Classy Classics

I love a grand tour as much as the next guy but to me, cycling is summed up beautifully in the classics season.

These are races where men are separated from the boys (see my recent trip to Wales) and wins are hard fought. Team tactics come into things obviously but in these races, individuals really stand out and the romance of cycling comes to the fore.

This year, two of the monumental classics – the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix were won by Fabian Cancellara. An uphill attack on Tom Boonen in Flanders followed by a turn of pace on the Roubaix cobbles 50km from the finish secured him memorable wins.

I would argue the case that Fabian is probably the best all-round rider of his generation. The man can climb, descend (check youtube for his efforts in the Tour de France last year for a master class on bike handling) and rightfully wears the World Champion jersey for time trialling. Why have very few people outside of cycling heard of him?

I’m gonna take a risk here and say that he’s a hero of mine. Don’t let me down Fabian…..