Easter in Flanders for the Spring Classics

Post date: Mar 26, 2018 10:10:56 AM

(By Shay O'Toole - Sun. 25th March 2018)

The next few weeks sees some of the best and most entertaining World Tour races of the year taking place in the form of the Spring Classics in Belgium. This series of races, also known as the Monuments are famous for the short but steep cobbled hills and farm lanes which they criss-cross in the Flanders region of Belgium.

One of the unique aspects of the sport of cycling compared to many other sports is the fact that amateur riders can participate on the very same courses as the professionals and next weekend there will be five Wheelers at the Ronde van Vlaanderen or the Tour of Flanders.

The amateur sportive takes place on Easter Saturday and covers 180kms of the 275kms that the pros will do on Easter Sunday. Best of luck to Jack Nugent, Charlie Sheridan, Graham Morgan, Robbie Kenny and Shay O’Toole who will be tackling such famous climbs as the Muur de Gerrardsbergen, The Paterberg and the dreaded Koppenberg which has a horrible 22% maximum gradient.

No doubt the lads will have a detailed report of their trip for the PRO dept on their return.