The cobbled classics are four cycling classics held in March and April.

Cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...

s, like mountainous terrain, are important elements in courses of

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

. Many

classic cycle races The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional road cycling races in the international calendar. Some of these events date back to the 19th century. They are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most ...

in northwestern Europe contain cobbled sections. The two

Monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

of this race type are the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders () may refer to the following cycle races: * Tour of Flanders (men's race) The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spri ...

and Paris–Roubaix, with over 20 cobbled sectors.

History

The first race with cobbled sections is Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, which traditionally opens the Belgian classics season, followed the next day by Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. Starting in late March, the Flemish Cycling Week (''Vlaamse Wielerweek'') kicks off the most important period for cobbled cycling classics. Currently it features the Driedaagse van De Panne on Wednesday (formerly a stage race, now a one-day event), the E3 Harelbeke on Friday, and

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

on Sunday. The following week, Dwars door Vlaanderen keeps the riders busy, concluding with the Monument

on Sunday. The Scheldeprijs on the following Wednesday prepare the riders for the historical Paris–Roubaix (another Monument), which ends the cobbled classics. Among the cobbled cycling races, the three most historical are usually held on consecutive Sundays in March and April:

and Paris–Roubaix. Gent–Wevelgem has lost a lot of its historical status due to its relatively easy route. The E3 Harelbeke is considered to be harder and thus better preparation for the Ronde and Roubaix. In 2012, both races received equal status on the UCI World Tour. In 2017, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Northwestern Europe) and Dwars door Vlaanderen became World Tour races. In 2012, Belgian rider Tom Boonen managed to win all four races in the same season, as the first and only rider to do so. In the 2010s, some of the races have been joined by equivalent races for women – Gent–Wevelgem for Women, Tour of Flanders for Women and Paris–Roubaix Femmes.

History

Winners

Men's (since 1990)

Women's (since 2004)

Statistics

Most cobbled classics wins per male rider

Most cobbled classics wins per women rider

See also

References