“If you want to get a sense of one of European cycling’s finest races, of the real challenges that made cycling great, of what separates it from other sports, of what it truly means to ensure pain and suffering in the name of sport, you should watch the professionals do battle through the highways and byways of the Flandrian countryside…… It’s not an homage to the principals or principles of overbearing commercial teams. It’s a test of individual racing skills, of courage, of

Sometimes among all the reports of popping champagne corks on the top step of the podium, it’s easy to forget that races contain many other stories – stories of tenacity, teamwork, comradery…. and sometimes just good old fashioned hilarity!