Comprehensive guide to the 2022 Spring Classics

Spring Classics 2022

The 2022 Spring Classics saw the rapid return of Mathieu van der Poel, who spent weeks recovering from a nagging back injury in late December. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was a late addition to the start list for Milan-San Remo and, true to form, landed on the podium in third.

The Classics season started with two stunning rides in Strade Bianche, first from Lotte Kopecky, who took a shock win over Annemiek van Vleuten, and then from two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar, who won Strade Bianche by attacking some 50km out and soloing to the win.

The men's Strade Bianche was interrupted by a shocking crash sparked by a gust of wind that saw Julian Alaphilippe fly off into a verge.

Another major story of the Spring Classics was Matej Mohoric "destroyed cycling" in Milan-San Remo by using a dropper post to facilitate his daredevil descent from the Poggio that helped him stay away for the solo victory.

Other major storylines include Wout van Aert missing out on the Tour of Flanders after contracting COVID-19, an unfortunate string of dropped chains that hampered Shimano-sponsored riders, World Champion Elisa Balsamo getting disqualified from Paris-Roubaix for taking a 'sticky bottle', an on-the-fly tyre pressure adjustment system that Team DSM said they would use in Paris-Roubaix but did not.

Some nonsense ensued at the end of the Scheldeprijs - that Alexander Kristoff won with a courageous late attack - when Tim Merlier had to jump the barriers as he was rolling back on the course only to be confronted by an onrushing group of finishers.

Biniam Girmay wowed the cycling world with an historic victory in Gent-Wevelgem, a first for a Black African rider, firmly planting him as a future Classics great.

Already world champion, Balsamo had a golden week, winning the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the Classic Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem.

There was intrigue in the Tour of Flanders when Tadej Pogačar seemed to have made the winning move with Van der Poel only to play too much cat-and-mouse and then get out-sprinted by two chasers, Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas. Pogacar complained about the sprint but later apologised to Van Baarle for the outburst. He later professed his love for the Tour of Flanders.

Lotte Kopecky made Belgium proud with her win in the women's Tour of Flanders, a race made harder by the addition of the Koppenberg and more lucrative with equal prize money.

Paris-Roubaix served up spectacular racing as always, with Dylan van Baarle and Elisa Longo Borghini winning with solo attacks.

The Ardennes Classics were close and not so close, with Dylan Teuns and Marta Cavalli taking the "sprint" to the top of the Mur de Huy in La Flèche Wallonne. In the Amstel Gold Race, another photo-finish gave the win to Ineos, with Michał Kwiatkowski edging out Benoit Cosnefroy. Cavalli didn't have to wait for the cameras, she won the women's Amstel Gold with an audacious late attack.