Cycling monument | |
---|---|
First appeared in Ce soir newspaper by Albert Baker d'Isy | |
Information | |
Published: | 17 April 1949 |
Origin: | France |
Newspaper: | Ce soir |
Author: | Albert Baker d'Isy |
Race: | Paris–Roubaix |
Article: | "monument" du cyclisme |
The Monuments are five classic cycle races generally considered to be the oldest, hardest, longest and most prestigious one-day events in men's road cycling, with distances between 240 and 300 km.[1][2][3]
They each have a long history and specific individual characteristics. They are currently the one-day races in which most points can be earned in the UCI World Tour and the only 3rd categorized UCI races, only behind Grand Tour races; Tour de France (1st category) and Giro and Vuelta (both 2nd category).
Eddy Merckx is by far the most successful monument rider with 19 wins in total. He is the only cyclist in history to win three monuments in one season, a feat he achieved in 1969, 1971, 1972 and 1975.