Spring Classics 2025: Canyon’s Guide

The Canyon guide to the Spring Classics in 2025 is your first port of call, with all the relevant race information you’ll need, from how to follow the races, which riders to watch out for, and so much more. 

Held in Northern Europe, the Spring Classics are a set of high-profile one-day bike races that are among the most iconic and celebrated events in the cycling calendar. These races are steeped in history, have shaped legends of professional cycling, and have provided some of the most memorable moments that the sport has ever seen.  

The 2025 Spring Classics kick off in early March with the Belgian double header of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Billed together as ‘Opening Weekend’ these curtain raisers provide an early hit-out for the spring classics specialists who have specifically trained over the winter to peak for the weeks and months ahead. March and April are dominated by a series of major one-day races that include the cobbled classics and the Ardennes.  

One of the biggest storylines in 2025 will be Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) attempting to defend his crowns in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix - two races that he thoroughly dominated in 2024 on his Canyon Aeroad. The Dutchman will be joined by his teammate and Milan-San Remo winner Jasper Philipsen throughout the spring campaign, with the duo expected to go head-to-head with world champion Tadej Pogačar in several spring classics. 

On the women’s side, the scene looks more competitive than ever! Chloé Dygert and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner, Kasia Niewiadoma, will lead the line for CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto alongside new teammate Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig during the spring, while a revamped Movistar Team will be led by Liane Lippert and new signings Cat Ferguson and Marlen Reusser.  

The 2024 Classics season saw several incredibly memorable performances - from Niewiadoma's win in La Fleché Wallonne to van der Poel’s double in Flanders and Roubaix. Last season set the standard for some amazing racing and 2025 will not disappoint.  

The term ‘spring classic’ can be broad and is open to interpretation, with different criteria applied to both the exact start of the classics campaign and what merits a race to be labelled as part of the collection. Here we have drawn together the most important races along with Monuments that take place during the spring.  

Along with the 2025 race dates, you’ll find important information on where and how to stream the races live, where to watch along the route, and which cycling stars to follow before the action kicks off with the 2025 Spring Classics. 

Date: 1st March 2025 

Location: Belgium 

Distance: TBC 

How to follow: Eurosport, Discovery+ 

Canyon riders to watch: Kasia Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) 

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, formerly known as Omloop Het Volk, contains a number of the Flemish climbs that are typically associated with the Tour of Flanders but unlike the mammoth challenge of Flanders, the Omloop course settles around a more manageable 200km of racing. This race is typically viewed as the curtain raiser for the Spring Classics and by some as the unofficial start to the European season.

 The final climbs in 2025 include the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg, while the finish in Ninove is likely to produce an entertaining finale. As with most spring classics, the race organisers offer packages and ticket prices, including starting options in the iconic city of Gent. If you time it right, and pick the perfect place on the course, you can view both the men’s and women’s races as they take place on the same day but on slightly different parcours.  

Date: 2nd March 2025 

Location: Belgium 

Distance: TBC 

How to watch: Eurosport, Discovery+, Flo Bikes (North America) 

Canyon riders to watch: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin - Deceuninck) 

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne takes place the day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and teams often replenish their rosters with Kuurne’s race profile usually lending itself to a reduced bunch sprint due to the lack of climbs in the second half of the race. Despite being a relatively sprint-friendly race, late attacks are quite common, so teams aiming to set up a fast finish will need to have the numbers and remain attentive in the closing stages. 

Both Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne offer an early indication of form ahead of the rest of the spring classics but with so much racing between ‘Opening Weekend’ and the biggest one-day races, there’s time for riders to improve their condition before the most important spring classics come into view.  

The early morning start in Kuurne provides a real cultural insight into Belgian one-day racing. The beer is flowing, the passionate fans are out, and the riders always put on a show.

Date: 8th March 2025 

Location: Italy 

Distance: TBC 

How to follow live: Eurosport, Discovery+, SBS (Australia), FloBikes (North America) 

Canyon riders to watch: Liane Lippert (Movistar Team), Davide Formolo (Movistar Team), Gal Glivar (Alpecin - Deceuninck) 

After the early forays in Belgium, the spring classics head to Italy for a relatively new classic, Strade Bianche. The event, which contains both a women’s and men’s race, held its inaugural edition in 2007, and despite its lack of heritage, the race has quickly established itself as a key event within the sport. Some are even calling for the race to be given Monument status, despite its relatively short distance of around 200km. 

The picture postcard setting and the dirt roads of the Tuscan landscape that litter the Strade Bianche route, provide one of the most iconic backdrops within the sport, while the roll call of previous winners include Mathieu van der Poel and former rider Annemiek van Vleuten. Strade Bianche may be the new kid on the classics block but it has already established itself as a must-watch event for all cycling fans, with many calling for it to be given Monument status! 

You have to experience riding the Tuscan dirt roads if you can, but when it comes to attending the race, there’s no place better than the Piazza del Campo in Siena, which is fast becoming one of the most iconic finishes in cycling. In 2025 it will be packed to the rafters with cycling fans from Italy and around the world.

Date: 22nd March 2025 

Location: Italy 

Distance: TBC 

How to follow live: Eurosport, Discovery+ 

Canyon riders to watch: Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel (both Alpecin - Deceuninck), Chloé Dygert (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto). 

Also known as La Classicissima, and adored by cycling fans all over the world, Milan-San Remo is the first Monument of the season. Held in late March, the race tops out at nearly 300 kilometres and has provided cycling fans with some of the most emphatic and exciting moments since the race’s inception in 1907. 

The race traces along the Ligurian Coast before hitting a series of ascents, before hitting the often race-defining climbs of the Cipressa and Poggio. These two climbs may not be particularly steep, or long, with the Cipressa 5.6km in length and Poggio 3.7km, but with both obstacles coming inside the final 20km they have often acted as the launchpad for famous attacks and daredevil descents. The race is so finely balanced between the climbers, sprinters and one-day specialists that the finale is often too close to call, and while Milan-San Remo is often a slow-burn of a race, the thrilling finishes will have you at the edge of your seat. 

2025 also sees the return of the women’s Milan-San Remo. Although not a WorldTour status race just yet, the women’s event will take place on the same day as the men's race, and file along the Ligurian coastline before taking on the Poggio and Cipressa. Adding this race to the calendar is a huge moment for women’s cycling.  

2024 saw the start of Milan-San Remo moved to Pavia and this year’s route has yet to be formally announced. However, the finish on the Via Roma is a magical setting for any one-day race.

Date: 28th March 2025 

Location: Belgium 

Distance: 208.1km 

How to follow live: Eurosport, Discovery+ 

Canyon riders to watch: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck), Iván García Cortina (Movistar Team). 

After forays into Italy with Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo the WorldTour circus returns to Belgium for the start of an intense period of cobbled racing. First on the menu is E3 Saxo Classic, a mini-version of the Tour of Flanders, that is packed with cobbled climbs and technical sections. Last year Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) took a stunning win, attacking over the Paterberg with over 43km to go, and taking his first road win in the rainbow jersey as the world champion. Once again he’ll lead the line for Alpecin - Deceuninck, on a course that contains no fewer than 17 climbs and almost 3,000m of vertical climbing.  

The race starts in the quaint town of Harelbeke, which is only a few minutes drive from the slightly more vibrant Kortrijk. It’s worth staying in Kortrijk the night before the race, like many of the teams do, and then heading to Harelbeke, for both the start and the finish of the race.  

When: 30th March 2025 

Location: Belgium 

Distance: TBC 

Live TV coverage: Eurosport, Discovery+, SBS On Demand 

Canyon riders to watch: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Chiara Consonni (both CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck), Fernando Gaviria (Movistar Team). 

Dating back to the 1930s, Gent-Wevelgem is a race that enjoys legendary status but isn’t quite in the conversation as a cycling Monument. That said, it’s a prestigious race to win for any rider and races through the heartlands of Belgium cycling. 

A semi-classic more suited to the sprinters due to the relatively flat parcours in the final stages of the race, the route takes multiple ascents of the Kemmelberg climb before a likely reduced bunch sprint into Wevelgem.  

The women’s race, which was added to the calendar in 2012, follows a very similar race route. Last year Mathieu van der Poel finished second on the line in a close bunch sprint and this remains one of the few Classics he’s yet to win. Will 2025 be his year? 

The start in Ypres is a special moment, and there’s a huge amount of history and culture on offer. The Kemmelberg is the obvious mid-point in the race from which to watch the action, with the race organisers providing tickets and packages to fans. 

When: 6th April 2025 

Location: Belgium 

Distance: TBC 

Live TV coverage: Eurospor, /Discovery+ 

Canyon riders to watch: Liane Lippert (Movistar Team), Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck), Iván García Cortina (Movistar Team). 

A week after Gent-Wevelgem, the cycling world turns its attention towards the Tour of Flanders, (Ronde van Vlaanderen) and Belgium’s most important and illustrious one-day race on the sporting calendar. The men’s race dates back to 1913 and is the second Monument of the season, while the women’s event was established in 2004.  

The Tour of Flanders routes for both races have been modified over the years with starts and finishes both being switched out on several occasions. The early editions of the men’s race began and finished in Ghent but over time the route has evolved and the latest incarnation of the men’s events sees the peloton roll out in Antwerp and finish in the town of Oudenaarde. 

The 2025 season will see the men’s race take place for the 106th time, with the climbs of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg once more taking centre stage. The Kwaremont will be tackled three times in total, while the punchier Paterberg will be climbed twice. With around 13 km between the final ascent of the Paterberg and the finish, the last two climbs should act as the launchpad for the winning move. However, there are so many climbs within the race, and so many decisive factors, that the outcome of the Tour of Flanders - in both the men’s and women’s races - could be decided at any point. 

It is, without doubt, the most tactically difficult race to win, with brains just as important as brawn over the 270-plus kilometres of racing.  

In 2024 Mathieu van der Poel won a record-equalling third edition of the Tour of Flanders after obliterating the opposition with a trademark long-range attack with 45km remaining. One more win for Van der Poel would write him into the history books as the most successful men’s cyclist in Tour of Flanders history. The Tour of Flanders in 2025 is one of the most anticipated races of the entire season. 

From the start in the centre of Bruges to the iconic climbs, and the finish in Oudenaarde, the Tour of Flanders has no shortage of places to check off on your list. Luckily the race organisers provide tickets for several key vantage points, including the key climbs, while the start in the centre of Bruges is one of the best cycling atmospheres you’ll ever experience with thousands of fans, a full-stage presentation of the riders. 

When: 6th April 2025 (women’s race), 7th April 2025 (men’s race) 

Location: France 

Distance: TBC 

Live TV coverage: Eurosport, Discovery+, SBS On Demand (TBC), Flo Bikes (North America) 

Canyon riders to watch: Chloe Dygart (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen (both Alpecin - Deceuninck) 

The final spring classic and Monument of the cobbled campaign in 2025 comes in the form of Paris-Roubaix, arguably the most famous one-day race in the cycling world. Dating back to 1896, the race is held in northern France and has earned the nickname of ‘The Hell of the North’ due to its arduous nature and the back-breaking sectors of pavè that litter the race route.  

Created by textile manufacturers hailing from Roubaix, the race is steeped in history and has provided some of the most legendary moments in cycling’s past, from the first finish on the famous Roubaix velodrome in the 1940s, Dirk Demol’s all-day break in 1988, Mapei’s 1-2-3 domination from 1996, to Tom Boonen equalling Roger De Vlaeminck’s record of four wins back in 2012 to become one of the race’s most prolific winners.  

What elevates Paris-Roubaix to Monument and effectively legendary status, however, are the cobbles. The Trouée d'Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle, and Carrefour de l'Arbre are some of the most feared and celebrated sectors of pavè in cycling and have provided some of the most electrifying racing of all time. Whether it’s a wet or dry Paris-Roubaix, every edition of the race provides blockbuster entertainment, and this year’s Paris-Roubaix route will not disappoint. 

In 2021 a women’s version of the race was finally added to the race calendar by organisers ASO. Though the race has only had a short-lived history it already has all the hallmarks of becoming one of the most respected and treasured events in the calendar.  

The start in Compiègne is always special, and the teams’ presentation at the same place the day before is always a worthwhile experience too. The route speaks for itself and it’s entirely possible to try and see the race at several points, including the Carrefour de l’Arbre, and the Arenberg Forest if you plan ahead. Just remember that unlike most of the races on this list, the women’s and men’s Paris-Roubaix races take place on different days. Of course, the velodrome finish can’t be ignored, with tickets available in advance. 

After the conclusion of the cobbled classics in Belgium and France the cycling caravan heads to the Ardennes for the culmination of the Spring Classics. The Ardennes are effectively made up of three races: 

• Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands 
• La Flèche Wallonne in Belgium 
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium 

All three events have men’s and women’s races, respectively, with Amstel - the youngest of the trio - kicking off proceedings a week after Paris-Roubaix. The Dutch race is synonymous with the Cauberg climb but has 30 short bergs throughout the men’s route. The finish has been modified several times over the last couple of decades but the Cauberg remains the final ascent before the finish and often sparks the decisive attacks. In 2019 Mathieu van der Poel took his first classics win at Amstel Gold Race when he helped reel in a last-minute three-man break before the line before winning a breathtaking sprint to the line.  

While Amstel Gold Race is associated with Cauberg there is no doubting the importance of the Mur de Huy climb with La Fleche Wallonne. The ‘Walloon Arrow’, as it’s known in English, finishes atop the brutally tough climb with pitches of 26 per cent almost always determining the outcome of both the men’s and women’s races. Race organisers ASO have modified the finish several times over the last few years in a bid to provide riders with new terrain on which to attack and stretch the race but only once in the last few decades has the race not seen the winning move form on the final climb.  

The final spring classic and the only Ardennes race to hold Monument status is Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Also known as the La Doyenne or ‘The Old Lady’, the race dates all the way back to 1892, with the women’s race added to the calendar as recently as 2017. It’s the oldest Monument on the calendar, and like the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, is considered one of the hardest one-day races in the world. Just like the Tour of Flanders, the race is punctuated with a series of short but brutally tough climbs, and while the route has been modified at several points over the years, the most iconic ascents of the Côte de La Redoute, Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons and Côte de Saint-Nicolas has remained intact and tantamount to the race.  

Eddy Merckx holds the record for the most Liège wins with five in total, while Italian legend Moreno Argentin and Alejandro Valverde - who raced the majority of his career on a Canyon - are both tied on four victories apiece. 

• Amstel Gold Race: The best locations are the start in Maastricht, the Cauberg, and the finish in Valkenburg. 
• La Fleche Wallonne:The best place to watch is from the finish on the Mur de Huy. The riders crest the summit more than once. 
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège: La Redoute and Saint Nicolas provide great vantage points and often major action in the race. 

While the spring classics form part of the very fabric of the professional sport there are five races that are given heightened status and known as the Monuments of the sport. 

• Milan-San Remo 
• Tour of Flanders 
• Paris-Roubaix 
• Liegè-Bastogne-Liegè 
• Il Lombardia 

Races such as Gent-Wevelgem, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and to a certain extent, Strade Bianche are effectively known as semi-classics and sit one tier below the Monuments.  

Unsurprisingly Eddy Merckx, considered by many as the greatest male cyclist of all time, holds the record for the most monument wins with 19 victories spanning his illustrious career. The Belgian is one of only three male riders to win all five monuments and has the record for the most Milan-San Remo titles (seven) as well as the most Liege-Bastogne-Liege wins (five). 

Roger De Vlaeminck competed against Merckx during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and has 11 monument wins to his name. Nicknamed ‘Monsieur Paris-Roubaix, the Belgian won the fabled cobbled race four times and is tied with Tom Boonen for the most wins in the race.  

From the modern-day era, Philippe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara and Boonen are among the most successful riders to win monument titles, while Mathieu van der Poel has three Tour of Flanders wins already in the bank with victories aboard a Canyon in 2020, 2022 and 2024 respectively. He has won Paris-Roubaix twice in his career, in 2023 and 2024. He has won a total of six monuments in his career so far! 

Below you’ll find a complete and comprehensive list of all the major Spring Classics that will be held in 2025.  

Our list includes the dates for both the men’s and women’s races, from Opening Weekend at the start of March, right through to the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Ardennes Classics that take place in April. 

The 2025 spring classics are set to be streamed on Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe, while Flo Bikes in North America, and SBS on Demand in Australia will provide coverage from certain races. Complete race plans for those broadcasters have yet to be confirmed.  

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