What are the biggest one-day races aside from the Monuments/WCRR/Olympic Games?

[gunara]

Ones with the biggest feel to me are the two Ardennes, AGR and FW. It's just a big week, only behind the RVV-Itzulia-PR, some GT weeks, and Worlds for me.

SB is a unique race, can't deny its magic, but its place being so close to the 2 week-long stage races makes it feel less focused, or probably its novelty feels still play the part.

Also never been euphoric about E3 and GW, it's Omloop that stands out for me in its own right and not just something I watch in an anticipation for RVV.

Donostia...not even sure how to care about it at that time of the year...

It doesn't look like a thread for pure subjectivity, but I can only judge it from my interests which I realize mostly steamed from where they are placed in the calendar than field strength, so for me it's :

1. AGR, FW
2. Omloop, SB
3. GW, E3

 

[Anderis]

1. Scheldeprijs
2. the rest

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

The nature of monuments is that you can’t really delist them unless they disappear. Even if tourists stopped visiting or taking pictures of the Washington Monument it will still be a monument until it’s torn down. The key element of monument is a nod to/commemoration of the past.

You could of course stop calling them all monuments and create a new category by which to classify the cache, status, importance, etc if given races.

Except that the Washington Monument was always a monument, the monuments in cycling gradually and unofficially took on such a status, by consensus rather than pronouncement. Your argument would suggest that Strade Bianche could never become a monument, mine is a more flexible one. Both are valid positions, just different.

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

Paris-Tours of course lost a lot, out of the WT during the WT/doping/money fights, somehow never got around putting it back in... mistake. But while it lost importance, it's still more than honorable mention. 3 tier (I'd like to say still second, but ok...), and even there, higher than Hamburg for me. 22 thanks to the WT licence fights even had a pretty good field again for once, hope that continues. Not sure the gravel thing really helps though...

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

The nature of monuments is that you can’t really delist them unless they disappear. Even if tourists stopped visiting or taking pictures of the Washington Monument it will still be a monument until it’s torn down. The key element of monument is a nod to/commemoration of the past.

You could of course stop calling them all monuments and create a new category by which to classify the cache, status, importance, etc if given races.

I’m sure the UCI could remove Lombardia from the monument list if they so desired, but they won’t do that.

 

[Amazinmets87]

The nature of monuments is that you can’t really delist them unless they disappear. Even if tourists stopped visiting or taking pictures of the Washington Monument it will still be a monument until it’s torn down. The key element of monument is a nod to/commemoration of the past.

You could of course stop calling them all monuments and create a new category by which to classify the cache, status, importance, etc if given races.

Milano Torino is the oldest classic race and it's not considered particularly prestigious.

 

[Panda Claws]

Would drop Lombardia from monuments list.

Dead end of the calendar, not for classics riders. I haven't seen data, but strongly suspect that it doesn't garner nearly as much attention as the big 4.

Damn you even got Sandisfan angry

 

[Sciatic]

Except that the Washington Monument was always a monument, the monuments in cycling gradually and unofficially took on such a status, by consensus rather than pronouncement. Your argument would suggest that Strade Bianche could never become a monument, mine is a more flexible one. Both are valid positions, just different.

Yeah, You’re right it’s about longevity, legacy, and importance over time, so in fact Strade could become one eventually. Because age and legacy are part of it, I’m just suggesting it’s harder (but not impossible) to drop one than to add one.
There’s not (as far as I know) an official arbiter of the status of monument so I was more thinking (okay, playing with) the meaning of the word. Monument is a French word (like many French words it came directly into English without much change in the meaning), but in French that meaning having to do with something’s age, importance, and level of veneration is probably less ambiguous than in English.

https://www.monuments-nationaux.fr/trouver-un-monument

[/URL]

 

[houtdffan]

Would drop Lombardia from monuments list.

Dead end of the calendar, not for classics riders. I haven't seen data, but strongly suspect that it doesn't garner nearly as much attention as the big 4.

Not every race is for a certain type of rider. Lombardia and Strade are1 day races for the GC riders. The 1 day specialists can have their races (though even these are being won now by GC riders, just as they used to be)

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Damn you even got Sandisfan angry

I didn't know I had it in me.