Flanders and Roubaix are what counts, says Eisel

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Bernard Eisel (Sky) on the way to the finish.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich)

Sky's 2013 classics campaign was instantly written off as a failure within moments of the end of Paris-Roubaix and the team's novel preparation was immediately dismissed as a fad. Such is the hyper-reality of an era of snap judgments.

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.