Classics Story – spring classics in bikepacking mode

Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem, Liège-Bastogne-Liège or Ronde van Vlaanderen are iconic in the cycling world. These notorious one-day races have taken place on the same infamous roads for more than 100 years. As if the sheer distances weren't enough, the routes feature bumpy cobblestones, steep climbs and unpaved sections. They lead over roads on which, by today’s standards, road bikes don’t belong. Here, year after year, stories are written that become legendary. Stories of great triumphs, bitter defeats, courage, endurance and humanity. It’s not only the winners who become heroes, as the most dramatic stories often don’t take place at the front of the race.

Classics Story is a relatively unknown bikepacking event which links together the most difficult sections of all the major spring classics. Participants are self-sufficient: you decide where and how long you stop. There are neither pre-set stages nor organised help. You’re completely on your own.

I took part in this great adventure in April 2022, in the middle of the classics season. Of the 18 registered riders, only seven lined up at the Ghent racecourse and unfortunately, there were no female riders. An unforgettable adventure awaited each of us. We had a whole week to complete the 1,200-kilometre (745 mi) route, but nobody wanted to take that much time. I’d planned to reach the finish in Valkenburg in under 100 hours, but I surprisingly finished much faster in the end.

On this route, you ask yourself more than once why you’re not riding a mountain or gravel bike. You and your steed are pushed to your limits on these roads. The spring classics are ridden on road bikes; that's the only way to get an idea for how tough these races really are. My Specialized Roubaix with its 32 millimetre-wide tyres was at least made for racing on cobbles. It was a good choice and served me well. Problems are part of such an adventure, but more about that in the Tour descriptions.