AND LORE AND AND LORE AND STORY STORY l l H Part Part V: Part V: H impressions memories, Highlights, impressions memories, Highlights, Traditional One -Day European Classic Races

EVENT YEAR DATE (2008) LENGTH FIELD (M/W) NOTES BEGUN (M/W)

99th -San Remo (ITA) 1907 March 22 298 km 200 (25 x 8) Nicknamed La Primavera (“The Spring”)

Cobbled Classics 92nd Ronde van Vlaanderran (Tour of 1913 April 6 264/114 km 200 (25 x 8)/ Women’s race added in 2004 – BEL) 192 (32 x 6) 70th Gent-Wevelgem (BEL) 1934 April 9 209 km 200 (25 x 8) 106th - (FRA) 1896 April 13 259 km 200 (25 x 8) Nicknamed La Reine (Queen of Classics) or Le Enfer du Nord (Hell of the North)

43rd (NED) 1966 April 20 257 km 184 (23 x 8) 72nd La Flèche Wallonne (BEL) 1936 April 23 200/104 km 200 (25 x 8)/ ‘The Walloon Arrow’; women’s race added in 1996 150 (25 x 6) 94th Liège-Bastogne-Liège (BEL) 1892 April 27 261 km 240 (30 x 8) Nicknamed La Doyenne (“The Old One”); not held 1895-1907 Others

28th Clásica de San Sebastián (ESP) 1981 August 2 225 km 176 (22 x 8) 88th Paris-Bruxxelles (FRA/BEL) 1893 September 13 ~225 km 168 finishers Not held 1967-72, moved to fall in 1973 94th Züri-Metzgete, or Meistershaft von 1914 October 1 ? 64/169 Cancelled in 2007 due lack of sponsors; status as Zürich (Championship of Zürich – SUI) classic in doubt 102nd (ITA) 1905 October 18 242 km 192 (24 x 8) “The Race of the Falling Leaves;” called Milano- Milano the first two editions ParisParis --RoubaixRoubaix

 The most famous of European Spring Classics – known as the “Queen of Classics” or “Le Enfer du Nord” (Hell of the North)

 First edition in 1896; not the oldest classic, but has been held more times than any other

 Race now actually starts outside of Paris and finishes with a lap of the

 Terrain is flat, but the test is extreme due to the ‘pavé’ (below) – narrow sections of ancient roads paved with cobbles that are often more like small boulders or loaves of bread than typical American cobblestones

 The 2008 edition had 28 sections of pavé totaling 53 km

 Conditions range from wet and muddy (making the cobbles slippery) to dry and dusty (which can make breathing a challenge) The Arenberg Passage

The Trouée d'Arenberg (Trench of Arenberg) is a decisive section of Paris-Roubaix.

This narrow 2.4 km run through the Arenberg forest was ‘found’ by , a professional rider who had worked in the mine that lies below the woods. It was first used in 1968, but was banned from 1974 to 1983 by the National Office of Forestry.

Although almost 100 km from Roubaix, it usually proves to be pivotal; as Stablinski observed, “Paris-Roubaix is not won in Arenberg, but from there the group with the winners is selected.”

Until 1998, the entry to the Arenberg pavé was slightly downhill, causing a sprint to get the best position. After ’s crash in 1998 as World Cup leader – which nearly caused him to lose his leg to gangrene – the route was reversed to reduce the speed of the peloton as it entered the forest.

By 2005, the abandoned mine (it closed in 1990) had caused sections of the road to sink, and the Arenberg was omitted from the parcours, as race organisers judged conditions had deteriorated beyond safe limits. Following repairs to restore the original width of three meters, it was added back to the race route the next year.

“Monsieur Paris -Roubaix ”

In the 112-year history of the race, one rider showed such mastery of the cobbles that he was given the title of “Monsieur Paris-Roubaix.”

In 14 starts from 1969-83, ’s Roger DeVlaeminck recorded 4 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third, and 4 other top-10 placings – a record unmatched even by the great . He abandoned only , in 1980. DeVlaeminck’s skill as a cyclocross rider – he was amateur world champion in 1968 and pro champion in 1975 – made him expert on the pavé of northern , as well as the other cobbled classics.

De Vlaeminck used the early-season Tirreno- Adriatico stage race as training for the Spring Classics and dominated that race too, with six overall victories and fifteen stage wins between 1972 and 1977. Ranking of Top Classic Riders

RIDER CAREER MMM-M---SRSRSRSR RvVRvVRvV GGG-G---VVVV PPP-P---RRRR LLL-L---BBBB----LLLL GdL AGR FFF-F---WWWW ZMZMZM PPP-P---BBBB PPP-P---TTTT WCWCWC TOTAL SPAN RRRRRR TTTTTT Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1966-78 7 2 3 3 5 2 2 3 1 3 1 28+4 (BEL) 1953-70 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 16+2 (BEL) 1969-87 3 1 4 1 2 1 1 1 14 (NED) 1975-85 1 2 1 1 5 1 2 1 13+1 (BEL) 1943-66 1 2 2 2 2 1 3 10+3 (ITA) 1973-88 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 11+1 (FRA) 1975-86 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 5 10+6 (ITA) 1938-59 3 1 5 1 1 2 10+3 Seán Kelly (IRL) 1977-94 2 1 2 2 3 1 1 11+1 Johan Museeuw (BEL) 1988-04 3 3 1 2 1 1 10+1 (ITA) 1981-94 1 4 1 3 1 9+1 Albéric (Brik) Schotte (BEL) 1939-59 2 2 2 2 2 8+2 (ITA) 1924-36 2 4 3 3 9+3 (ITA) 1997- 1 2 2 2 2 7+2 (ITA) 1912-36 6 3 9 (BEL) 1972-86 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 6+3 (ITA) 1965-79 1 1 1 1 1 2 4+3 (FRA) 1953-69 1 1 9 2+9 M-SR – Milan-San Remo RvV – G-V – Gent Wevelgem P-R – Paris-Roubaix L-B-L – Liège-Bastogne-Liège GdL – Giro di Lombardia AGR – Amstel Gold Race F-W – La Fleche Wallone ZM – Züri-Metzgete P-B – Paris-Bruxxelles P-T – Paris-Tours WC – world championships. Note: the first world championship trial was held in 1994; previous to that, wins in the are credited, since it served as something of a de facto world championship TT.

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U U 19521952 TourTour dede FranceFrance Fausto Coppi, Il Campionissimo, first atop L’Alpe d’Huez 19551955 TourTour dede FranceFrance , first to win three straight 19591959 TourTour dede FranceFrance , the Angel of the Mountain 19641964 TourTour dede FranceFrance The Epic Duel: Anquetil vs. Poulidor, Le Puy de Dôme

19641964 TourTour dede FranceFrance The Lap of Honor, Parc de Princes Vèlodrome 19691969 TourTour dede FranceFrance Eddy Merckx 19691969 TourTour dede FranceFrance Eddy Merckx 19751975 TourTour dede FranceFrance The Fall of King Eddy

…Merckx soon cracked, allowing Bernard Thévenet (above) to assume race leadership and go on to win, but Merckx refused to concede until the very end, despite a crash that required his jaw to be wired shut.

Stage 15: Eddy Merckx leading on the col d’Allos, the final moments of his record 96 days in the yellow jersey... 19791979 TourTour dede FranceFrance Bernard Hinault & , 1-2 finish on the Champs-Elysées 19811981 TourTour dede FranceFrance Stage 12b finish – Zolder, Belgium Eddy Plankaert, Guido Van Calster, and Bernard Hinault 19811981 TourTour dede FranceFrance Bernard Hinault 19861986 TourTour dede FranceFrance LeMond & Hinault on L’Alpe d’Huez 19891989 TourTour dede FranceFrance LeMond, suddenly in yellow: back where he always belonged 19901990 TourTour dede FranceFrance LeMond and Bugno sprint for the line atop L’Alpe d’Huez 19901990 TourTour dede FranceFrance Marino Lejaretta, , and LeMond on Luz-Ardiden 19941994 TourTour dede FranceFrance Miguel Induráin Ranking of Riders

GRAND TOUR PRO PODIUM FINISHES TOTALS RIDER (COUNTRY) CARRER (first-second-third) COMMENT SPAN Giro Tour Vuelta Wins Points*

Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1966-78 5-0-0 5-1-0 1-0-0 11 35 Greatest depth and breadth of wins; master of both classics and stage races Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1975-86 3-0-0 5-2-0 2-0-0 10 34 Virtually the equal of Merckx in stage race success Jacques Anquetil (FRA) 1953-69 2-2-2 5-0-1 1-0-0 8 31 Unexcelled recuperative powers and time trialing prowess; first to win all three Grand Tours Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1938-59 5-2-0 2-0-0 0 7 25 Perhaps the greatest pure talent, but fragile (ITA) 1935-54 3-4-0 2-1-0 0 5 25 Like Coppi, what would he have done if not for the war? Miguel Induráin (ESP) 1984-96 2-0-1 5-0-0 0-1-0 7 24 Unprecedented back to-back Giro-Tour doubles in ’92-’93 – at the dawn of the EPO era Felice Gimondi (ITA) 1965-79 3-2-1 1-1-0 1-0-0 5 22 An extra 2 Tours and 1 Giro without Merckx to contend with… (USA) 1992-05, 09- 0 7-0-1 0 7 22 Tour record was aided by singular competitive focus Joop Zoetemelk (NED) 1970-87 0 1-6-0 1-0-0 2 18 …again, without Merckx (and Hinault), add 4 more Tours Alfredo Binda (ITA) 1924-36 5-1-0 0 0 5 17 Dominated the Giro like none other except perhaps Coppi (GER) 1995-06 0 1-5-1 1-0-0 2 17 Armstrong’s only real challenger (FRA) 1959-77 0 0-3-5 1-1-0 1 16 ‘Strong as a bull, too bad he rode like one too’; made Tour podium at age 40 (SUI) 1986-97 1-0-0 0-1-0 3-0-1 4 15 A late bloomer, had bad luck at the Tour (ESP) 1982-94 0 1-1-1 2-1-1 3 15 With LeMond, Ullrich, & 6 others, a full set of Tour medals Greg LeMond (USA) 1981-94 0-0-1 3-1-1 0 3 14 We only glimpsed his best; special talent and unique personality (FRA) 1982-93 1-1-0 2-1-0 0-0-1 3 14 Early promise not quite fulfilled Louison Bobet (FRA) 1947-61 0-1-0 3-0-1 0 3 12 Anquetil the natural, Bobet the self-made rider Alex Zülle (SUI) 1990-04 0 0-2-0 2-1-0 2 12 Crash-prone due to poor eyesight; with Armstrong, Rominger, & Simoni, part of the EPO era 1999- 2-1-4 0 0 2 12 Never a bad Giro, never a good Tour (ESP) 2003- 1-0-0 2-0-0 1-0-0 3 12 Youngest to win all three Grand Tours *Points awarded on a 3-2-1 basis for first, second, and third place, respectively. Names in bold are also listed in the ranking of Classics riders. Ranking of Grand Tour Riders (cont.)

GRAND TOUR PRO PODIUM FINISHES TOTALS RIDER CARRER (first-second-third) COMMENT SPAN Giro Tour Vuelta Wins Points* (ITA) 1941-56 3-1-0 0 0 3 11 Did the collar bone thing long before Luis Ocaña (ESP) 1968-77 0 1-0-0 1-2-1 2 11 Humbled Merckx in ’71 Tour and was on his way to winning before crashing out 1973-84 2-0-2 0 1-0-0 2 11 ’81 Giro-Vuelta double (with 3 days rest in between!) is one of only two (Merckx did the other) (LUX) 1922-34 0 2-2-0 0 2 10 (SUI) 1946-58 1-2-0 1-0-0 0 2 10 Brilliant accomplishments, tragic death Charly Gaul (LUX) 1953-65 2-0-2 1-0-2 0 3 10 GT wins founded on epic mountain performances, especially in extreme conditions Bernard Thévenet (FRA) 1970-81 0-0-1 2-1-0 0-0-1 2 10 Brought down Merckx, was brought down by cortisone Julián Berendero (ESP) 1935-49 0 0 2-2-0 2 10 Another robbed by WWII; Bahamontes’s inspiration (ESP) 1995-05 0 0 3-0-1 3 10 Had record fourth Vuelta taken away; were any of the others clean? (FRA) 1907-14 0 1-2-2 0 1 9 The Joop Zoetemelk of the Tour’s early years (FRA) 1911-26 0 3-0-0 0 3 9 The first great GC rider; robbed by , otherwise, 5-6 Tours (FRA) 1927-39 0 2-1-1 0 2 9 With Leducq, ’s first ‘dual act’, succeeded by Coppi/Bartali, Anquetil/Poulidor, etc. Francesco Moser (ITA) 1973-88 1-3-0 0 0 1 9 Giro win was aided by cancellation of mountain stage 1977-88 2-1-1 0 0 2 9 A for the GC, or a GC rider who could sprint? Costante Girardengo (ITA) 1912-36 2-1-0 0 0 2 8 First master of the Giro; unequalled longevity Ottavio Bottechia (ITA) 1922-26 0 2-1-0 0 2 8 Promise was cut short by mysterious death André Leducq (FRA) 1927-38 0 2-1-0 0 2 8 Outgoing and jocular, the temperamental opposite of his great rival Magne (ESP) 1954-65 0 1-1-1 0-1-0 1 8 The “Eagle of Toledo” could soar, but not descend… (ITA) 1960-72 2-1-0 0 0 2 8 1997-07 2-1-0 0 0 2 8 …while “The Falcon” used his descending skills to snatch a Giro back from Simoni (BEL) 1969-87 0 1-1-3 0 1 8 15 Tour starts, 15 finishes – second only to Zoetemelk Antithesis of his contemporary and countryman, the cool, stylish Koblet; won the points jersey Ferdi Kübler (SUI) 1940-56 0-0-2 1-1-0 0 1 7 in ’54 Tour *Points awarded on a 3-2-1 basis for first, second, and third place, respectively. Names in bold are also listed in the ranking of Classics riders.