THE CLASSICS 2021 - Castelli Cycling

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

There's a Christmas song that claims the end of December is the "most wonderful time of the year," but for many cycling fans and riders - I think we can make a claim that the end of March into April is just that.

On Friday, the high point of the spring kicks off with what one could call the semi-classics, but it does not do their difficulty or prestige justice. I guess if we call the Ronde and Roubaix (RIP) Monuments, then E3, Gent-Wevelgem, and Dwars door Vlaanderen can certainly live on as Classics.

It's a jam-packed period of racing beginning with E3 on Friday, followed by Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, then Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, and finally, the Ronde van Vlaanderen next Sunday.

In what feels like a long, long time ago, we used to follow the Ronde with Roubaix, but for the second straight year, Roubaix has fallen victim to COVID. Here's to crossing fingers for a fall edition.

MEASURING THE FAVORITES.

16 climbs, 15 of which come in a crucial 100k section of racing. It's hard not to think of this as the Hill Climbing Championships of Flanders. It's hard. Really hard. It's not a coincidence that only ONE Ronde winner in the last eight years finished outside of the top four at E3. It's a big deal. If you're not excellent at E3, you stand little to no chance of a miracle come Easter Sunday and the Ronde.

Of course, all eyes will once again be on Wout Van Aert and Mathieu Van der Poel, but as we learned at Milano-Sanremo, there are actually other bike racers who can win these big races - which is fantastic. We love a good duel, but a wide open, aggressive bike race is definitely the most fun to enjoy. Right?

! The start list is certainly a who's who of possible winners: Pidcock, Van Avermaet, Stuyven, Vanmarcke, Stybar, Gilbert, Matthews, Naesen, Bettiol, Van Baarle, Pedersen, Trentin, etc etc etc. Basically, the only two stars that won't be there are Julian Alaphilippe and Peter Sagan.

AN ODE TO THE FANS, PART I.

The Belgian Classics will be fan-free for a second straight year, so here's a tip of the hat to the people.

PATERBERG/KWAREMONT COMBO

E3 utilizes the classic combo of cobbles: Paterberg and Kwaremont, but switches the Ronde order, which makes the Kwaremont all the more difficult.

SINGLE-FILE, FULL GAS BIKE RACING.

PATERBERG.

The Paterberg is quite the party in non-COVID years. There are no barriers, so the fans crowd the road, and riders take full advantage of the Paterberg's gutter - something they won't be able to do at the Ronde when the barriers go up.

THE SEINGEVER.

Nothing says Belgium quite like the humble Seingever.

TRIEU/KARNEMELKBEEK.

The Oude Kwaremont is justifiably famous, but there are a few other hills right next to the Kwaremont that climb the exact same ridge. Just a few meters over on the other side of the road are two tough paved climbs: the Côte du Trieu (because it's in Wallonia) and Karnemelkbeekstraat - just a few meters to the west and back in Flanders. The climbs aren't huge by any means, but it's amazing how much 1-4 minute climbs can do the job when they come one after the other after the other after the other.

Karnemelkbeek is the final decisive climb in the race, and generally, this is where the attacks happen - or that Kwaremont attack that happened a few minutes ago - is solidified. Yes, I know that Tiegemberg is the true final climb of the race, but it's nowhere near as decisive.

AN ODE TO THE FANS, PART II.

GENT-WEVELGEM.

After a rest day on Saturday, the riders get back to it on Sunday in Ypres for Gent-Wevelgem. While E3 is defined by climb after climb after climb in the Vlaamse Ardennen, Gent-Wevelgem has two distinct parts: the windswept first part of the day, which takes the riders to the far northwestern corner of Belgium, then through what has to be the windiest part of Belgium: de Moeren. After a good dose of wind, they hit the hilly circuits in Heuvelland.

PLUGSTREETS.

The Plugstreets were recently introduced to Gent-Wevelgem and have quickly taken hold. I can't imagine the race without them and can barely remember what it was like before them. They feel like a perfect addition to a race that seems to have a little bit of everything - so - why not some narrow dirt roads?

PLUGSTREETS, PART II.

Now, for the fast people.

KEMMELBERG.

The mens' race takes on the iconic Kemmelberg three times: twice from the "easier" side and once, in the finale, from the extra hard short side - peaking out at a vicious 23%.

KEMMELBERG, PART II.

Now, for the fast people.

AT THE FINISH IN WEVELGEM.

For such a difficult, windswept, hilly race, Gent-Wevelgem still often comes down to some sort of bunch finish. It's always touch and go whether the group that separates itself the final time up the Kemmelberg can hold off the pursuing peloton full of sprinter hopefuls.