The Fleche Wallonne podium: Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) and Alberto Contador (Astana)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) wins Amstel Gold Race
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Alexandr Kolobnev (Katusha) just couldn't make one of his many attacks stick through the Ardennes
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) on the Saint-Nicholas at Liege-Bastogne-Liege
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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The Brabantse Pijl podium: Thomas De Gendt (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator), Sebastien Rosseler (RadioShack) and Jurgen Van de Walle (Quick Step)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Servais Knaven (Milram) contemplates having finished Paris-Roubaix for the 16th time
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Serguei Ivanov (Katusha) tries to go away from Philippe Gilbert, Damiano Cunego, Frank Schleck and Alexandr Kolobnev at Amstel Gold Race
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) charges towards the finish of Liege-Bastogne-Liege
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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The Amstel Gold Race podium: Enrico Gasparotto (Astana), Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Philiippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) tries to distance Serguei Ivanov (Katusha) at Amstel Gold Race
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Alexandre Vinokourov is embraced by Astana teammate Martin Stangelj at the finish of Liege-Bastogne-Liege
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) missed Flanders through illness, but he was back-in-black at Paris-Roubaix
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Tom Boonen (Quick Step) couldn't catch a break this Classics season
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Matti Breschel's Classics campaign was plauged by misfortune. But the Saxo Bank rider did walk away with a win at Dwars door Vlaanderen
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Oscar Freire (Rabobank) roars with delight as he wins Milan-San Remo
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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On a different path: Tom Boonen, Matti Breschel, Juan Antonio Flecha and Fabian Cancellara were the animators of the cobbled Classics
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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David Millar (Garmin-Transitions) had an inspired ride at the Tour of Flanders
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium: Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo TestTeam), Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) and Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Bobbie Traksel (Vacansoleil) triumphs at the end of an epic Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Crashes like this at Gent-Wevelgem are part-and-parcel of the Classics
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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The Dwars door Vlaanderen podium: Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoleil), Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) and Niki Terpstra (Milram)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen and Juan Antonio Flecha on their own at E3 Prijs
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) digs in on the Muur, but can do nothing to answer Fabian Cancellara at the Tour of Flanders
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) makes his way past the Flemish faithful on the Muur
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Defending Milan-San Remo champion Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) remounts after suffering a mechanical problem
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Matti Brechel (Saxo Bank) clearly enjoying the spoils of victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Tom Boonen (Quick Step) softens his opponents at E3 Prijs-Harelbeke
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Liquigas were a strong presence throughout the Flemish Classics
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Tom Boonen was caught napping when Fabian Cancellara attacked at Paris-Roubaix
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) leads Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoleil) through a cobbled corner at Paris-Roubaix
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) at Paris-Roubaix
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) clings to Philippe Gilbert's wheel after the Omega Pharma-Lotto rider attacked at the top of the Poggio at Milan-San Remo
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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The Milan-San Remo peloton race a local up a climb
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) blows the Tour of Flanders to bits on the Molenberg
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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The pace is on at Dwars door Vlaanderen
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Spring win number one for Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) at E3 Prijs-Harelbeke
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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The Milan-San Remo podium: Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) salutes at the end of the Tour of Flanders
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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A solo Swiss flag in a sea of Belgian and Flemish standards
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Bernhard Eisel (HTC-Columbia) drives towards the finish line at Gent-Wevelgem
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) at E3 Prijs, in what would become a familiar position for the Swiss throughout the spring
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Big Bernhard Eisel (HTC-Columbia) wins Gent-Wevelgem
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Dimitry Grabovsky (ISD-Neri) was last man standing of his breakaway group at Milan-San Remo
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) surges towards the top of the Muur at Flanders, having just distanced Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
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Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) solos towards victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The 2010 spring Classics may have come to a close, but cycling's biggest one-day races have once again left behind a catalogue of dramatic images. Cyclingnews has selected some of the best pictures from veteran cycling photographer Roberto Bettini, which capture all the drama of the spring.
The spring season kicked-off in early March with the Belgian semi-Classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Juan Antonio Flecha took not only the first Classics win of his career but the first for the new Sky outfit. A week later, Bobbie Traksel (Vacansoleil) triumphed in a brutal edition of Kuurne-Bruxxeles-Kuurne, which saw just 26 riders finish the race.
Attention then turned to Italy, where the first major Classic of the year was run from Milan to San Remo. For the third time in his career, Oscar Freire (Rabobank) was first across the line at La Primavera, relegating Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and former-winner Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) to second and third, respectively.
The Classics caravan made its way back onto Belgian soil for the lead-up to the biggest cobbled races of the year: The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Before those, however, Dwars door Vlaanderen, E3 Prijs-Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem were to be decided. Saxo Bank's sensational spring began with Matti Brechel's win at Dwars, before Fabian Cancellara powered away from Boonen and Flecha to win E3 Prijs. A day later, Bernhard Eisel ensured HTC-Columbia a spring victory as he sprinted to victory in Gent-Wevelgem.
On to Flanders, where Cancellara surged away from Boonen on the Muur-Kappelmuur and soloed into Ninove to seal the third 'Monument' of his career. In the run to Roubaix the Swiss played it cool as Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) sprinted to victory at the mid-week Scheldeprijs. Four days later, Cancellara stamped his absolute authority on the cobbled Classics as he stormed away to his second solo win at Paris-Roubaix.
Brabantse Pijl brought the peloton towards the Ardennes and Sebastien Rosseler (RadioShack) bested his breakaway companions to seal the final victory of the Flemish portion of the Classics period.
An Icelandic volcano caused havoc with start lists, but nevertheless the Ardennes then commenced at Amstel Gold Race, where Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) outclassed everybody on the Cauberg. The Belgian's victory in the Netherlands lifted him to straight to the top of the favourites list for Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Like Gilbert three days earlier, World Champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) claimed his team's first win of the season at Flèche Wallone, as the gritty Australian powered past Alberto Contador (Astana) in the final meters of the Mur de Huy.
Alexandr Kolobnev (Katusha) had made his presence felt throughout the week of the Ardennes, but the Russian's hopes of victory were again foiled as Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) closed the Classics with his second title at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
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