Ride a Spring Classic

If heroes are made at the Tour de France then warriors are born at the Spring Classics – and you can ride one, too.

Many of the Spring Classics – including the Tour of Flanders, Paris Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Amstel Gold Race – have an associated sportive.

The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are the pick of the bunch thanks to their cobbled climbs and bone-jarring pavé respectively. The 2014 Tour of Flanders will take place on Saturday April 5, with three routes offered – 80km, 133km and the full 259km – while the Paris-Roubaix Challenge will see sportive riders tackle 70km, 140km and 170km courses on Saturday April 12.

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.