History

This year the 100th edition of the Tour of Catalonia was planned. Unfortunately, the 100th edition was cancelled due to the Corona virus. The first edition took place in 1911 and this makes it, after the Tour de France and the Tour of Italy, the oldest cycling race in the world.

The Tour of Lombardy, which once started as the Milan-Milan, is a one-day cycling classic in the north of Italy. Because this race takes place in autumn, it is nicknamed "the race of the falling leaves". A round which was traditionally dominated by Italians, has also seen Dutch and Belgian success.

Ferretti is an Italian cycling team that started in 1969. The team was recognizable by its blue cycling jerseys. Like many tastemakers, this cycling team owes its origins to Italian cuisine. The main sponsor of the cycling team from Capannoli was the 'Ferretti kitchen company'.

In 1896 two textile manufacturers and cycling fanatics - Théo Vienne and Maurice Perez - were looking for a way to promote their new velodrome in Roubaix. They invent a cycling race from Paris to Roubaix with the finish at their cycling track. The Paris-Roubaix cycling classic is born. The cobbled classic becomes the most beautiful cycling race in Europe.

Now that the first of the five cycling monuments - Milan-San-Remo - is behind us, the next one is already approaching (Tour of Flanders), and the cycling season has therefore now officially started, we should really talk about the King of the Classics: 'Seán Kelly'.

With -7 and a Siberian wind, cycling to work. For many of us, the same fate befell. But fortunately we compensate by dressing warmly. Just imagine riding in bicycle races with those conditions... I wouldn’t want to have to do that! Would you? Well, 38 years ago they thought differently. And the cyclist Bernard Hinault was one of them.