Cycling monument

The five monuments are: • Milan–San Remo – also called La Primavera (the spring classic) or La Classicissima (the classic of classics), it is the first major classic of the season. First held in 1907, it is by far the longest one-day race on the UCI calendar at nearly . Due to its flat profile, it is considered a sprinter's classic, but the famous finishing climbs of the Cipressa and the Poggio give other types of cyclists a chance to win. It is often described as "the easiest Monument to finish, but the hardest to win". • Tour of Flanders – the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Dutch, or simply De Ronde ("the Tour"), is raced on the first Sunday in April. First held in 1913, The course shifts from year to year, with the start switching between Antwerp and Bruges in recent years. The race is known for its long sections of pavé (cobblestone roads), with 30 cobbled sectors totaling over , including the difficult Trouée d'Arenberg before finishing in the Roubaix Velodrome. It is considered the toughest monument, as well as "arguably the most recognizable" one-day race on the cycling calendar. • Liège–Bastogne–Liège – known as La Doyenne ("the old lady" or "the oldest"), it is the final Ardennes classic, usually held in late April as the last of the spring one-day races. First organized in 1892, it is the oldest monument. The course is considered a "war of attrition" due to its difficult hilly terrain, favouring climbers or even Grand Tour specialists. • Giro di Lombardia – also called the classica delle foglie morte ("race of the falling leaves"), it is the final monument of the season, held in late September or October. ==Origin==

The expression "cycling monument" has been used since the early days of cycle racing. In 1904, Henri Desgrange wrote in L'Auto that "The "Tour de France" is over and its second edition will, I fear, have also been the last. [...] And yet, it seemed to us and it still seems to us that we had built with this great event the most lasting and most imposing monument to the sport of cycling". In 1949, French sports journalist Albert Baker d'Isy wrote about the 47th edition of the Paris–Roubaix race, titling his article in the French newspaper Ce soir "Paris–Roubaix: "monument" du cyclisme". The term was used again by journalist Jacques Goddet in 1950, writing about Fausto Coppi's victory at Paris–Roubaix – "Monument of international cycling, Paris-Roubaix crushed the riders with its legend as well as its diabolical difficulties". When the Super Prestige Pernod had to be abandoned at the end of 1987, Hein Verbruggen (president of the FICP) went on to create a new competition (which became the UCI Road World Cup), where five races were given a fixed position under the name 'cycling monument', and these were the five races still known as monuments. The term began being used more by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and cycling media at the end of the 20th century, with the term designating the five most prestigious classic cycle races, namely Milan–San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Giro di Lombardia. Since 2010, the races are considered by the Union Cycliste Internationale to be more prestigious than other one-day races that are raced by the professional peloton, with only the Grand Tour stage races gaining more ranking points for the winner. In 2017, ''L'Équipe'' wrote that the five monuments were "the oldest one-day races, the most famous, the most unique" and that they had "prestigious entry fields" of champion riders. ==Future monuments==

Media and riders have discussed whether other classic cycling races meet the criteria of a cycling monument. By the 2020s, Strade Bianche – an Italian one-day race first held in 2007, defined by its use of white gravel roads – was considered to be the most likely candidate, with Cycling News stating in 2025 that "there is no longer any debate that Strade Bianche is cycling's sixth Monument". However, others have criticised that Strade Bianche does not have the length or longevity to be titled a monument, and rider Philippe Gilbert noted that Clásica de San Sebastián and Amstel Gold Race were more important historically. ==Monuments winners==

Most monuments wins in 1974 Only three riders have won all five monument races during their careers: Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx, and Roger De Vlaeminck, all three Belgians, and only Eddy Merckx won each of them more than once. Seven riders won four different monuments. With multiple victories in all the other monuments, Sean Kelly almost joined the top group, finishing second in the Tour of Flanders on three occasions (1984, 1986 and 1987). Kelly is the only other rider, after Merckx, to win four different monuments on multiple occasions. Dutch rider Hennie Kuiper won each monument except Liège–Bastogne–Liège, in which he finished second in 1980. Frenchman Louison Bobet also won all but Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Belgian rider Fred De Bruyne came close as well, finishing second in the Giro di Lombardia in 1955 and winning the other four races during his career. Germain Derycke also won four, all except the Giro di Lombardia. Tadej Pogačar is the most recent rider to win four different monuments, all except Paris-Roubaix, in which he finished second in 2025 and 2026. Tadej Pogačar is the first rider to achieve a podium finish in all 5 monuments in the same season in 2025: M-R(3rd), ToF(1st), P-R(2nd), L-B-L(1st), GdL(1st). This streak also means he has the most consecutive monument podiums with 11 in a row, when 2024: L-B-L(1st), GdL(1st), and 2026: M-R(1st), ToF(1st), P-R(2nd), L-B-L(1st) are included. He is also the first one winning 4 monuments in a row, from L-B-L in 2025 to ToF in 2026. Tadej Pogačar is also the first rider ever to win the same monument 5 years in a row with his winning streak at Giro di Lombardia going from 2021 to 2025, eclipsing the previous record held by Fausto Coppi since 1949 in the same race. Eddy Merckx holds the record of most victories in a single Monument, winning Milan-San Remo seven times. 2025 was also the first time ever 2 riders won all 5 monuments in a single season between them with Tadej Pogačar winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Tour of Flanders and Giro di Lombardia, whilst Mathieu van der Poel won Milan-San-Remo and Paris-Roubaix. They are the only riders to both win two monuments in a season, doing so three season in a row, in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Together they won eleven monuments in a row, from the Tour of Flanders 2024 to Paris-Roubaix 2026 (Pogačar won 7, van der Poel won 4). Winners by nationality Most wins per monument Winners of three monuments in a single year No rider has ever won more than three monuments in a single year. Eddy Merckx and Tadej Pogačar have won three monuments in a single year: Winners of two monuments in a single year 26 different riders (including Merckx and Pogačar) have managed to win two Monuments in the same year. The most common "double" consists of the two cobbled classics (Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix), which have been won by the same rider in the same year on 13 occasions. The Italian "double" (Milan–San Remo and Giro di Lombardia) has been achieved 11 times. All 10 possible doubles have been achieved by multiple riders. Below the list of all doubles with years in bold indicating that they were part of a triple of monument wins (see the section above). Most consecutive monuments Tadej Pogačar won four consecutive monuments over two seasons – the 2025 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the 2025 Il Lombardia, the 2026 Milan-San Remo and the 2026 Tour of Flanders, the only rider to have done so. His streak ended with the 2026 Paris–Roubaix, where he finished second, behind Wout van Aert, before once more winning 2026 Liège–Bastogne–Liège a week later. ==Women's events==

, four of the five monuments hold women's races as part of the UCI Women's World Tour. At least two monuments have had women's races in each calendar year since 2017, as well as in 2004 and 2005. , Giro di Lombardia is the only monument without an equivalent race for women. • Milan–San Remo Women – a women's version of Milan–San Remo, named Primavera Rosa, was first held in 1999, but cancelled after 2005. Since 2025, the race takes place as Milano–San Remo Donne, on the same day and over a shorter course as the men's race. • Tour of Flanders – a women's edition of the Tour of Flanders has been held continuously since 2004. The first of the cobbled classics takes place on the same day as the men's event over a shorter route. • Paris–Roubaix Femmes – First held in October 2021, after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race takes place on the same day as the men's event over a shorter route. • Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes – First held in 2017. The last of the Ardennes classics is held on the same day and over a shorter course as the men's race. In 2021, British rider Lizzie Deignan became the first women's rider to win more than two of these events, having won 2016 Tour of Flanders for Women, 2020 Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes and 2021 Paris–Roubaix Femmes. Three riders have won two of them in one year – Zulfiya Zabirova in 2004, Anna van der Breggen in 2018 and Demi Vollering in 2026. Until 2026, the women's editions did not have a higher points status above other one-day races. From 2026, the UCI awarded more ranking points to the four races compared to other one-day races in the UCI Women's World Tour – thereby officially designating them as monuments. Media have discussed other races that may be worthy of the "monument" title, including Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio (the oldest one-day race on the women's calendar) and Strade Bianche Donne. Winners Most monuments wins Winners of two monuments in a single year 3 different riders have managed to win two Monuments in the same year. Winners by nationality ==Notes==