Top 10 most prestigious classics?

[Parrulo]

Paris-Roubaix
Ronde van Vlaanderen (old course, move it below LBL and Lombardia on the new one)
Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Giro di Lombardia
Milano-Sanremo
La Flèche Wallonne
Amstel Gold Race
E3-Prijs Harelbeke
Gent-Wevelgem
Paris-Tours

i very much agree with this post

 

[Pantani_lives]

1 P-Roubaix
2 LBL
3 M-SanR
4 RvV (down from 2 to 4 because of the new course)
5 T of Lomb
6 AG Race
7 P-Tours
8 Fleche W
9 Strade Bianche
10 G-Wevelgem

 

[karlboss]

A little surprised to see Strade bianche in some lists, that has quickly gained a reputation.

 

[rghysens]

A couple of years ago (can also be 10 years) a newspaper or cyclingmagazine asked the top 100 riders on the uci-ranking which classic they preferred to win.
The result of this poll was:

1) LBL
2) P-R
3) MSR
4) RVV
5) GDL

I might add to this

6) AGR
7) Fleche Wallone
8) Paris-Tours
9) Gent-Wevelgem
10) Strade Bianci

But of course, prestige is very dependent on the participants and winners. Almost no-one does care anymore for Paris-Bruxelles, for example, While that was a major classic in the 50's

 

[Bavarianrider]

1. Paris -Roubaix
2. Milan-San Remo
3. Ronde van Vlandern
4. Liege -Bastogne -Liege
5. Giro di Lombardia
6. Paris - Tours
7. Fleche Wallone
8. Gent - Wevelgem
9. Classica St. Sebastian
10. Kurne Brussel Kurne

 

[RHRH19861986]

1. Paris -Roubaix
2. Milan-San Remo
3. Ronde van Vlandern
4. Liege -Bastogne -Liege
5. Giro di Lombardia
6. Paris - Tours
7. Fleche Wallone
8. Gent - Wevelgem
9. Classica St. Sebastian
10. Kurne Brussel Kurne

Good list, but leave out Kuurne, which rather has the prestige of Putte-Kapellen...

Het Volk, Paris-Bruxelles or one of the autumn Italian one day races for 10th, or maybe Scheldepriis.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

A couple of years ago (can also be 10 years) a newspaper or cyclingmagazine asked the top 100 riders on the uci-ranking which classic they preferred to win.
The result of this poll was:

1) LBL
2) P-R
3) MSR
4) RVV
5) GDL

That would have been my guess. The first three on your list are "Hors Categorie" now IMO, considering the courses of RVV and GDL.

 

[El Pistolero]

Not really a fair poll, there are loads of Italian cyclists and they obviously will prefer Milan-San Remo over any other. The Spanish cyclists don't really care much, but they'll prefer LBL.

 

[Caruut]

Not really a fair poll, there are loads of Italian cyclists and they obviously will prefer Milan-San Remo over any other. The Spanish cyclists don't really care much, but they'll prefer LBL.

Yeah, all the guys who are actually stage racers will just say LBL. Top 100 riders based on points accrued in one-day races, now that'd be a better poll.

 

[El Pistolero]

I remember Moreno Argentin saying that the Ronde van Vlaanderen was his most beautiful victory after his Worlds title. He won LBL 4 times.

 

[elapid]

1. Paris-Roubaix
2. Ronde van Vlaanderen
3. Liège-Bastogne-Liège
4. Milano-San Remo
5. Giro di Lombardia
6. La Flèche Wallonne
7. Gent-Wevelgem
8. Amstel Gold Race
9. Strade Bianca
10. E3-Prijs Harelbeke

This is just personal preference because I have always enjoyed the cobbled classics above the others, and for this reason Strade Bianca has also made it on to this list. Despite the new course, RvV is a joy to watch as a spectator and there is no better place to watch a bike race than amongst Belgians drinking Belgian beer. I like the fact that certain riders target the cobbled classics and their duels are always highly anticipated and debated, and I do not get this same sense of excitement with the spectators or the main protagonists with the Ardennes classics. They just feel more insipid in their buildup and the excitement, or lack thereof, that they incite in the fans and the cyclists. MSR is usually only exciting in the last 15km when the Poggio starts to become a factor.

 

[El Pistolero]

I do think a lot of opinions will change after Lombardia. With its new date it could attract a lot more attention. I like the final climb of Lombardia, but there's too much flat in-between the 2 final climbs.

 

[Echoes]

I have to make one thing clear for the readers.

Moreno Argentin won the Tour of Flanders in 1990. He had a sh*t year in 1989. He was depressed and considered retiring. Then he met Ferrari and that collaboration was very fruitful indeed. His Tour of Flanders win was his "Renaissance" win. No wonder he had such a good memory of it. It was contextual.

 

[karlboss]

1. Paris-Roubaix
2. Ronde van Vlaanderen
3. Liège-Bastogne-Liège
4. Milano-San Remo
5. Giro di Lombardia
6. La Flèche Wallonne
7. Gent-Wevelgem
8. Amstel Gold Race
9. Strade Bianca
10. E3-Prijs Harelbeke

This is just personal preference because I have always enjoyed the cobbled classics above the others, and for this reason Strade Bianca has also made it on to this list. Despite the new course, RvV is a joy to watch as a spectator and there is no better place to watch a bike race than amongst Belgians drinking Belgian beer. I like the fact that certain riders target the cobbled classics and their duels are always highly anticipated and debated, and I do not get this same sense of excitement with the spectators or the main protagonists with the Ardennes classics. They just feel more insipid in their buildup and the excitement, or lack thereof, that they incite in the fans and the cyclists. MSR is usually only exciting in the last 15km when the Poggio starts to become a factor.

With luck they'll use a tougher route through cipressa, I found one, though not very wide, 1.66km at an average of 17%...I dare say that would change things

 

[Cult Classics]

So as I understand it it's a question of prestige, not my faves

1. Roubaix
2. Flanders
3. San Remo
4. Liege
5. Lombardia
6. Amstel
7. Fleche Wallonne
8. Paris-Tours
9. San Sebastian
10. Gent-Wevelgem

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Good list, but leave out Kuurne, which rather has the prestige of Putte-Kapellen...

Het Volk, Paris-Bruxelles or one of the autumn Italian one day races for 10th, or maybe Scheldepriis.

Scheldeprijs? What have you been smoking? Omloop, I understand. But Scheldeprijs? The Official Worst Race In The World®?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

I do think a lot of opinions will change after Lombardia. With its new date it could attract a lot more attention. I like the final climb of Lombardia, but there's too much flat in-between the 2 final climbs.

Attention is one thing, but the course will still be crap as is RVV's new course. I'm not opposed to an overhaul of a "classic" course if the old one no longer works or is no longer possible, but there is no excuse for what they did to Lombardia and Flanders. Both Monuments deserve much better.

 

[karlboss]

Attention is one thing, but the course will still be crap as is RVV's new course. I'm not opposed to an overhaul of a "classic" course if the old one no longer works or is no longer possible, but there is no excuse for what they did to Lombardia and Flanders. Both Monuments deserve much better.

What is sooooo horrible about the new finish to Flanders? I don't think it needed to be changed, and preferred the old one, but it isn't so horrible.

 

[El Pistolero]

2009 Ronde was a lot worse than this year's edition. I don't get why everyone is whining about the new route. It didn't lose any prestige because of it.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

What is sooooo horrible about the new finish to Flanders? I don't think it needed to be changed, and preferred the old one, but it isn't so horrible.

To each his own?

It's not just a new finish, it's a completely different race to me. It's kind of like an equally boring AGR-style circuit race with some cobbles thrown in. More predictable and dependent on crashes to keep it interesting.

 

[The Hitch]

A shame that few people recognise the prestige of winning in front of a million fans and having your picture plastered over every newspaper in a country vs winning in front a couple thousand of fans and getting a few column inches under the horse racing section, as is the case in the other 4 monuments,

 

[RHRH19861986]

Scheldeprijs? What have you been smoking? Omloop, I understand. But Scheldeprijs? The Official Worst Race In The World®?

It´s 1.HC. It has a very, very long tradition (100 editions). And it´s "sprinters unofficial world championships" with a great winners list.

 

[Panda Claws]

A shame that few people recognise the prestige of winning in front of a million fans and having your picture plastered over every newspaper in a country vs winning in front a couple thousand of fans and getting a few column inches under the horse racing section, as is the case in the other 4 monuments,

Italy is cyclingcrazy too? As is France? Perhaps not to that degree but still.

Anyway, our newspapers here in Belgium are almost as filled with LBL news as they were with RVV news.

 

[rghysens]

Italy is cyclingcrazy too? As is France? Perhaps not to that degree but still.

Anyway, our newspapers here in Belgium are almost as filled with LBL news as they were with RVV news.

Dream on baby, dream on,...

I was in Italy the weekend of MSR and when I watched the tv-news at 8pm (wasn't RAI), not a word about MSR, but a lot on football and the training sessions of a formula 1 event.

France cares about the tour, and maybe paris-nice and Paris-Roubaix.

Belgian (flemish) newspapers are now filled with news about LBL, because we have some contenders. It was a lot less so in the period between vdb and gilbert.

 

[spalco]

Despite its influence on cycling, Belgium really isn't that "important" of a country though.