April is full of cycling: events not to be missed
April is full of cycling events, both competitive and cycle touring.
In March you can enjoy great classics such as Strade Bianche, Paris-Nice or Milan-San Remo, in April the level remains the same or even better: Tour of Flanders, Liège-Basten-Liège and the long-awaited new edition of Paris-Roubaix. To this we must add some cycling events, such as the Mallorca 312 or the Gran Fondo Lloret Costa Brava, or high-level triathlons such as the Challenge Mogán. Here are some of the most interesting events of the month.
Index
- Tour de Flandes
- Itzulia – Vuelta al País Vasco
- Amstel Gold Race
- París-Roubaix
- Challenge Mogán
- Lieja-Bastoña-Lieja
- Mallorca 312
- Vuelta a Asturias
- Gran Fondo Lloret Costa Brava
- Intercontinental Race
- Girona MTB Challenge
The Tour of Flanders is one of the most anticipated one-day classics of the year. With its legendary Muur-Kapelmuur as the main attraction, this event which takes place in Flanders (Belgium) covers the route from the province of Antwerp to the Flemish Ardennes. This year 2022, we will enjoy the big cobbled show on Sunday April 3, where Wout Van Aert and company should compete over the 260 km of the course. It seems unlikely that Mathieu van der Poel will be there, vice-champion in 2021 and vice-champion in 2020, who is still recovering from his ailments following a bad fall at the Tokyo Olympics.
Curiously, in its more than 100 years of history, there is still no clear dominator: up to 6 cyclists share the throne of Tour of Flanders victories with three conquests each. More specifically, they are the Belgians Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen, the Italian Fiorenzo Magni (the only one to have won three consecutive editions) and the Swiss Fabian Cancelara. If we had to choose one as dominator, it would be the Belgian Johan Museeuw, since to his 3 victories he added 3 second places and 2 third positions.
Itzulia – Vuelta al País Vasco
Itzulia is scheduled from April 4 to 9, 2022, the great week of road cycling in the Basque Country. 6 stages where it is expected to see the great riders of the World Tour peloton, and whose final stage, with up to 7 climbs, promises to be decisive in defining this year's champion.
The Tour of the Basque Country was born in 1924, although no edition took place between 1936 and 1968 due to the Spanish Civil War and the disastrous economic consequences it had in the following years. If we talk about recent history, we must mention the hegemony dictated by Alberto Contador, who has won 4 victories in the last 20; Likewise, the Spanish riders have shown considerable dominance, with 12 of the last 20 victories at Itzulia, courtesy of an eager Primoz Roglic who has won 2 of the last 3 editions.
On April 10, 2022, another cycling classic is scheduled, in this case in the Netherlands: the Amstel Gold Race. This test takes place every year in the Limburg hills, with very demanding tracks like the Cauberg and Keutenberg hills. In total, over the approximately 260 km of the course, the runners must overcome more than 30 walls.
In recent years it has been a classic dominated by the kings of cyclocross, with the victory of Wout van Aert in 2021 and that of Mathieu van der Poel in 2019. However, it is the classic lover Philippe Gilbert, currently in the ranks of Lotto Soudal, the great dominator of the last 15 years, with up to 4 victories.
It is not uncommon to find cycling stages in which absolutely nothing happens for hours. It would be the antithesis of Paris-Roubaix: mud, falls, uncertainty, exhaustion, chaos, emotions, risk, intensity. 6 essential hours that no one wants to miss and that generate more than one scare.
The 2021 edition was decided in an intense final in which Mathieu van der Poel, Florian Vermeersch and Sonny Colbrelli battled it out, with an unexpected victory for the Italian in what was his most prestigious conquest.
The history of this classic, whose first edition took place in 1896 and was conquered by the German with the mustache of Nietzschean inspiration Josef Fischer, counts two Belgians as great masters of this classic. Concretely, it was Roger de Vlaeminck, better known as El Gitano or Monsieur Paris Roubaix, who dominated this race in the 1970s with his 4 victories; and well into the 21st century Tom Boonen, who won the 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2012 editions respectively.
We haven't yet mentioned any triathlon among the April events, so here is one scheduled for April 23 in Mogán (Gran Canaria), adding followers year after year. In fact, it was chosen as the best racing venue, a merit awarded as the best competitive destination in the entire Challenge racing network.
And it's not surprising: Mogán is a privileged municipality, with many sunny days and an average temperature of 24 degrees all year round. Located in the south of the Canary Islands, Mogán stands out among other things for Anfi del Mar beach, with its white sand and calm waters in which triathletes will be put to the test in the swimming segment. The Challenge Mogán has an Olympic distance and a medium distance, and also allows the possibility of participating in relays in the medium distance modality.
Another of the great April classics contested in Liège and its surroundings since 1892. Although it does not have the same spectacular level as the Paris Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders, the route of this race, so well given to the Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, with four conquests in the past 20 years, and where Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar have taken out their imperial sledgehammer in the 2021 and 2020 editions, should not be understated. Belgian cycling star Eddy Merckx is the most frequent winner of this classic, which we can experience again on April 24.
The Mallorca 312 is probably the most famous cycling race on the island, one of those races that sells out as soon as registration opens, an added bonus considering that it has only been running for twelve editions. Participants can choose between three distances: 312 km, 225 km and 167 km. Three distances that all represent a real challenge in which cyclists conquer a large part of the ascents of the island. The next edition is scheduled for April 30, 2022 and promises to be another big party where the island will be filled with road bikes. In its 2021 edition, it had outstanding peloton leaders such as Mavi García, Alberto Contador, Jan Ullrich, Óscar Freire or Joseba Beloki.
Asturias, who have shown us so much heroism in many editions of the Vuelta a España, also have their own Vuelta. Its 2022 edition is scheduled for April 29 to May 1, in a Tour which in recent years has been dominated by the two great Latin American climbers of the moment, Nairo Quintana and Richard Carapaz. The former started 2022 in exceptional form, and the latter promises to fight to revalidate the overall victories won in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Although not one of the best Vueltas on the UCI calendar, it is amazing to see cyclists crossing some of the most difficult Asturian passes in the community.
Another April cycling event to mark on the calendar is the Gran Fondo Lloret Costa Brava. On April 24, participants in this road cycling event along the Costa Brava will feel the Mediterranean breeze while cycling between hills and demanding passes. There are two routes, one of 160 km and the other of 90, and in the long version the participants cross passes such as Els Àngels, Sant Grau, Romanyà, La Ganga or Mas Carbotí.
On April 2 and 3, 2022, hosts a unique event: the Intercontinental Race. This cycling sporting event aims to enhance the natural wealth, the natural parks, the Andalusian coast, the Strait of Gibraltar and the natural environment of Ceuta. For this reason, this MTB race takes place on two continents, with the cities of Algeciras and Ceuta as the main protagonists of this two-stage race. Between the two days, the participants will cover 130 km of MTB routes which they will surely enjoy to the fullest.
Another MTB event is scheduled between April 1 and 3: the Girona MTB Challenge. This MTB festival in Girona is not so much about creating a competitive event as about making participants enjoy the different marked routes throughout the three of the event. The routes are over 70% singletrack and 20% track, guaranteeing the purest MTB in Girona to open the month.
Add Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.