Northern Classics 1 – 0 Ardennes Week

The period of the season known collectively as the Spring Classics, as anyone who follows professional cycling will know, is composed of very different constituent parts: Milan-San Remo, the Northern Classics and Ardennes Week.

While La Primavera and the cobbled races delivered excitement by the bucket load, this year’s Ardennes races were largely tactical affairs, each decided in the final few kilometres. A heroic victory for Philippe Gilbert placed a sheen on an otherwise routine Amstel Gold Race, while few beyond Alejandro Valverde’s immediate family will have drawn joy from watching the Spaniard ride away from his crash-delayed rivals on the Mur at La Fleche Wallonne.

The cobbled Classics, by contrast, were a joy to behold this year, continuing a tone set by another heroic edition of Milan-San Remo. Fabian Cancellara claimed a third victory at the Tour of Flanders with a combination of strength and guile after Greg Van Avermaet had animated the race with another display of constant attacking. And the 2014 Paris-Roubaix stands comparison with any, when after a day thrust and counter thrust, Niki Terpstra broke the hearts of nine of the best riders in the world by launching a heroic solo assault just six kilometres from home.

There is much to be said for ending a race with a leg-breaking climb, but when those equipped for the task base an entire strategy around it, the spectator can be left frustrated. The men of the cobbles do not have such a luxury and are forced to use the entire race distance to make their luck. The result, this year at least, has been a decisive victory in the excitement stakes for the Northern Classics.