We've had training camps in Catalunya and the Canaries, eaten desert dust and limbered up in Strada Bianche yesterday. Some keen team riders have even been on turbos and rollers....or watched other people do that...which is the same thing really...so we are good to go!
If anyone is new to road racing, the spring classics are generally one-day events (but 150-200 kms long!), usually in Northern France or Belgium and are the hors d'oeuvres to the Grand Tours of Italy, France and Spain. Some though, like today's start on the Paris-Nice are multi-stage of a week or so in length.
The remaining UCI-advertised classics up the Giro d'Italia are here..
08.03 15.03 Paris – Nice France
11.03 17.03 Tirreno – Adriatico Italy
22.03 22.03 Milan – San Remo Italy
23.03 29.03 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Spain
27.03 27.03 E3 Harelbeke Belgium
29.03 29.03 Ghent – Wevelgem Belgium
05.04 05.04 Tour of Flanders Belgium
06.04 11.04 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Spain
12.04 12.04 Paris – Roubaix France
19.04 19.04 Amstel Gold Race Netherlands
22.04 22.04 La Flèche Wallonne Belgium
26.04 26.04 Liège – Bastogne – Liège Belgium
28.04 03.05 Tour de Romandie Switzerland
So shall we roll out of the neutralised zone, and start sweating??
_
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MN Peloton's Road Racing Spring Classics 2015 - trois, deux, un..
derailleurdePan · 08/03/2015 11:17
I've commissioned cyclingweekly to provide an exclusive page 
, which shows all of the stage maps and course profiles, so that saves a job.
P-N course and news
There's v strong teams entered, and it commences this afternoon with individual time trails (I.T.T.).
Interesting factoids about P-N; it's tagged as 'the race to the sun' for a pretty clear reason 
:the death of a Kazakh rider in 2003 led to the compulsory wearing of helmets: it was won 7 times in the 1980s by Sean Kelly: in 2007 Pat McQuaid threatened to ban all teams and riders who took part, 2 days before the start - a quick vote amongst the teams led to a majority voting to ride anyways. Don't know what the gripe was.
Riche Porte of Team Sky won a couple of years ago and reckons he is up for it again.
There's highlights on Eurosport later this evening, and I can't see any live tv coverage.
Bonjour! Bonjour!
Aren't Sky looking busy round P-N? Thomas, Porte, Wiggins, Rowe..would we say that indicates the Giro line up, sans Wiggo? And wasn't the ITT difficult for riders who don't like technical courses, nor shorter ones....??
Ik ben hier (thanks google translate! for my Dutch language tribute to Etixx)
Bonjour, bonjour, excusez-moi for being late. Too much 
and not enough in my house at the moment.
Falling like flies ahead of the Tirreno-Adriatico aren't they? Have to say I enjoyed the twitter comments about Sir Bradley's swanky new Jag as opposed to Kwiato's Skoda .
Maybe T-A might be a bit of a boost??
I had a quick word with the CIRC authors, and fortunately, beyond reason, the MN squad wasn't cited, even in the redacted sections, in complicity. We dodged a syringe there....
Wow! That blew the whole thing apart didn't it? Lovely sight seeing G and Porte riding away so fast up a hill having Roche putting in a shift. Real shame Kwia managed to hold on by 1 sec for the yellow, but with those two on his wheel and with more big lumpy bits coming then surely Porte is licking his lips?
It was really good, wasn't it?
Richie has lost a few kilos for this season and is looking hungry.
v lumpy stage underway and it looks pretty awful weather-wise. Ole Sylvain Chavanel in top 10 yesterday! And looking to lead from the front today..quelle surprise!
Watching the Six Nations at the moment, but recording the cycling so will come back later
Ironically my watching the Tour de Yorkshire (and Sir Brad riding on the roads I rode my BMX on as a child), is DS1 entering his first proper bike race . Also football tournaments for DS2/3 but there you go. See more of it on telly anyway.
So far today I have watched Paris-Nice and the Tirrenno and now have a huge urge to book a holiday for us over Easter. The cycling was good too .
Endo! My next post was to be sending out an All Ports and Borders request! There's still a couple of riders on the warm up rollers...
P-N was v gud....no spoilers.
Buonasera ragged! Piacere di conoscerti. Welcome to the peloton.
Just reading Charly Wegelius' book and he has a lot to say about the Italian riding scene.
A coldish clear Sunday morning. Perfect for a cicloturismo around town and up a bit of a lump into the Peaks. Me on Spesh, matey on his elderly-but-still-beautiful Bianche.
And an interesting day's racing as well!
And Happy Mother's Day to the mums in the peloton!
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Miserable weather for the Col d'Éze time trial in Paris-Nice. 48 riders didn't bother showing up - 30% of the peloton. Won't give away the result
Thanks for the Mother's Day wishes Pan - more than I got from my shower of sons 
. Although one is still in bed after a night out so maybe they'll all magically remember when he finally gets up.
I fear I have unfairly criticised my sons. When DS2 emerged from his slumbers the three of them gathered round to give me hugs and a very nice present, so all is forgiven and I am a happy mum 
.
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