Spring Classics: How to watch unmissable one-day races in 2024

The Spring Classics are trundling ever closer, with cycling’s biggest names set for a flurry of showdowns in the sport’s biggest one-day races.

For many, the start of the Spring Classics is the start of the cycling season proper. The chance to watch the best men and women in the world fight their way along some brutal courses just can’t be beaten – from the mud and dirt of Paris-Roubaix to the white Tuscan roads at Strade Bianche.

And that’s before even mentioning the word cobbles…

But when are the races on? What time do they start? Who are the defending champions? And, most importantly, how can you watch?

Start times: Coverage starts at 12:00 UK time with the men’s race, with the women’s race from 15:00

Belgium plays host to the opening weekend of Classics racing, with the men and women both contesting Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Beginning in Ghent, the women will race over 127km while the men take on 202km. And of course, both routes feature plenty of cobbles.

2023 winners: Dylan van Baarle (Jumbo-Visma) and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx)

Start time: Coverage of the men’s race begins at 13:30 UK time

One for the sprinters as Opening Weekend continues, the men get to go again in Belgium on a course that often favours the quick riders. Tiesj Benoot won for Jumbo-Visma last year, leading team-mate Nathan van Hooydonck home, but grabbed the victory from a breakaway to deny the sprint contingent.

2023 Winner: Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma)

Start time: Coverage starts at 10:30 UK time with the women’s race, with the men’s race taking centre stage from 13:00

After the possible bad weather of Belgium, Italy plays host to Strade Bianche, with both the men and women starting in Siena. The men’s route is a mighty 215km – exceeding 200km for the first time – while the women will contest a 137km course.

2023 Winners: Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx)

Start time: It’s an early start for the first Monument of the season. Live coverage of the men’s race kicks off at 08:30 UK time.

The longest one-day race in the calendar and the first of the Monuments, Milan-San Remo is always a treat to behold. Known locally as La Primavera, last year’s edition featured a stacked podium of Mathieu van der Poel, Filippo Ganna and Wout van Aert.

2023 Winner: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Hello cobbles! This classic starts and finishes in Harelbeke, and is often used as preparation for the Tour of Flanders as it shares some of the same terrain. It gives the riders a week to rest up before ‘De Ronde’ as well if they need – but based on last year’s epic, it could provide plenty of fireworks.

2023 Winner: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)

Gent-Wevelgem owns the prestigious Sunday slot between Milano-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders as the fun on the Belgian cobbles continues.

2023 Winners: Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) and Marlen Reusser (SD Worx)

The last chance to fine-tune ahead of the Tour of Flanders. Christophe Laporte grabbed an unlikely Gent-Wevelgem-Dwars door Vlaanderen double last season, while Demi Vollering ripped away to an impressive solo win in the latter.

2023 Winner: Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) and Demi Vollering (SD Worx)

The second Monument saw Tadej Pogacar prove that he had the tactical nous to make a break stick in a one-day classic, as he rode away from the field to become just the third male rider to win both the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France. Kopecky meanwhile, made it two victories on the bounce – can she go for the hat-trick in 2024?

2023 Winners: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx)

As a pro race, this isn’t technically a classic but it is always worth keeping an eye on. Starting in the Netherlands and finishing in Belgium, it’s the oldest road race in Flanders and thus worthy of inclusion – especially if anyone wants to turn their legs over ahead of Paris-Roubaix.

2023 Winners: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx)

The women race first as they endure the ‘Hell of the North’ on Saturday, before the men get a turn on Sunday. Featuring stretch after stretch of unrelenting cobblestones, and often surprisingly treacherous conditions considering spring is well and truly sprung, this is a Monument not to be missed.

2023 Winners: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alison Jackson (EF Education-Tibco-SVB)

Normally a tough hilly route, Pogacar carried on his fine form from Flanders last year while Vollering launched an attack on the final climb of the day to claim victory. This race forms the first part of the ‘Ardennes Classics’ along with Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

2023 Winners: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx)

In 1985, Fleche Wallonne moved the finish to the top of the Mur de Huy. That’s highly relevant in 2024 because to celebrate 40 years since they made this decision, the men are set to race up the Chemin des Chapelles four times in April. The women are also riding a longer course this year, at 143.5km.

2023 Winners: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx)

Vollering conquered all before her last year as she went on to claim all three Ardennes Classics, just the second woman to do so. Evenepoel meanwhile is chasing a third straight victory in the last of the spring Monuments. The order of the races has been switched this year, with the men set to finish first and the women second.

2023 Winners: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx)