Spring Classics Preview

5 Great YouTube Teaser Videos of The Spring Classics

The Spring Classics start with the semi-classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. These teaser videos preview some of the greatest races in the Spring Classics calendar. Cycling’s Spring Classics are not only a central story in the history of the sport, they signal that summer cycling is not far away!

The Spring Classics proper start with “la classica di Primavera” Milan-San Remo. The remainder of the Spring Classics are made up the by the cobbled classics of  Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix and the Ardennes Classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Preview the Spring Classics season with these great YouTube teaser videos.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (formerly Omloop Het Volk) is the season opener for the Spring Classics. This analytical clip examines how Flecha won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for Team Sky’s first semi-classic victory:

Milan-San Remo

Mark Cavendish, Matthew Goss and the HTC team preview the first true Classic of the year: Milan – San Remo or “la classica di Primavera”. Milan-San Remo is one of The Five Monuments of cycling and in this clip the HTC train show their admiration of the race ahead of Matt Goss’s 2011 Milan-San Remo victory:

Tour of Flanders

The Tour of Flanders or “Ronde van Vlaanderen” is one of the toughest Spring Classics, The race features tortuous cobbled hills and is held one week before Paris-Roubaix. This is a well-shot documentary with beautiful retro footage and reviews from Eddy Merckx, Fabian Cancellera, Tom Boonen and Phillipe Gilbert. You can really see mentality of the riders who love the punishment of the Spring Classics in this film. Warning: there’s a bit if funky Euro Pop thrown in to for good measure:

Paris-Roubaix – Hell of the North

Paris-Roubaix is perhaps the most famous of the Spring Classics. This is a beautifully made teaser for Paris-Roubaix the “Queen of the Classics” or “Hell of the North” with insights from Phil Liggett, Fabian Cancellara, Paul Sherwan, Bjarne Riis, Juan Antonio Flecha and Graham Watson:

For a full length version of the classic cycling film Hell of the North see our indoor bike training tips post.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the last of the Spring Classics and oldest of the Five Monuments, first held in 1892. In this clip the Schelck brothers attack at Roche-aux-Faucons and only Phillipe Gilbert can live with the burst of pace. Gilbert sticks to their wheels like glue to set up an incredible finale to the 2011 Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Spring Training Camp

If you are training for a sportive next summer SwissRetrteat’s early season sportive training holiday will help you turn winter training into peak fitness.

All of our cycling holidays feature local Swiss cycling sportives, so if you are training for a big challenge like the Marmotte or Etape du Tour then get race fit by training in the Alps on a SwissRetreat cycling tour.