Year: 2021

By David Hunter Chartres > Tours 213km As the cycling season starts to draw to a close, it’s time for the 115th edition of Paris-Tours. The organisers have stuck with much the same route as previous years, that means we have nine sectors of gravel in the last 50km of the race, the sectors add up to…

By David Hunter Como > Bergamo 239.3km It’s time for the final monument of the year, and we’re in for a treat. The race finishes in Bergamo for the first time since 2016, a move that has a massive impact on the race. We have 4400m of climbing, that’s an awful lot at this time of…

By David Hunter Compiègne > Roubaix 257.5km Paris-Roubaix in October? Yes please! We’d normally be winding down for the year, but with two monuments to be won in October, this period is perfect for those riders who go well at the end of the year. The big question is who has carefully managed their resources to…

By David Hunter Casalecchio De Reno > San Luca 194.5km The end of the season is fast approaching, that means our usual series of one-day races in Italy. First up, the beautiful Giro dell’Emilia, and this year it’s harder than usual. The organisers have decided to insert a rather tasty looking climb before the usual lap…

By David Hunter Antwerpen > Leuven 268.5km When I first looked at the route, I thought it was relatively easy, then I compared it to the Tour of Flanders, and was surprised to see that it has 80m more climbing. Is it really harder than Flanders? As we don’t have the cobbles of the Oude Kwaremont…

By David Hunter Knokke-Heist > Brugges 43km A long time trial. After last year’s route of 31km, it’s nice to see the UCI go back to a longer distance this year. As it’s the world championships I think it should be a true test of endurance, so I’m happy to see the longer distance return.

By David Hunter Aywaille > Namur 210km A lovely mix of narrow roads and little kickers, no wonder I love this race. It wasn’t raced last year, but it’s back this year and with a decent line up. Some are here to fine tune the form before the worlds, others are hunting for a win. The…

By David Hunter Stonehaven > Aberdeen 173 km