March marks the start of spring and, with it, the Spring Classics and the first four Monuments of the year: Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

It’s one of the most intense and exciting periods on the professional racing calendar, and one which captures the imagination of fans each and every year. The long, grueling climbs of the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana are swapped for the Poggio, Koppenberg, Arenberg Forest and Stockeu. Mountain passes may be replaced by short, steep ascents and cobbles, the roads are no less iconic.

And each races (and a number of the semi-Classics, including Gent-Wevelgem) give amateurs a chance to ride the same roads, with an accompanying sportive giving Joe Bloggs the opportunity to follow in the tyre tracks of cycling legends past and present. Many of the sportives take place on the same weekend of the pro race, offering a perfect ride-and-watch double-header. Just as the Spring Classics are some of the most eagerly anticipated races on the calendar, so are the sportives.

And most events, with Milan-San Remo the obvious exception, are relatively easy to reach from the UK – just a short hop across the Channel and the perfect excuse for a weekend away.

A number of tour operators run trips to the Spring Classics and accompanying sportives, but their proximity means a DIY trip can be put together easy enough, with entries, travel and accommodation relatively simple to organise and pick up – and it’s not too late to round-up your riding buddies for a 2015 trip.

We’ve picked out six of the best Spring Classic sportives over the following pages – and if you don’t fancy a cross-Channel trip, a number of UK-based sportives inspired by the Classics are cropping up on the calendar, too. We’ve picked out a handful to choose from.