UCI World Cup Series. Now it constitutes a major 1-day race in the UCI Pro Tour. The course of the race tends to favor aggressive riding, and in the past has been won by riders such as Laurent Jalabert of France in 2001 and 2002, Paolo Bettini in 2003, and Lance Armstrong in 1995. The first edition was won by Marino Lejarreta in 1981.
1981 - The Clasica San Sebastian is a bicycle r ...
1966 - Cycling Races
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AvailableTirreno-Adriatico, the "race of the two seas", is an elite cycle race following a route between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts of Italy. Traditionally held in early season, it is considered important preparation for the Milan-San Remo classic race. Since 2005, it has been part of the UCI ProTour calendar.
1966 - Tirreno-Adriatico, the "race of the two ...
1966 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle racing race held (mostly) in the southern part of the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. It is held every spring. As of 2005, it is part of the UCI ProTour. Prior to that it was part of the Road Cycling World Cup. The name does not (directly) refer to the river Amstel, which is far away from the course, but to the sponsor, Heineken-owned beer brand Amstel. The first race, organized by Herman Krott, took place on April 30 1966, chosen by Krott because it was the Queen's birthday, which he thought would help draw crowds. Jean Stablinski of France was the first race winner. Unfortunately, in many villages the festivities blocked the roads, meaning that the course had to be changed several times when the race was already underway. As a result, it became over 300 km long, which led an infuriated Jacques Anquetil to leave the race prematurely. As is not unusual for road cycling races, the course has changed many times over the years. In 2005 the race took place almost entirely within the boundaries of the province of Limburg, but there have also been editions that covered significant parts of Belgium. Since 2003 the finish is at the top of the Cauberg hill, in the Valkenburg municipality. Before 2003 the finish used to be in Maastricht.
1966 - The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle r ...
1962 - Cycling Races
The Rund um den Henninger-Turm (sometimes called the Frankfurt Grand Prix in English) is a semi classic cycling race which is based around the German city of Frankfurt am Main with the start and finish line on Darmstädter Landstraße outside the Henninger Turm (Tower), a huge grain silo belonging to the Henninger brewery who are the financial backers of the event . The race takes place on a complicated route in the Taunus mountains west of the city with around 5,000 feet of vertical climbing, the climbs of the Ruppershain, Feldberg and Mammolshain have been regular features since the races inception, the Mammolshain has a very severe 26 % gradient and is climbed twice in the race. The race concludes with three laps of 4.5 kilometres in the centre of Frankfurt. The race which was organised for many years by the brothers Hermann and Erwin Moos, began in 1962 with the Henninger brewery as main sponsors to primarily draw publicity for the newly built Henninger Tower which was opened in 1961. The event did not receive classic status until 1967 when Paris-Brussels was forced off the calendar due to traffic problems and the UCI decided that the Frankfurt event could replace it. The race had a British winner in 1966 when Barry Hoban rode solo to the finish, holding the chasing pack at one minute for the final 50 kilometres, Eddy Merckx also won alone in 1971 for his only victory. Four riders have won the race twice Australian Phil Anderson (1984 and 1985) and the Belgians Ludo Peeters (1982 and 1983), Georges Pintens (1969, 1973) and Jean-Marie Wampers (1986, 1989). However the record for most victories goes to German sprinter-roadman Erik Zabel with victories in 1999, 2002 and 2005.
1962 - The Rund um den Henninger-Turm (sometime ...
1961 - Cycling Races
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AvailableTour de l'Avenir (English: Tour of the future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, reserved for riders up to 25 years old. It is considered very prestigious for that age group, partly because of the impressive names of previous winners. The UCI classification is 1, the highest in the continental calendar. The race started in 1961 as an amateur race.
1961 - Tour de l'Avenir (English: Tour of the f ...
1958 - Cycling Races
The E3 Prijs Vlaanderen is a single day semi classic cycling race which takes place in the Flanders area of Belgium. The race starts and finishes in the town of Harelbeke and is contested over a distance of approximately 210 kilometres. The event is organised by the Hand in Hand Cycling Club of Harelbeke and is ranked 1.HC on the UCI Continental calendar. The E3 takes place on a Saturday in mid March and marks the start of the Vlaamse Wielerweek, a week of classic cycling which continues with the Brabantse Pijl on the Sunday and the Driedaagse van De Panne stage race midweek before culminating in the Ronde van Vlaanderen classic on the following Sunday. The first official edition of the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen took place in 1958 although there had been similar events in the Harelbeke area since 1955. In the early days the event was known as Harelbeke-Anvers-Harelbeke and has also been known as the Grand Prix E3 Harelbeke. The race took its name from the E3 motorway which was built in the mid sixties. The E3 classic is seen as an ideal preparation for the Ronde van Vlaanderen, which takes place the following weekend. The route is similar, although shorter but many of the same climbs are tackled. The racing conditions are also comparable, as the cobbles, wind and climbs tend to decimate the bunch. The route takes in a large lap around East Flanders including twelve hills. The race starts from Harelbeke's Grote Markt and travels in an easterly direction, the first 110 kilometres are mostly flat although there are some cobbled sections around the towns of Oudenaarde and Zottegem. The riders reach the most easterly point of the event at Ninove after 85 kilometres and after swinging back westerly and going through the towns of Geraardsbergen and Brakel the tough part of the race begins with a steady succession of short, sharp climbs some of which are cobbled as the race loops around the area between the towns of Ronse and Oudenaarde. The twelve hills in the order that they are ascended are La Houppe, Berg Stene, Boigneberg, Eikenberg, Stationsberg, Taaienberg, Oude Kruikens, Kapelberg, Patersberg, Oude Kwaremont, Knokteberg and Tiegemberg. The Patersberg is a cobbled 500 metres long climb that averages a very steep 12.5% while the Oude Kwaremont is cobbled for 1500 metres of it 2200 metres length although its gradient only averages 4.2%. The final climb of the Tiegemberg is 16 kilometres from the finish in Harelbeke by which time a small group has usually escaped from the bunch. The record for the most wins in the E3 Prijs stands at four to Belgian classics specialist Rik Van Looy, he won in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1969. Dutchman Jan Raas took three wins on the trot in 1979, 1980 and 1981 after finishing second in 1978 while Tom Boonen, Andrei Tchmil and Johan Museeuw have all won twice. The fastest edition of the race was run in 2003 when Dutchman Steven De Jongh won at an average speed of 45.9 kilometres per hour. With a ranking of 1.HC the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen is a top ranked race on the UCI Continental calendar. Race president Bart Ottevaere has stated that he would like to see the event step up to become part of the ProTour in the future, however this is dependent on the UCI and whether it plans to expand the ProTour calendar.
1958 - The E3 Prijs Vlaanderen is a single day ...
1953 - Cycling Races
The Irish Tour (Irish: An Rás Tailteann, The FBD Insurance Rás) is an annual 8 day international cycling stage race, held in Ireland in May. The race has developed into a much sought after event by professional and amateur teams from many parts of the world. As part of the elite international calendar it is eligible to award qualifying points that are required for participation in Olympic Games and World Cycling Championships. The first edition was held in 1953, and every year since uninterrupted.
1953 - The Irish Tour (Irish: An Rás Tailteann, ...
1952 - Cycling Races
The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six day event and it is held annually in October. The first general classification winner was Keith Rowley, a Maffra sheep farmer, in a time of 42hr 57min 55sec. The first King of the Mountain and Sprint champion was J.McDonough from Coburg. The race attracts professional cyclists from around the world, particularly since the mid 1980s, with notable Australian cyclists to win the General classification being Baden Cooke in 2002, Neil Stephens in 1986, and Russell Mockridge in 1957. The 2004 race was conducted from October 14 to 24, 2004 and involved 85 cyclists in seventeen teams of five. Thirteen stages were completed with a total distance of 1110.7km, 119 intermediate sprints and 37 hill climbs, including the two category one climbs of Mount Baw Baw and in the Otway Ranges. Swedish rider Jonas Ljungblad won the General classification in the time of 26hr 39min 55sec. Karl Menzies won the sprint classification and Phillip Thuaux won the Mountains classification.
1952 - The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian pro ...
1951 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour of Britain is the name given to a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain. The latest version, a professional stage race, was first run in 2004, but the history of the event dates back to 1951. Marking the involvement of different sponsors, it has also variously been known as: the Daily Express Tour of Britain (1951-1955); the Milk Race (1958-1993); the Kellogg's Tour (1987-1994); the Prudential plc-sponsored PruTour (1998-1999). The first edition of the latest version of the Tour of Britain took place over five days in early September 2004, organised by the BCF. Sponsored by the organisers of London's 2012 Olympics bid, it was well-promoted and attracted a number of well-known teams such as T-Mobile (Germany) and U.S. Postal Service (USA). This was partly due to it being a 2.3 category race on the Union Cycliste Internationale calendar. The 2005 race was run in six stages starting in Glasgow on 30 August and finishing in London on 4 September.
1951 - The Tour of Britain is the name given to ...
1948 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Peace Race (German: Friedensfahrt, Czech: Závod Míru, Polish: Wyscig Pokoju, French: Course de la Paix) is a cycling event held in May. It takes place in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. The first Peace Race - also known as Warsaw-Berlin-Prague - was held in 1948, when there were two editions. One was won by August Prosenik from Yugoslavia, the other by Alexander Zoric from Czechoslovakia. During the Cold War the Peace Race was known as the 'Tour de France of the East'. Because cyclists from the Eastern Bloc were not allowed to become professional it was an amateur race. It attracted the best cyclists from communist countries, plus guest teams from non-communist countries. Communist-bloc riders tended to dominate the event, but there were exceptions: Briton Ian Steel won the 1952 version, and the British League of Racing Cyclists team also won the team competition - the first time that both classifications had gone to the same nation. One of the later winners was Sergei Sukhoruchenkov, who also won the gold medal on the Olympic Road Race in 1980. The most successful riders in the Peace Race were Ryszard Szurkowski from Poland and Uwe Ampler from East Germany who each won the race 4 times and Steffen Wesemann from Germany who won the race 5 times. Gustav-Adolf Schur, who won the race twice, was voted the most popular East German sportsman ever in 1989. After the end of the Cold War the race rapidly lost importance. Recently however, the race is regaining status. The most recent edition, in 2004 was won by Michele Scarponi from Italy. For 2005 the race is cancelled. The Peace Race is also a 1961 book by Seymour Melman.
1948 - The Peace Race (German: Friedensfahrt, C ...
1947 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI ProTour. It runs in the old Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year celebration of the Union Cycliste Suisse. The race traditionally starts with an individual time trial prologue in Geneva and ends with another individual time-trial in the hilly terrains in Lausanne. The final time-trial traditionally starts in the stadium north of Lausanne, goes downhill southwards to the Lac Le Man (Lake Geneva), and makes its way back uphill to the stadium again. The parcours of the race usually winds northwards towards the Jura mountains and Alpine mountain ranges of western Switzerland.
1947 - The Tour de Romandie is a stage race whi ...
1947 - Cycling Races
The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. It is organised by the Le Dauphiné Libéré newspaper. Along with the Tour of Switzerland, the Dauphiné Libéré is an important race in the lead-up to the Tour de France in July. Because the Dauphiné is a mountainous area, the winners are often climbing specialists. Many climbs that are famous from the Tour de France, like the Mont Ventoux, the Col du Galibier or Col de la Chartreuse appear often in the Dauphiné Libéré. All cyclists who have won the Tour de France 5 or more times have also won the Dauphiné Libéré. The first Dauphiné Libéré was held in 1947 when Eduard Klablinski from Poland was the winner. Nello Lauredi, Luis Ocaña, Charly Mottet and Bernard Hinault share the record of the most wins, with three each. The Dauphiné Libéré was used as preparation for the Tour de France by riders such as Lance Armstrong. He won the Dauphiné in 2002 and 2003, but was defeated by Iban Mayo in 2004, primarily by Mayo's strong climb of Mont Ventoux. Armstrong finished 4th in the 2005 Dauphiné, finishing 59 seconds off the pace of overall winner Inigo Landaluze, of the Euskaltel-Euskadi squad.
1947 - The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an a ...
1945 - Cycling Races
Omloop “Het Volk” (often just called Het Volk) is a European semi classic single day cycle race held in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The race is the opening event on the Belgian cycling calendar and is usually held on the last Saturday in February or the first in March. The race is characterised by cold weather and short cobbled climbs and comes as a complete contrast to the early season training camps of the Italian Riviera or the south of France. The race was first held in 1945, and is organised by the newspaper Het Volk in response to rival daily Het Nieuwsblad’s running of the more famous 'Monument' Classic Ronde van Vlaanderen. Indeed Omloop “Het Volk” uses many of the same climbs used in the Ronde and is seen as important preparation for the bigger event. In the early days the race was often known as Ghent-Ghent as some newspapers did not want to give their rival any publicity. The cold conditions that the race is usually run under have always favoured the Flemish cyclist and it was 15 years before a non-Belgian won the race, that was Ireland’s Seamus Elliot in 1959. The legendary Italian Fausto Coppi was first over the line in 1948 after dominating the race, however he was disqualified after accepting a wheel change from the Belgian Walschott who was not a member of his team (the rules only allowed assistance from team-mates). The record for the number of wins in the race stands at three jointly held by Joseph Bruyere (1974, 1975 and 1980), Ernest Sterckx (1952, 1953 and 1956) and Peter Van Petegem (1997, 1998 and 2002). Bruyere also hold the record for the fastest average speed (43.35 km/h) for his 1975 victory. A whole host of famous names have won the race twice including Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Maertens and Johan Museeuw. Dutchman Jan Raas took a deserved victory in 1981 after finishing 2nd in 1977, 3rd in 1978, 2nd in 1979 and 4th in 1980. In the 58 editions of the race since its inception there have only been two winners from outside northern Europe: the Italian classic specialists Franco Ballerini and Michele Bartoli. Het Volk formerly started and finished in Ghent but since 1996 the conclusion of the race has been at Lokeren, 20km to the north east. The starting line is outside S.M.A.K, Ghent's Museum of Contemporary Art, the race then heads south towards the “monts”, the short, sharp climbs that feature in many of the Flemish classics. The Oude Kwaremont is encountered after around 50 km but this 2 km cobbled climb is too far from the finish to be significant. The riders then encounter the savage Muur van Geraardsbergen after 85 km and this can break the race up. The Kleiberg, Eikenberg, Leberg, Berendries and Molenberg are all climbed in quick succession, the Molenberg is the final climb around 60 km from the finish and this short climb which averages almost 10% in gradient can be the launching point for a winning break. The final 60 km have no climbs but are characterised by numerous flat cobbled sections like the infamous Paddestraat at Zottegem, which can be just as decisive as the “monts” as the route twist and turns towards the finish on the Bergendriesstraat in Lokeren. Because of its early season spot in the calendar Omloop Het Volk is often subject to inclement and cold weather. In spite of this, it has had very few cancellations due to snow. The race organisers are reliant on the weather forecasts in the days leading up to the race and will make some adjustments to the course if some of the cobbled climbs are deemed unsafe for the riders. Heavy snow fell the night before the 1955, 1974 and 1988 editions of the race but it was still possible to run the event. The 1971 race was postponed due to heavy snowfalls but was eventually run three weeks later on Thursday 26 March when the organisers of the GP Pino Cerami agreed to move their race to another date. Ironically there was a thaw on the Saturday afternoon of the original date and it was possible to run the following days Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, which is always scheduled on the Sunday (the day after Omloop Het Volk). The 1986 edition was the victim of heavy snow and was cancelled with the race organisers deciding not to run the race at a later date because of the expense. It was a similar story in 2004 with race organiser Wim Van Herreweghe saying: "The safety of the riders could not be guaranteed, the snow and freezing cold made the route too dangerous." The 1960 race was also cancelled but this was due to a disagreement between the race organisers and cycling’s ruling body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI had given preferential treatment to other Belgian Spring classics regarding race dates and riders, the Het Volk organisers decided not to run their race as a protest.
1945 - Omloop “Het Volk” (often just called Het ...
1936 - Cycling Races
La Flèche Wallonne is a major professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne (the Walloon Arrow) is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. At one time, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège were run on successive days as "Le Weekend Ardennais" (both races are organised by Amaury Sport Organisation). Only five riders have achieved the "Ardennes double" by winning both races in the same year: Ferdi Kubler twice (in 1951 and 1952), Stan Ockers (1955), Eddy Merckx (1972), Moreno Argentin (1991) and Davide Rebellin (2004). La Flèche Wallonne was created to boost the sales of a newspaper Les Sports during the 1930s and was first run in 1936. While perhaps not as revered as one of the Classic 'Monuments', the race is widely regarded as a Classic, and features on the UCI ProTour. Like many cycle race events, the course has altered considerably over the years, both in route and length. The event was first run on roads from Tournai to Liège (growing from 236km to 300km - its longest ever distance - in 1938), after which Mons became the starting point. From 1948, the race started at Charleroi; from 1960 the event ran in the opposite direction, starting at Liège and finishing at Charleroi (or, from 1965, Marcinelle). Some years have seen the event start and finish in the same place: Verviers (1974-1978) or Huy (1983-1985). From 1986, the race started in Spa and finished in Huy. Since 1990, the race distance has not exceeded 210km. Today, the 199.5km event starts in Charleroi and heads east to Huy, where the riders do three laps of a tough circuit including the steep Mur de Huy (The wall of Huy) climb, with several sections steeper than 15%. The finish is at the top of the Mur after the third ascent. Only three riders have won the race three times, two of them Belgians. Indeed, Belgian riders dominated the early years of the event, winning the first 11 editions of the race, and more than half of the editions in total (36 victories up to and including 2005). Italians have won the event 15 times.
1936 - La Flèche Wallonne is a major profession ...
1935 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and, after the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the third most important road cycling stage race in the world. First held in 1935 and annually since 1955, the Vuelta runs for three weeks in a changing route across Spain. The inaugural event (1935) saw 50 entrants face a 3411 km course over only 14 stages, averaging over 240km per stage. It was inspired by the success of the Tours in France and Italy, and the boost they brought to the circulations of their sponsoring newspapers (L'Auto and La Gazzetta dello Sport respectively); Juan Pujol of the daily Informaciones instigated the race to increase his circulation. It was formerly held in the spring, but since 1990 the race has been run in September. The course includes two individual time trials. The finish of the Vuelta is traditionally the Spanish capital, Madrid. In 1999, for the first time, the course crossed the Alto de El Angliru in Asturias, which climbs 1573 meters over 12.9 km with grades as steep as 23.6 percent (at Cueña les Cabres) making it one of the steepest in Europe. Credit for the discovery of this climb and its addition to the Vuelta goes to Miguel Prieto. The overall leader wears the 'Jersey de Oro' (a Golden Jersey)—the Spanish counterpart to the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. Other jerseys honor the best climber (King of the Mountains) and the best sprinter (points competition). Usually there are other jerseys awarded, such as for points leaders in the 'Metas Volantes' (intermediate sprints) and for combination rankings. Switzerland's Tony Rominger, who won three consecutive Vueltas in 1992, 1993 and 1994; and Roberto Heras of Spain, winner in 2000, 2003 and 2004, hold the record for most wins jointly. Heras also won the 2005 event, but was disqualified for a doping offense. Three Germans have taken first place: Rudi Altig (1962), Rolf Wolfshohl (1965) and Jan Ullrich (1999). The Spaniards, however, have dominated, winning 26 of the 57 runnings of the Vuelta. France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Colombia, and Ireland have also had first place finishers.
1935 - The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one ...
1934 - Cycling Races
The Gent-Wevelgem is a professional cycle road race held in Belgium in early April each year. While not one of the Monuments, it is widely regarded as one of the early season classics, and falls between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The event was first run in 1934, and it is often called the sprinters' classic due to its flat finishing terrain. The first edition was won by Gustave Van Bell. Its early-season date means riders are often tested by wind and rain, while the route also takes them twice over two tough climbs: the Monteberg (after 148km and 169km) and Kemmelberg (150km and 171km). Since 2005 the race is part of the UCI ProTour series.
1934 - The Gent-Wevelgem is a professional cycl ...
1933 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) is a ProTour bicycle race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship since then. Along with the Dauphiné Libéré, it is seen as a warm-up and proving ground to the longer Tour de France, which is held every year in July. Like the Tour de France and the Dauphiné Libéré, the Tour of Switzerland offers grueling mountain climbs and at least one individual time trial, the type of stages that often determine the winner of the general classification in the Tour de France. Several recent winers of the Tour de France have also won the Tour of Switzerland, including Eddy Merckx, Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich. In 2005 the organizers moved the race to an earlier date in June, perhaps to make it more attractive as an alternative to the Dauphiné Libéré.
1933 - The Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) ...
1933 - Cycling Races
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AvailableParis-Nice, nicknamed "the race to the sun", is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. The first Paris-Nice was held in 1933. The winner was Alfons Schepers from Belgium. The most successful cyclist in Paris-Nice was Sean Kelly from Ireland. He won seven consecutive times (1982-1988). Although the name is Paris-Nice, the race does not always start in Paris any more. It often starts in towns near or south of Paris. The last stage finishes every year on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The last or penultimate stage often passes the Col d'Eze, a mountain pass close to Nice. Bobby Julich from the United States won the 2005 edition. Jörg Jaksche from Germany won the 2004 edition. In 2002 and 2003 Paris-Nice was won by Alexandre Vinokourov from Kazakhstan. During the latter race, Vinokourov's friend and countryman Andrei Kivilev died due to head injury sustained in an accident. His death prompted the UCI to mandate the use of helmets in all competition, except for the last part of a race with an uphill finish. Paris-Nice is organized by the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO). ASO also organizes other cycling races like the famous Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix and other sport events like Paris-Dakar and the Paris Marathon.
1933 - Paris-Nice, nicknamed "the race to the s ...
1932 - Cycling Races
Critérium International: Brainchild of Gaston Bénac (Senior sports editor at Paris-Soir), the Critérium National de la Route, born in 1932, was from the outset considered to be the unofficial spring French National Championship. The pick of the crop in French cycling found itself put to the test on a course typical of cycling in the Paris area - setting off in the windy plains of southern Ile-de-France, pedalling north through the Vallée de Chevreuse, up to the finishing line in the Parc des Princes. This most popular of races, run along a demanding route, asserted its uniqueness from the start, with a list of prestigious winners. Over the years, the race's name itself - National Criterium - led organizers (at first L'Équipe, then the Société du Tour de France) to think about widening participationand holding the race in other parts of France. The Spring Championship thus changed locale, seeking new horizons throughout France. Meanwhile it settled on its present-day omnium format, a triptych favouring all-round riders. During the dark years of World War II (from 1941 to 1943) two distinct races were run each year, one in occupied France, one in unoccupied France. Starting in 1979, foreign riders were admitted and it thus became the Critérium International in 1980. Starting with Léon Le Calvez in 1932 up to the German Jens Voigt in 2004, cycling greats have shaped the race's legend for nearly seven decades: Leducq, R. Lapébie, Le Grevès, C. Danguillaume, L. Bobet, Hassenforder, Darrigade, J. Groussard, J.P. Danguillaume, Thévenet, Hinault, Fignon, Kelly, Indurain, Roche, J.F. Bernard, L. Jalabert, as well as Englishman Chris Boardman and American Bobby Julich are among the winners. Like any major cycling race, the Critérium has its shining stars: with five victories apiece, Émile Idée and Raymond Poulidor hold the record for victories, the former having shone in the forties while the latter piled up his victories (as well as a few second-place finishes) between 1964 and 1972. The Critérium National was one of the highlights of the Anquetil-Poulidor rivalry. During a six-year stretch going from 1963 to 1968, victory changed hands between them every year, with the other finishing second. In the end Poulidor was to succeed, edging Anquetil 5 victories to 4. An epic rivalry which laid the ground for the Criterium's prestige.
1932 - Critérium International: Brainchild of G ...
1931 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour of Germany (German: Deutschland tour or sometimes Deutschland-Rundfahrt) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August. Already in 1911 a "national" cycling race of over 1,500 km was held in Germany (which was then composed of several territories and kingdoms). Until 1931 several real Tours were held, but always under very different conditions and organizations. In 1931 the first Deutschland tour was held, and it is generally agreed upon that the race was exciting and well organized between 1937 and 1939, the start of World War II. Germany never had a sizeable road cycling history, like Belgium, France and Italy, which caused the race's popularity to depend on German successes. This resulted in several parallel tours of West Germany. But after Jan Ulrich's Tour de France victory, cycling became more popular. Partially as a result of Germany's newfound cycling enthusiasm, in 1999 the Deutschland tour became invigorated, and continues to this day.
1931 - The Tour of Germany (German: Deutschland ...
1928 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour de Pologne (Tour of Poland) is a cycling race. It consists of seven or eight stages, and was first held in 1928. Until 1952, the race was only organised sporadically, but since then there was a Tour every year. Until the early 1990s, the race was strictly for amateurs only, and consequently the winners mostly came from Poland. Although the Tour de Pologne had not yet reached a high status, the international cycling union UCI has decided that it will be a part of the UCI ProTour from 2005, which means that the major cycling teams will compete in this race.
1928 - The Tour de Pologne (Tour of Poland) is ...
1927 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Volta a Portugal is a long distance road bicycle race for professionals held in Portugal. The competition takes place annually during two weeks. The competition started in 1927, however it second edition only occurred in 1931. In 1936 and 1937 the tour would not take place. During the WW2 the race would be stopped, again, during the period 1942-1945. In 1975 due the Carnation Revolution the competition was skipped. In the period 1940-1980 the competition was held during three weeks. Since the 80s it was reduced the period of two weeks. As of 2005 the race consisted only of ten stages. It is one of the eldest races by stages in the world. Although not so important as the three Grand Tour it is an important competition that in the last few years has been losing importance, specially due the fact that in the most recent period it takes places immediately after the Tour de France, and before the Vuelta a España avoiding the participation of major teams and cyclists.
1927 - The Volta a Portugal is a long distance ...
1924 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour of Basque Country (Spanish: Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, Basque: Euskal Herriko txirrindulari itzulia) is an annual cycling stage race held in Basque Country in April. The first edition was held in 1924, but between 1935 and 1969 the race was not held. However between 1939 and 1945 similar races were organised. The first winner was Francis Pelissier from France. The first winner of the 'modern' Tour of Basque country (1969) was Jacques Anquetil. The most successful rider in the Tour of Basque country was José Antonio Gonzalez Linares, who won the race four times in 1972, 1975, 1977 and 1978. The most recent edition (2005) was won by Danilo di Luca from Italy. Because Basque Country is a mountainous area there are hardly any flat stages, and the event's winners therefore tend to be good climbers. Most climbs in the Tour of Basque Country are not high, but often they are quite steep.
1924 - The Tour of Basque Country (Spanish: Vue ...
1914 - Cycling Races
The Championship of Zurich (also called the Zuri Metzgete and the Meisterschaft von Zurich) is a European Classic cycling race held annually in Zurich, Switzerland. Although perhaps not as prestigious as the five one-day cycling “Monuments” (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Tour of Lombardy) it is a race with a long history and a tough parcours. The Championship of Zurich was a round of the former UCI World Cup (which ran from 1989-2004) and is now a round of the UCI ProTour, the World Cup's successor. The Championship of Zurich was first held in 1914 and has been held annually since 1917, including the second World War years, giving it the longest continued existence of any of cyclings major races. For many years the event was held in early May, not an ideal date as the majority of the top classic riders were jaded after contesting the “Monuments” in March and April. Also during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the race was often held the day after the Rund um den Henninger Turm in Frankfurt and this affected the quality of the field and the racing. In 1988 the race was switched to a date in mid August which attracted many of the Tour de France stars and gave the race a new lease of life. The 2005 edition of the race has been switched to yet another new date in early October, as the UCI rearranges the cycling calendar to bring the World Championships a few weeks earlier in the season. In the early days, the Championship of Zurich was dominated by home riders with the race being won on 34 occasions by the Swiss in the first 41 editions of the race between 1914 and 1956. The most notable foreign winner in this period was Gino Bartali in 1946, the Italian beat arch rival Fausto Coppi in a contentious race, the two Italians rode together at a breakneck pace shaking off all their rivals with Bartali winning in controversial circumstances, sprinting away while Coppi was tightening his toe straps. Many people say this incident was the start of the “war” between Bartali and Coppi. That 1946 race was won at an average speed of 42.228 km/h, a record speed which stood for over 50 years. Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha won the 2004 edition of the race in a record average speed of 42.707 km/h. Many of the Swiss winners at this time never went on to win another major race but two of Switzerland’s greatest riders Ferdi Kubler (1943) and Hugo Koblet (1952 and 1954) were triumphant at Zurich in this era, another Swiss Henri Suter set the record for the most victories at six between 1919 and 1929. After 1956 the race winners have become more international with only five Swiss winners in this period compared to 15 victories for Italy and 13 for Belgium. The quality of the race winners has been very high with classic specialists such as Paolo Bettini, Francesco Moser, Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Maertens, Guiseppe Saronni and Johan Museeuw all winning while the switch to an August date in 1988 allowed Tour de France riders such as Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich and Laurent Dufaux to do well in the race. The present day race starts and finishes in Zurich, in previous years the finish was on the Oerlikon velodrome in Zurich but that was abandoned a number of years ago. The race is held over a distance of 241 km with over 3000 metres of climbing, consisting of one 72.5 km lap and four 42.1 km circuits, this shorter lap includes four ascents of both the Pfannenstiel and Forch climbs, the final climb of the Pfannenstiel is just 15 km from the finish in Zurich and is often the launching point for the winning move in the race. Between 1993 and 1999 the race started in Basel and finished in Zurich and was known as the Grand Prix Suisse.
1914 - The Championship of Zurich (also called ...
1913 - Cycling Races
The Tour of Flanders (Dutch: Ronde van Vlaanderen) is a road cycling race held in Flanders, Belgium. It is held every spring, exactly one week before Paris-Roubaix, and it used to be part of the UCI World Cup. It is now part of the UCI ProTour and is regarded as one of the 'Monuments' of the European professional cycling calendar. The race was initiated in 1913 by Karel Van Wijnendaele, a former cyclist. Initially not a big success, the race was interrupted by World War I, but continued in 1919. In the 1920s and 1930s, the race became more popular, and is currently considered to be the most important race in Flanders, where road cycling is very popular. The nickname of the race is Vlaanderens mooiste, or "Flanders's most beautiful". The course of the race contains many steep hills, often paved with cobblestones. While it is often compared to the Paris-Roubaix race in that both contain many cobbled sections, de Ronde's inclusion of many steep, and often cobbled, short hills make racing very different compared to the flat Paris-Roubaix. The most famous climb is arguably the Koppenberg climb, where the steep grade, narrow pass and (previously) poor cobblestone conditions have forced many racers to climb it on foot instead of on their bikes. An incident in 1987 where Jesper Skibby—who was leading the race at this point and was followed by the race official's car—fell over due to loss of momentum and was almost crushed by official's car, put a stop to the inclusion of this climb until 2003 when it was extensively repaired. It should be noted that while Skibby's foot was not crushed by the car, his bicycle was. "Only those who are in top condition can say that the Ronde is not hard. For everyone else, it's the Way of the Cross." -Andrea Tafi
1913 - The Tour of Flanders (Dutch: Ronde van V ...
1911 - Cycling Races
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AvailableThe Tour of Catalonia, or the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya is a bicycling race held annually in Catalonia. It made its first appearance in 1911. The Tour of Catalonia is a part of the UCI ProTour 2005 program.
1911 - The Tour of Catalonia, or the Volta Cicl ...
1907 - Cycling Races
Milan-San Remo, nicknamed la primavera ("the spring") is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. Currently it is the longest of all professional one-day cycling races (294 km). The first edition was held in 1907, when the Argentinean Frenchman Lucien Petit-Breton won. Today it is regarded as one of the 'Monuments' of the European professional cycling calendar, and is part of the UCI ProTour. Milan - San Remo is often called the sprinters classic while its sister Italian race the Giro di Lombardia held in the autumn season is often called the climbers classic. In the early years the main difficulty of the race was the Passo del Turchino, but when cycling became more professional the climb was too far away from the finish-line to be decisive. Therefore in 1960 the Poggio, a climb only a few kilometres before the finish, was introduced in the route. In 1982 the Cipressa, a hill near Imperia was added. The other hills are the so-called 'capi', the Capo Mele, Capo Berta and Capo Cerva. Despite these hills the race most often ends in a mass sprint. The most successful rider in Milan-San Remo was Eddy Merckx; he won 7 times. In recent times, the most successful rider in the Via Roma of San Remo has been German Erik Zabel who has won it four times in his career and lost the 2004 edition to Óscar Freire because he lifted his arms to celebrate too early. It was the opening race of the UCI World Cup series until the series was replaced by the UCI ProTour in 2005. Being the longest of all professional one-day cycling races at around 294 km in its 2005 edition, MIlan-San Remo is an unusual test of the riders' endurance due to it being held early in the season. It is won often not by the fastest sprinter, but one who is best prepared in the early season. The hills of Cipressa and Poggio has foiled many fast sprinters who could not stay with the front group. Alessandro Petacchi the 2005 winner had to put in such a concentrated effort to keep his fitness and lose weight in the off-season that racer Erik Dekker could not recognize him during the race. Despite its flat parcours and long finishing straight, the sprinters teams have been foiled from time-to-time by a determined attack on the last hills towards the finish. Laurent Jalabert and Maurizio Fondriest escaped the peloton in the 1995 edition and stayed away to the finish line. More recently, classics specialist Italian Paolo Bettini attacked with several riders in the finale of the 2003 edition and stayed away. He credited his win to the lesson learned from the previous years' failed attempt, which was won by sprinter extraordinaire Mario Cipollini.
1907 - Milan-San Remo, nicknamed la primavera ( ...
1907 - Cycling Races
The Grote Scheldeprijs is a Belgian semi classic cycling race which starts in the city of Antwerp and finishes in the town of Schoten. The event, which is ranked at 1.HC on the UCI European calendar, is traditionally seen as a race for the sprinters, being held on flat roads over a distance of roughly 200 kilometres. The race consists of one big circuit of 155 kilometres which goes into the countryside of Antwerp province followed by three finishing circuits of 15 kilometres based on the finishing town of Schoten, the route includes seven tough cobbled sections varying in length between 1300 metres and 3000 metres. The race takes place in mid April on the Wednesday following the cobble classic Paris-Roubaix. It has formerly been known as the Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen and by it's French name of the Grand Prix de l'Escaut. The race has a neuteralised start on the banks of the River Schelde in the centre of Antwerp at the Grote Markt outside the City Hall, however, racing does not begin until the town of Schoten is reached a few kilometres to the north east and the official starting signal is given. The finish of the race is outside Schoten town hall. The first Scheldeprijs was organised by the Antwerp branch of the Belgium Cycling Society (BWB) on July 8 1907 making it the oldest cycle race in Flanders. The early years of the race saw it starting and finishing in Antwerp, with the conclusion of the event taking place at the now demolished Zurenborg velodrome. Later on the start of the race was moved to Merksem and then to Deurne, which are both satellite towns of Antwerp, however in 1996 the race start was moved back to the centre of Antwerp. That first edition of the race in 1907 was won by the Frenchman Maurice Leturgie, however it would be another 46 years before another non Belgian (Dutchman Hans Dekkers in 1953) triumphed in the race as home riders dominated the event. Since 1978 the nationality of the race winner has become more diversified. 2005 saw the 93rd edition of the race since 1907 and only the first and second World Wars have interrupted the event. The Scheldeprijs will celebrate it’s 100th anniversary in 2007 and the race organisers are already planning special events to celebrate. Some of the great names of cycling have triumphed in the race over it’s long history, Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy, Mario Cipollini, Freddy Maertens, Roger De Vlaeminck, Erik Zabel, Briek Schotte, Stan Ockers and Georges Ronsse have all been successful, however, Belgian Piet Oellibrandt, holds the record for the most wins in the race, taking three victories in the early 1960s. Belgian cycling legend Johan Museeuw, who never actually won the Scheldeprijs but finished second twice in 1992 and 1997 chose the 2004 event as the final race in an illustrious career, saying, “I could have retired after Paris-Roubaix but I felt it important that my last race should be in Belgium, the Scheldeprijs is a great race and I love especially the start in Antwerp market place.”
1907 - The Grote Scheldeprijs is a Belgian semi ...
1905 - Cycling Races
The Tour of Lombardy (Italian: Giro di Lombardia) is an Italian cycling race. It is traditionally the last great Classic of the European professional cycling calendar and since 2005 part of the UCI ProTour. Given that it is held in the autumn season one of its famous nicknames is "the race of the falling leaves". The first edition was in 1905. It was then called Milan-Milan. In 1907 the race was renamed to its current name. During the decades the route has changed many times. Milan, Sesto San Giovanni, Bergamo, Varese, Monza, Cuneo have been start or finish place. In 2004 the race started in Mendrisio in Switzerland, and ended in Como. The most famous obstacle in the Tour of Lombardy is the Madonna del Ghisallo. At the Madonna del Ghisallo there is a shrine with a small museum containing religious and cycling objects and photos. The most successful rider of the Tour of Lombardy was Fausto Coppi, who won the race 5 times. The most recent edition (2005) was won by Paolo Bettini.
1905 - The Tour of Lombardy (Italian: Giro di L ...
1896 - Cycling Races
Begun in 1896, Paris-Roubaix, formerly third of the ten UCI World Cup races and currently part of the UCI ProTour, has become the most famous single-day professional bicycle road race. Paris-Roubaix is regarded as one of the 'Monuments' or Classics of the European professional cycling calendar and carries the nickname Queen of Classics or La Pascale: the Easter race. Organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation and held annually in the mid-April rainy season, over the cobblestoned roads and hard rutted tracks of northern France's coal-mining region, La Pascale leaves riders caked from head to toe in mud and grit. However, this is not how this race earned the nickname l'enfer du Nord, or the Hell of the North. The term was first used to describe the race when it was run immediately following the end of the Great War, or World War I. The race course closely followed the front lines of the war, and hence passed through many of the ruins, craters, and destruction along the way, earning it the name l'enfer du Nord, or the Hell of the North bestowed by the journalists. In 1968, on the guidance of Jean Stablinski, the starting location was changed from Paris to Compiègne, approximately 80 km to the north. Famous for rough terrain, the route of Paris-Roubaix is adjusted slightly from year to year as the older roads are resurfaced and the race organisers seek to replace them with other challenging cobbles, to maintain the character of the race - in 2005, for example, the race included 54.7 km of cobbled sections. The race culminates with 1 km on the Roubaix velodrome. Since 1964, the record average speed of 45.129 km/h has been held by Dutch cyclist Peter Post. The record for the most victories in the race is held by the Belgian cycling legend Roger De Vlaeminck, who between 1972 and 1977 took first place four times (for which he was awarded a trophy in the form of a paving-stone). Octave Lapize (France), Gaston Rebry (Belgium), Rik Van Looy (Belgium), Eddy Merckx (Belgium), Francesco Moser (Italy), and Johan Museeuw (Belgium) each have won three times. Italian legends Jules Rossi and Fausto Coppi won in 1937 and 1950 respectively. The only German winner of Paris-Roubaix was Josef Fischer, who won the first year the race was held, 1896. Belgian cyclists have won 47 times, French cyclists 30. Paris-Roubaix is often compared to the other famous cobbled road race, the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) held in Belgium. The two courses differ as Paris-Roubaix' course is more flat, and has more technical cobbled sections. Hence the race is often followed by the reverse numbering of the cobble sections. Ronde van Vlaanderen by comparison contains a series of hills, many of which are on cobbles. Hence the race is often followed according to the names of these hills. The 260 km race starts in Compiègne and follows a winding route northwards towards Roubaix, hitting the first cobbled sections after about 100 km. From 1977 to 2004, the course was routed through the challenging Wallers-Arenberg Forest, situated after approximately 166 km. Until 1998 the entry to the Arenberg pave section was slightly downhill, leading to a sprint to get to the front of the pack to gain the best position. However, in 1999, to reduce the speed of the peloton as it entered the Arenberg, the route was reversed. In 2005 the Trouée d'Arenberg (Arenberg Trench) section was left out altogether, with the organisers saying that conditions in this section has deteriorated beyond safety limits. The Arenberg area was formerly a coal mining region, and the abandoned mines had caused many sections of the road to subside. As well as the Arenberg Trench, other difficult sections include the 3000 m Mons-en-Pévèle (after 213 km) and the 2100m Le Carrefour de l’Arbre (at 244 km) — often decisive in the final kilometres of the race, which ironically ends on the smooth concrete expanses of the large outdoor velodrome in Roubaix.
1896 - Begun in 1896, Paris-Roubaix, formerly t ...
1896 - Cycling Races
Paris-Tours is a French single day classic cycling race which takes place in October towards the end of the European season. The route runs from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours on a fairly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys, the highest point in the race being only 200 metres at Le Gault-du-Perche. It has become known as the “Sprinters Classic” because the event has frequently ended in a bunch sprint on the 3 km long Avenue du Grammont in Tours. Since 2005 the race is part of the UCI ProTour. Paris-Tours was first run as an amateur competition in 1896, making it one of the oldest cycling races in the world, it was organised by the magazine Paris-Velo, who described that first edition won by Eugène Prévost as, “A crazy, unheard of, unhoped for success”, however despite this, it was five years before the race was run again and a further five years (1906) before it became an annual event for professionals with the magazine l’Auto as the organisers. The record for the most victories in Paris-Tours stands at three, jointly held by four riders, Gustaf Daneels (1934, 1936, 1937), Paul Mayé (1941, 1942, 1945) and Guido Reybroeck (1964, 1966, 1968) and Erik Zabel (1994, 2003, 2005).
1896 - Paris-Tours is a French single day class ...
1896 - Cycling Races
Paris-Brussels is a semi classic European bicycle race. It is one of the oldest races on the international cycling calendar. Paris-Brussels was first run in 1893 as an amateur event over two days. The race was for a long time part of the Spring Classics with a place in the calendar towards the end of April, sandwiched in between Paris-Roubaix and Gent-Wevelgem. The event lost its prestige however in 1966 when the Dutch cycling authorities decided they wanted to promote their own Spring Classic and the Amstel Gold Race was born. In addition to this competition from the Dutch, the race was adversely affected by traffic problems between the two capital cities and the race was not run between 1967 and 1972. When the race returned in 1973 it was with a midweek date towards the end of September, just before Paris-Tours. The 1973 edition of the race was won by Eddy Merckx (the great man's only win in the event). Most individual wins in Paris-Brussels for a single rider stands at three, jointly held by Octave Lapize (France) and Felix Sellier (Belgium), strangely enough both riders won their three races “on the trot”, Lapize won in 1911, 1912 and 1913 and Sellier won in 1922, 1923 and 1924. Lapize could easily have had four victories but he was disqualified after winning the 1910 race for not observing a neutralised mid-race section. Before 1926, the race was always over 400 km in length, but this has gradually been reduced over the years with the 2004 edition being over a distance of 225 km, although as recently as 1987 the distance was 309 km when Wim Arras triumphed. The quickest edition of the race was run in 1975 when a tailwind assisted an amazing pace with Freddy Maertens coming home first with an average speed of 46.11 km per hour. Today the race starts at Soissons, in the Picardie region, 85 kilometres north-east of Paris, although prior to 1996 the race started in Noyon in the same area and during the 1980s the starting point was the town of Senlis in southern Picardie . The race has a mostly level profile for much of the route but towards the back end there are several testing cobbled climbs such as the Alsemberg, Mont Saint Roch and the Keperenberg. The race ended for many years in the Anderlecht district of Brussels outside the Constant Vanden Stock football stadium in the Place de Linde. However, a change of finish has been announced for the 2005 race which takes on September 10th with the race now concluding at the famous Atomium landmark in the centre of Brussels. 1996 saw another change to the race when it was moved from its traditional midweek date to a Saturday. The quality of the field for the Paris-Brussels has suffered since the Vuelta a España moved to a September start in 1995, with many of the better sprinter-roadmen preferring the Spanish Tour.
1896 - Paris-Brussels is a semi classic Europea ...
1895 - Cycling Races
The Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic cycling race is the longest one day road bicycle race on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar, being 299.1km in 2005. The race started in 1895 and is Australia's oldest one day race and the world's second oldest one day race, after the Liège-Bastogne-Liège Classic. The route starts in Melbourne and traditionally followed the Princes Highway to Warrnambool on Victoria's western coast. The race was a handicap event from 1895 to 1995, with riders leaving Melbourne at different intervals. From 1996 the race has been conducted as a scratch race with a mass start with up to 250 entrants, categorized into A, B, C, and D grades. In the towns on route there are now sprint points to be earned for a sprint champion competition. With six climbs during the day, a King of the Mountains championship is also at stake. In 1895 Don Charlston conceived the first race after riding from Warrnambool to Melbourne in a personal time trial. The first race was held on 5 October 1895 and won by A. Calder in 11 hours 44 minutes, with a 2 hours handicap start for the 165 mile trip. He suffered a puncture near Geelong which lost him 20 minutes, but crossed the line with a lead of 31 minutes. The fastest time during this first race was recorded by Jim Carpenter from scratch who took 10 hours 52 minutes and finished in 4th place. Of the 50 riders that entered, 24 started and only 7 finished the race. A second race occurred ten weeks later over the same distance. Olympic medal winning cyclist, Dean Woods, set the race record time of 5 hours and 12 minutes in 1990. In 1995 a monument commemorating the race winners was unveiled near the finish line on Raglan Parade, Warrnambool by two times Blue Riband Winner, Sir Hubert Opperman. An honour board was added in 2001 in acknowledgement of the many volunteers involved in the race.
1895 - The Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic cyc ...
1892 - Cycling Races
Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne ("the oldest woman"), is one of the five 'Monuments' of the European professional road cycling calendar, and the oldest. The first edition was run in 1890, but this was just for amateur riders, the first race for professionals took place in 1894 when Leon Houa (who had won that 1890 race as an amateur) triumphed. It is run in the Ardennes region in Belgium, from the city of Liège to Bastogne and back. The Liège-Bastogne-Liège race was part of the Union Cycliste Internationale World Cup race series, and now part of the new UCI ProTour. It is also part of the Belgian Ardennes Classics series of races, which include La Flèche Wallonne (both are organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation). At one time, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège were run on successive days as "Le Weekend Ardennais". Only five riders have achieved the "Ardennes double" by winning both races in the same year: the Swiss Fredi Kubler twice (in 1951 and 1952), Belgians Stan Ockers (1955) and Eddy Merckx (1972), and Italians Moreno Argentin (1991) and Davide Rebellin (2004). The race follows a fairly straightforward 95 km route from Liège to Bastogne, and a winding 163 route back to Liège. The second half contains most of the climbs in the race, such as the Stockeu, Haute-Levee, La Redoute, Saint-Nicolas and the Col de Forges before finishing in the northern Liège suburb of Ans. The many hills in the later part of this race gives many opportunities for riders to attack, and the race often rewards the more aggressive riders such as Michele Bartoli and Paolo Bettini. The race course passes a statue of Eddy Merckx at the top of the Stockeu, on which he once commented, "Don't they build statues only of dead heroes?" Notable winners include 5-time winner Merckx, 4-time winner Argentin, twice winners Italian Paolo Bettini and Ireland's Sean Kelly, and first-time American Tyler Hamilton in 2003.
1892 - Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Do ...
1876 - Cycling Races
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AvailableMilano-Torino is a semi classic European single day cycling race, now run in early March between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Turin over a distance of 199 kilometres. The event was first run in 1876 making it the oldest of the Italian classic races and one of the oldest in the World. The event is organised by the RCS media group who own the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. RCS also organises other top Italian cycling events such as the Giro d'Italia, Milan-San Remo and Tirreno-Adriatico. The race is ranked 1.HC on the UCI continental calendar. In 2005 Milan-Torino returned to it’s traditional date in early March. Prior to 1987 the event was always seven days before Milan-San Remo and was seen as an important preparation race for the Spring Classics, however in 1987 Milano-Torino was switched to a date in October just before the Giro di Lombardi because the race organisers were not happy with the inclement weather conditions characterised by early March in northern Italy. In October the race became part of the “Trittico di Autunno” (Autumn Treble) along with the Giro del Piemonte and the Giro del Lombardi which were all run in the same week. The 2000 edition of the race was not held because of torrential rain which caused catastrophic mud slides in the Piedmont area. The race starts in Novate Milanese just to the north west of Milan and crosses the Ticino river at Vigevano after 40 kilometres, leaving the province of Lombardy and entering Piedmont. The first 95 kilometres of the race are run in a south westerly direction on broad flat roads, the climb of the Vignale Monferrato (293 metres) is encountered and then a series of small undulations take the race to the city of Asti after 130 kilometres. The race route crosses four railway level crossings at 70, 75, 129 and 133 kilometres and these can be important in helping any breakaways if the peloton is held up by a train. At Asti the race swings north westerly towards Turin climbing steadily before tackling the tough climb of the Colle di Superga (620 metres) just 16 kilometres from the finish. The Superga climb is often the springboard for a group of riders to escape before the finish. From the top of the Superga it is a fast picturesque descent into Turin down the Strada Panoramica dei Colli through the Parco Naturale della Collina Torinese to finish in the Fausto Coppi velodrome on Corso Casale in Turin. Milano-Torino is one of the fastest of the classics, Walter Martin won the 1961 edition at an average speed of 45.094 kilometres per hour and this stood for a time as the fastest speed in a classic race until beaten by Marinio Vigna in the 1964 edition of the Tre Valli Varesine. Swiss rider Markus Zberg now holds the record average speed for the race when he won in 1999 at a speed of 45.75 kilometres per hour. The record for the most wins in Milano-Torino stands to the Italian Costante Girardengo who took five victories between 1914 and 1923. Pierino Favalli took a hat trick of wins between 1938 and 1940. Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner, the late Marco Pantani almost lost his life in the 1995 edition of Milano-Torino when police allowed a four wheel drive vehicle onto the course by mistake, Pantani and two other riders ploughed into the vehicle. Pantani sustained multiple leg breaks and missed the entire 1996 season.
1876 - Milano-Torino is a semi classic European ...