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TBT Spring Classics Challenge: Cheer The Races, Ride The Cobbles


April is Cobbled Spring Classics month at Thomson, not to mention everywhere else in the cycling world. But as a Thomson client, you’ll see two of the Spring Classics Monuments—the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix—closer than most fans will ever get, and tackle the merciless setts for yourself.

 

Thomson Bike Tours Tour of Flanders Paris Roubaix cobbles race gran fondo spring classics
Hope you like these. You’ll be seeing—and riding—a lot of them in the next seven days.

Our 10-day 2017 outing began with live viewing of the Ronde van Vlaanderen‘s 101st edition, featuring Peter Sagan’s heart-stopping crash and Philippe Gilbert’s heroic 55km solo breakaway to victory.

From there, the week only intensified, As an appetizer, our clients started with 100km of the Flanders parcours, including the infamous Paterberg and Koppenberg climbs. Next up, the final 100 km of all three Ardennes Classics—Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Amstel Gold, and La Flèche Wallone—before riding the Official Paris-Roubaix Gran Fondo, all  170 km and 28 cobbled sections.

Thomson Bike Tours Tour of Flanders Paris Roubaix cobbles race gran fondo spring classics
Approaching the famous chapel atop the infamous Muur van Geraardsbergen.

Finally, VIP race viewing at the 2017  L’Enfer: your ticket inside the the restricted areas at sign-in (see if you can spot a familiar face in the gallery at toip); the départ, the pavé and finally, Greg Van Avermaet’s victory sprint to the finish line on the banked concrete track of the Roubaix velodrome.

Two of the greatest spring classics  bookending 570 km of beautiful scenery and brutal climbs in Flanders, the Ardennes, and Northern France. Great racing, great riding, great friends, great times.

And guess what. Just like every year, we’re going back again for 2018. Pre-registration is now available.