MY FAVOURITE ONE-DAY RACES

Top of my list it has to be Strade Bianche. It has drama, early season unpredictability, a spectacular finish set in medieval town of Siena. Pave', dust, gravel, stinging little climbs followed by dangerous descents. The winner is usually the type of rider I admire the most: Gilbert, Cancellara, Moser.

Giro di Lombardia is another race I love watching. Its hilly course and stunning views contribute to the mystique of this end-of-season monument. The Ghisallo climb is iconic in this course often mired by foul weather which adds to the epic efforts of past winners.

Brabantse Pijl is the opener for the Ardenne Classics. I believe its course is actually better than Amstel or Liege, offering a bit of all types of terrain. Even in the wet it's an exciting race to watch. Winding, cobbles, sharp climbs.

Fleche Wallonne is the best of the Ardennes tryptic in my opinion. Amstel and Liege have a great finale but rather unexciting course. The fearsome Huy is incredibly steep and is long enough to cause havoc in the peloton. The favourites here are not always successful.

Milano-Sanremo is the longest race of the year, its course has been improved in the last few years with the inclusion of a couple more climbs. The Poggio's climb always is theatre of drama which the unfolds in its sinuous descent to the sea. It used to be very much the race for sprinters but it now seems to require a stronger type of rider. It alternates between sprinters and rouleurs which makes it more unpredictable than it used to be.

E3 Harelbeke, is the prelude to the two Northern classics Flanders and Roubaix. It is a good form-tester and has a good mixed terrain. The riders who perform well here usually go on to do well in the following more famous races.

Paris-Roubaix is awesome whether it's dry or wet weather. There are always countless attacks and the winner always has to display an extraordinary performance. Pave galore, sharp turns and not a climb in sight but plenty of surprises with punctures, crashes, beer. The genius in this particular race is the finish in the velodrome. It enhances the spectacle and maintains its link with the past.

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REACH OUT, TALK TO PEOPLE

I wanted to share what we did at the weekend in the hope to inspire other people to try what my partner and I ended up doing. A few days ago we were walking the dogs late in the afternoon and on the way back, in this big field, we noticed an elderly woman walking slowly leaning on her stick. We asked if she was ok as she seemed tentative and a little confused. The very first thing she said, almost without realising that's what she was going to say was: "You are the first people I've spoken to all day". Neither of us expected that so we stayed with her, chatting away for about 40 minutes. We ended up walking her back to her house, exchange numbers and invite her for a Sunday roast. She was going to be 89 a few days later and it seemed a nice thing to do. She was really touched as she didn't have it in her to cook a roast for herself (and she admitted she hated cooking).

LA CLASSICISSIMA, A PREVIEW

As classics go, Milano-Sanremo is the longest of them all (almost 300km) and one of the oldest (1907). Eddy Merckx has won it a record 7 times. It has been marred by late snow at times and its route has been modified here and there, but at its core is the length and flatness, so one for the sprinters traditionally but not so much of late. There are a few lumps, but although short and not very steep, they usually come at the end of a long day on the saddle and have been decisive in the outcome of the race. In recent times, the climbs of Cipressa (added in 1982) and Poggio (added in 1960) have been the theatres of all-out attacks. The breakneck and twisty descent from the Poggio especially, induced some of the most entertaining racing... and some awful crashes too. The finish in the town of Sanremo has moved posts a few times but whether it was in the false flat of Via Roma or on the pan flat promenade by the sea, many a time it has ended in a bunch sprint.

AN OLYMPIC EFFORT

When the Olympic cycling road race and TT race routes were announced I was extremely excited. I live bang in the middle of both. One of the most important races in cycling was going to be ridden near my house. Television screens would be filled with images of roads I'm familiar with, the pros will be riding my commute to work AND some of my cycling club runs' routes (Kingston Wheelers).

The Clouds Factory

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