The WorldTour calendar is in a transitional moment. The spring classics are done, and Grand Tour season — starting with La Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d’Italia, which both begin over the next week — is upon us. But before we settle down for the sport’s top-tier stage races, let’s reflect on an often astonishing couple of months of one-day events, from the tight bends of the Poggio to the torturous hills of Liege-Bastogne, via the cobbles of Flanders and Roubaix and myriad other competitions.

The Athletic’s writers review a memorable early-spring of one-day racing.

What was your favorite moment from the spring classics?

Jacob Whitehead: It has to be Wout Van Aert winning Paris-Roubaix. This was a victory which was a decade in waiting, delivered in the perfect manner — coming around the outside of the rainbow jersey in that famous velodrome.

He burst into tears after crossing the line, before dedicating the victory to Michael Goolaerts, a former teammate who died while racing Paris-Roubaix in 2018. It meant that one of the decade’s great animators — and really, the only rider among the ‘big six’ who consistently has to work for others — finally had the prize he cherishes the most.

Christophe Laporte congratulates team-mate Wout Van Aert in the Roubaix velodrome (Etienne Garnier / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

Jessica Hopkins: Wout Van Aert winning Paris-Roubaix was brilliant. Your favourite rider’s favourite rider getting one of his dream wins against the stiffest of competition, after fracturing an ankle in January. Honourable mentions have to go to Tom Pidcock and Tadej Pogačar’s sprint at Milan Sanremo, after the latter’s crash, and Demi Vollering’s solo win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femme, setting up the summer season.

Duncan Alexander: I’ve always been fascinated by La Redoute in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, ever since Frank Vandenbroucke’s mesmerising performance on its slopes in the 1999 race (a rider whose troubled life is the subject of an excellent book by The Athletic’s Andy McGrath). It’s one of those climbs that always turns elevation into narrative, and when teenager Paul Seixas was able to stick — just about — to Tadej Pogačar’s back wheel, it hinted at a new chapter at the top of the sport. The fact they did it in a record time of three minutes and 45 seconds, taking 13 seconds off Pogačar’s record set last year, was jaw-dropping.

On the same afternoon that the men’s London Marathon record was being shattered 255 miles (409km) away, this was another era-defining piece of timekeeping.

💥 Attaque de Tadej Pogacar! Paul Seixas est le seul à pouvoir le suivre !

Tadej Pogacar attacks! Only Paul Seixas can follow! ⚡️#LBL pic.twitter.com/l2ve2IF6dJ

— Liège-Bastogne-Liège (@LiegeBastogneL) April 26, 2026

What was the most impressive result of the spring?

Jacob: In the microcosm, it’s Tadej Pogačar’s victory at Milan-Sanremo after crashing at the race’s key moment — before remounting his bike to attack on the Cipressa, distance Mathieu van der Poel on the Poggio, and outsprint Tom Pidcock on the Via Roma.

But it’s worth going over his 2026 Monuments record in totality — three victories and a second-place (plus a win at Strade Bianche) — and with a further success at Il Lombardia seemingly pre-ordained, this is set to be the greatest one-day campaign in history.

Pogačar pips Pidcock — just — to land his first Milan-Sanremo win (David Pintens / Belga Mag / Belga / AFP via Getty Images)

Jessica: After his impressive showing at Itzulia Basque Country, Paul Seixas being on the Liège-Bastogne-Liège podium wasn’t wholly surprising. The way in which he came second, however, was incredible.

Usually when Tadej Pogačar goes, everyone falls away — and at Liège they did, all apart from one. The world champion has been pushed hard before, and it wasn’t his hardest day on a bike, but the estimated power numbers he put down on La Redoute were record-breaking. To see a teenager hold his own then was jaw-dropping and refreshing.

Duncan: I enjoyed Remco Evenepoel’s tilt at the Tour of Flanders. As he said himself, third place behind Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel on his debut in the race was about as good as it could have got, and his refusal to stop trying to close down the gap to the front two in the latter stages was entertaining. Third at Liège, plus a first win at Amstel Gold means this was probably a solid 7/10 for Evenepoel. He really should give Milan-Sanremo a go next year.

Tadej Pogacar & Mathieu van der Poel drop Remco Evenepoel on the Paterberg! 🔥 #RVV26 #FLCS pic.twitter.com/9w039Szhf1

— Ronde van Vlaanderen (@RondeVlaanderen) April 5, 2026

Who showed themselves as a future star?

Jacob: Paula Blasi of UAE Team ADQ. The 23-year-old Spaniard only joined the development team last year after initially focusing on middle-distance running and triathlons — and just over 12 months later, having joined the seniors, took victory at Amstel Gold.

It was hugely impressive in nature — she was the breakaway’s last survivor and stayed away from a charging pair of former Tour de France winners in Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney — while three days later, just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, she finished third at La Flèche Wallonne, before rounding out her Ardennes campaign with fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

I’m excited to watch her on home turf when La Vuelta Femenina starts tomorrow (Sunday).

Paula Blasi celebrates Amstel Gold victory (Marcel van Hoorn / ANP / AFP via Getty Images)

Jessica: Megan Jastrab’s fifth place at Paris-Roubaix was the best by a U.S. woman in the event’s six-year history. Cycling is undeniably a Eurocentric sport at its peak. As American Matthew Riccitello told The Athletic, “when I came over to Europe for the first time, you were a bit behind” as Europeans start cycling “before they can walk”. Jastrab’s impressive showing wasn’t just a promising sign of what’s to come from the 24-year-old, but another encouraging result for American cycling.

Duncan: Just to keep Jacob happy, I’m going to give Romain Grégoire a shoutout for a very consistent spring. This is what he did: A win at the Faun Drôme classic, fourth at Strade Bianche, 18th at Sanremo, 22nd at Flanders, fourths again at De Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold, ninth at Flèche Wallonne and seventh at Liège. It’s the sort of classics season that augurs well for the 23-year-old Frenchman in future years, it’s just a shame Paul Seixas, who doesn’t leave his teens until September, already makes Grégoire look as if he’s some sort of grizzled veteran.

Grégoire leads Wout Van Aert at Dwars Door Vlaanderen (Jasper Jacobs / Belga Mag / Belga / AFP via Getty Images)

Who should be disappointed with their spring?

Jacob: I really felt for Ben Healy, whose entire first-half of the season had been built around the Ardennes Classics — only for a seemingly innocuous crash in the recon of the Itzulia Basque Country to lead to a fractured sacrum (a triangular bone at the base of the pelvis). In a racing sense, Mads Pedersen entered the spring still searching for fitness after his own crash in February — and finished just off the podium in Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. He is the best rider in the peloton without a Monument victory — the wait goes on.

Jessica: Now this doesn’t reflect on the whole spring but after Paris-Roubaix, the Alpecin-Premier Tech team had to be kicking themselves. Mathieu van der Poel entered as the favourite and, as is par for the course, following a series of mechanicals, took teammate Jasper Philipsen’s bike.

The defending champion couldn’t clip into the pedals, however, as they were prototype models, leaving Van der Poel slipping off and unable to push properly. There may have been reasons behind the decision, but in the most chaotic race of the calendar, it seemed senseless not to have had multiple compatible backup options for their leader. Paris-Roubaix is as Paris-Roubaix does, however, and is never smooth sailing.

Van der Poel’s attempts to win a fourth straight Paris-Roubaix all but ended in the Arenberg Forest (Etienne Garnier / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

Duncan: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney finished on the podium at Omloop, Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège but did not win any of them. In fact, outside of her national championship last June, the Polish rider has not been on the top step as a race winner since the 2024 Tour de France, so a win soon would certainly be welcome.

Sum up this year’s spring Monuments in five words  

Jacob: Pogačar sweep? Not so fast.

Jessica: Blink and you’ll miss it.

Duncan: Wout’s the King of Belgium.