The Spring Classics hold a special place in the hearts of cycling fans and with good reason, as all who have tackled one will attest too.

Sportives are attached to many of the Spring Classics – the monuments of the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege included.

The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are the pick of the bunch thanks to their iconic cobbled climbs and bone-jarring pavé respectively.

This year, the Ronde – the sportive of which sold out well in advance of the day – takes place on Sunday April 5 with three sportive distances of 83km, 133km and 259km available to ride the previous day.

Paris-Roubaix, meanwhile, is the following Sunday with the Paris-Roubaix Challenge taking in 170km from Busigny to Roubaix on Saturday April 11.

Both sportives take place on the day before the race itself, which means, having tackled the course, you can see how it’s meant to be done and many tour companies offer full weekend packages.

And if you need any more convincing as to why you should tackle the iconic pave of Paris-Roubaix, here are eight reasons to add the challenge to your bucket list.