History

Throughout the 1970s, Merckx was a dominant figure in the world of cycling. It was as early as 1968 that he succeeded in winning the Giro d'Italia for the first time, followed by another victory in 1970, after which he was able to take home the pink jersey three years in a row between 1972 and 1974.

The oldest spring classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege, also known as 'La Doyenne', will take place again on Sunday 24 April. In 130 years, 107 editions and countless route changes, this classic has certainly earned its reputation. La Doyenne is the only major monument where the cyclists are guided in a loop, via the rugged hills of the Ardennes, back to the starting point in Liege.

The biggest Belgian classic takes place again on Sunday: the Tour of Flanders! In this one-day cycling race, all the great riders are present at the starting line to give the best of themselves. 

The Flemish classic Gent-Wevelgem has a rich cycling history that starts in 1934. At that time the race was only held for the amateurs and between 1936 and 1939 for the independents, but in 1945 (after an interruption during the war) it was transformed into a major event for the pros.

At 4 p.m. on Saturday, 19 March 1977, a large crowd at the finish line on the Via Roma in San Remo watched in amazement how the little-known Dutchman Jan Raas stole the day's headlines.

This Sunday (6 March) Paris-Nice starts again and therefore we are looking back on the cyclists who achieved the best performances in this race. The very first edition of Paris-Nice, aka the Race to the Sun, took place in 1933.