The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional road cycling races in the international calendar. Some of these events date back to the 19th century. They are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most revered races are often described as the cycling monuments.
The Bretagne Classic, also called Bretagne Classic Ouest-France, is an elite cycling classic held annually in late summer around the Breton village of Plouay in western France.
Claude Criquielion was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who raced between 1979 and 1990. In 1984, Criquielion became the world road race champion in Barcelona, Spain on a gruelling course. He had five top-ten finishes in the Tour de France.
The Grand Prix Miguel Induráin, formerly the "Grand Prix Navarre" is a Spanish one-day road bicycle race.
The Grand Prix de Fourmies is a bicycle race held in the Fourmies commune of France. From 2005 to 2019 it was organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2021, it joined the UCI ProSeries, after being cancelled in 2020.
Grand Prix d'Isbergues is a professional cycle road race held in Isbergues, Pas-de-Calais. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. A women's race was added in 2018 as a 1.2 event.
Grand Prix de Denain is a professional cycle road race held in Denain, France. For 10 years from 2005 the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, before becoming a 1.HC event for the 2016 season. In 2020, the race joined the UCI ProSeries. It is also part of the French Road Cycling Cup.
Grand Prix du Morbihan is a single-day men's road bicycle race held annually in May around Plumelec, in the region of Brittany, France. Since 2020, the race is organised as a 1.Pro event on the UCI ProSeries, also being part of the French Road Cycling Cup.
The Grand Prix de Wallonie is an annual road bicycle race held annually in Wallonia, Belgium. From 2005 to 2019 it was organised as a category 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2021, it joined the UCI ProSeries, after being cancelled in 2020. It has a profile similar to the Ardennes classics in Wallonia.
The 1991 UCI Road World Cup was the third edition of the UCI Road World Cup. From the 1990 edition, the same events were retained, with the individual time trial finale event this year in Bergamo, Italy, ran as both the Grand Prix des Nations and the Trofeo Baracchi. The competition was won by Italian rider Maurizio Fondriest of Panasonic–Sportlife.
Gediminas Bagdonas is a Lithuanian former professional road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2007 and 2019 for the Klaipeda–Splendid, Ulan, Team Piemonte, An Post–Sean Kelly and AG2R La Mondiale teams. He was named in the start list for the 2015 Vuelta a España. Following his retirement, Bagdonas now works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team Kaunas Cycling Team.
Justin Jules is a French professional road bicycle racer, who most recently rode for UCI ProTeam Delko.
Kévin Van Melsen is a Belgian former racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2009 to 2022. He now works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team Wanty–ReUz–Technord. He rode at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships. In July 2019, he was named in the startlist for the 2019 Tour de France.
Timothy Dupont is a Belgian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Tarteletto–Isorex. In July 2018, he was named in the start list for the Tour de France.
Sascha Weber is a German road and cyclo-cross cyclist. He represented his nation in the men's elite event at the 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder.
Bram Welten is a Dutch cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Team dsm–firmenich PostNL.
Arvid de Kleijn is a Dutch cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Tudor Pro Cycling Team. He previously competed for Rally Cycling, and was the team's first-ever European squad member, when he joined for the 2021 season.
Nickolas Zukowsky is a Canadian professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
The Grand Prix de Dourges was a single-day road bicycle race held annually in France from 1987 to 2007. It was organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour from 2005 to 2007, and was also known as the Prix Fréquence-Nord, GP du Nord-Pas de Calais Open and the Grand Prix de Dourges-Hénin-Beaumont over the years. The race was replaced by the Ronde Pévéloise first held in 2010.
Claude Criquielion (BEL)
