It will have come to no surprise to anyone who has been following professional cycling in the last few years that Chris Froome took home the pink jersey in this year’s Giro d’Italia.

This solidifies Froome as one of the most successful riders of all time; he has now taken successive wins in three Grand Tours: the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, and the Giro d’Italia.

A welcome, but not altogether unusual, change from the race controlling tactics often seen from Team Sky, Chris Froome took the win with a certain amount of flare.

The start of the 101st edition of the Giro d’Italia is just days away. The first Grand Tour of the season is set to be an exciting event, with plenty of drama expected over next three weeks.

The nature of the Giro d’Italia means that, although there are of course some clear favourites, it is not entirely clear who is going to walk away with the pink jersey.

Here’s a quick run through of everything you need to know before the race begins.

Having taken the win back in 2016, Mitchelton-Scott have a good record when it comes to the Paris-Roubaix. In the 2018 edition, however, the team were unable to achieve a podium position.

Italian rider Matteo Trentin crashed hard, taking him out of the race. The 28 year old received immediate medical attention and has suffered a fracture in the thoracic region, but thankfully is in a stable condition.

2016 Paris-Roubaix winner Mat Hayman, meanwhile, finished 22nd. Speaking after the race, Hayman said he “was having a fairly good day but then just ran out of legs.”

The Tour of Flanders is raced this weekend which will see the best cyclists in the world tackle some of the most brutal ascents they will face in the season. 

The Flandrian climbs may not be as long as the Alpe d'Huez or as trecherous as the Stelvio, but what they lack in length and accumulated height they gain in severity. 

The climbs on the Tour of Flanders and indeed in all of the spring classics in Northern Europe are normally between .4km and 2.5km in length with varying degreees of difficulty; both in terms of average or maximum gradient but also with the road surface, with many of the climbs being on narrow, cobbled roads. 

Here we take you through our top 5 Flandrian climbs in celebration of the Tour of Flanders:

With the professional season now in full swing and the spring classics well underway, you could be forgiven for wanting to plan a trip to Belgium or the French Ardennes to ride the same roads as the pros and get a taste of the classics. 

Whilst most places locally won't have a Koppenburg or a Mur de Huy, there are still certain things you can do to get a taste of the classics in your own back yard - although you aren't likely to win a keg of beer for doing so!

The events you choose for the year are usually the ones you have identified as giving you the best challenge whilst still allowing you to complete your goals, but it is important that you structure the events you choose carefully to get the best out of your performance. 

Here's our top 5 tips to structuring your event calendar for the cycling year to give you the best chance to be performing at your peak.