This race is one of five ‘Monuments’, out of 16 or so ‘Classics’ run mainly in the beginning of the European cycling season. Like winning all three Grand Tours in a career, or winning Flanders-Roubaix in one season, bagging all the Monuments in your lifetime will make you a legend…among a certain crowd at least, not to mention in your own mind I’m sure. There are only three who have done it, by the way.

Anyhow, here’s the route map. The race runs up and down the Ardennes in Belgium – mountains that make up in verticality what they lack in altitude…something me and Nigel can attest to.