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Cycling monument

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Cycling monument

First appeared in Ce soir newspaper by Albert Baker d'Isy
Information
Published: 17 April 1949
Origin: France
Newspaper: Ce soir
Author: Albert Baker d'Isy
Race: Paris–Roubaix
Article: "monument" du cyclisme

The Monuments are five classic cycle races generally considered to be the oldest, hardest, longest and most prestigious one-day events in men's road cycling, with distances between 240 and 300 km.[1][2][3]

They each have a long history and specific individual characteristics. They are currently the one-day races in which most points can be earned in the UCI World Tour and the only 3rd categorized UCI races, only behind Grand Tour races; Tour de France (1st category) and Giro and Vuelta (both 2nd category). As of 2025, four of the five monuments hold women's races as part of the UCI Women's World Tour – with only Giro di Lombardia not having a women's race.

Eddy Merckx is by far the most successful monument rider with 19 wins in total. He is the only cyclist in history to win three monuments in one season, a feat he achieved in 1969, 1971, 1972 and 1975.

Origin

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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".[4]

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".[5]

The term began being used more by the cycling media at the end of the 20th century,[6] 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.[6]

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.[5]

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.[5]

List of monuments

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The five monuments are:

  • Italy Milan–San Remo – the first major Classic of the year, its Italian name is La Primavera (the spring), because it is held in late March, or "La Classicissima". First run in 1907, it is considered the sprinter's classic. This race is particularly long (ca. 300 km (190 mi)) though mostly flat along the Ligurian coast, enabling sprinters to compete, but almost every type of cyclist can try to win Milan-San Remo.
  • Belgium Tour of Flanders – the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Dutch, the first of the Cobbled classics, is raced every first Sunday of April. It was first held in 1913, making it the youngest of the five Monuments. Notable for the narrow short hills (hellingen) in the Flemish Ardennes, usually steep and cobbled, the route forces the best riders to continually fight for space at the front. The course changes slightly every year: since 2017 the race has started in Antwerp and since 2012 has finished in Oudenaarde.
  • France Paris–Roubaix – the Queen of the Classics or l'Enfer du Nord ("The Hell of the North") is raced traditionally one week after the Tour of Flanders and is the last of the cobbled races. It was first organized in 1896. Its decisive sites are the many long sections of pavé (roads of cobblestones) making it the most unpleasant one-day race. It is considered by many to be the most heroic one-day cycling event of the year.[citation needed] The race finishes on the iconic Roubaix Velodrome. At the end of the race, riders are usually covered in dirt and mud in what is considered one of the most brutal tests of mental and physical endurance in all of cycling.
  • Belgium Liège–Bastogne–Liège – held in late April. La Doyenne, the oldest Classic, is the last of the Ardennes classics and usually the last of the spring races. It was first organized in 1892 as an amateur event; a professional edition followed in 1894. It is a long and arduous race notable for its many sharp hills in the Ardennes, favouring climbers and even grand tour specialists.
  • Italy Giro di Lombardia – the Autumn Classic or the Race of the Falling Leaves, is held in October or late September. Initially organized as Milano–Milano in 1905, it was called the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy) in 1907 and Il Lombardia in 2012. It is notable for its hilly and varied course around Lake Como. It is often won by climbers with a strong sprint finish, because it has a very difficult route, with many hills, especially near Como or Bergamo, like Madonna del Ghisallo, Civiglio or Valcava.

Future monuments

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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,[7][8][9] with Cycling News stating in 2025 that "there is no longer any debate that Strade Bianche is cycling's sixth Monument".[10] However, others have criticised that Strade Bianche does not have the length or longevity to be titled a monument,[11] and rider Philippe Gilbert noted that Clásica de San Sebastián and Amstel Gold Race were more important historically.[12][6]

Monuments winners

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Statistics

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Most monuments wins

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Eddy Merckx 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.

Six 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. Philippe Gilbert is the most recent rider to win four different monuments, all except Milan–San Remo, in which he finished third twice.[13]

23 riders have won at least five monuments in their career.

Eddy Merckx also holds the record of most victories in a single Monument, winning Milan-San Remo seven times.[14]

Rank Cyclist Nationality First
win
Latest
win
M–S ToF P–R L–B–L GdL Total
1 Eddy Merckx  Belgium 1966 1976 7 2 3 5 2 19
2 Roger De Vlaeminck  Belgium 1970 1979 3 1 4 1 2 11
3 Costante Girardengo  Italy 1918 1928 6 3 9
Fausto Coppi  Italy 1946 1954 3 1 5 9
Sean Kelly  Ireland 1983 1992 2 2 2 3 9
6 Rik Van Looy  Belgium 1958 1965 1 2 3 1 1 8
7 Gino Bartali  Italy 1936 1950 4 3 7
Tom Boonen  Belgium 2005 2012 3 4 7
Fabian Cancellara   Switzerland 2006 2014 1 3 3 7
Tadej Pogačar  Slovenia 2021 2024 1 2 4 7
11 Henri Pélissier  France 1911 1921 1 2 3 6
Alfredo Binda  Italy 1925 1931 2 4 6
Fred De Bruyne  Belgium 1956 1959 1 1 1 3 6
Francesco Moser  Italy 1975 1984 1 3 2 6
Moreno Argentin  Italy 1985 1991 1 4 1 6
Johan Museeuw  Belgium 1993 2002 3 3 6
Mathieu van der Poel  Netherlands 2020 2024 1 3 2 6
18 Gaetano Belloni  Italy 1915 1928 2 3 5
Rik Van Steenbergen  Belgium 1944 1954 1 2 2 5
Bernard Hinault  France 1977 1984 1 2 2 5
Michele Bartoli  Italy 1996 2003 1 2 2 5
Paolo Bettini  Italy 2000 2006 1 2 2 5
Philippe Gilbert  Belgium 2009 2019 1 1 1 2 5
24 Gaston Rebry  Belgium 1931 1935 1 3 4
Alfons Schepers  Belgium 1929 1935 1 3 4
Louison Bobet  France 1951 1956 1 1 1 1 4
Germain Derycke  Belgium 1953 1958 1 1 1 1 4
Felice Gimondi  Italy 1966 1974 1 1 2 4
Walter Godefroot  Belgium 1967 1978 2 1 1 4
Hennie Kuiper  Netherlands 1981 1985 1 1 1 1 4
Jan Raas  Netherlands 1977 1983 1 2 1 4
Erik Zabel  Germany 1997 2001 4 4
Alejandro Valverde  Spain 2006 2017 4 4
34 Léon Houa  Belgium 1892 1894 3 3
Octave Lapize  France 1909 1911 3 3
René Vermandel  Belgium 1921 1924 1 2 3
Giovanni Brunero  Italy 1922 1924 1 2 3
Romain Gijssels  Belgium 1931 1932 2 1 3
Achiel Buysse  Belgium 1940 1943 3 3
Fiorenzo Magni  Italy 1949 1951 3 3
Jo de Roo  Netherlands 1962 1965 1 2 3
Emile Daems  Belgium 1960 1963 1 1 1 3
Tom Simpson  United Kingdom 1961 1965 1 1 1 3
Eric Leman  Belgium 1970 1973 3 3
Andrei Tchmil  Moldova
 Belgium
1994 2000 1 1 1 3
Andrea Tafi  Italy 1996 2002 1 1 1 3
Peter Van Petegem  Belgium 1999 2003 2 1 3
Oscar Freire  Spain 2004 2010 3 3
Damiano Cunego  Italy 2004 2008 3 3
Vincenzo Nibali  Italy 2015 2018 1 2 3

Riders in blue are still active. Riders in green have won all five monuments. Number of wins in gold indicates the current record holder(s).

Winners by nationality

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Rank Nationality M–S ToF P–R L–B–L GdL Total
1  Belgium 23 69 57 61 12 222
2  Italy 51 11 14 12 69 157
3  France 14 3 28 5 12 62
4  Netherlands 4 13 9 4 4 34
5  Switzerland 2 4 4 6 5 21
6  Germany 7 2 2 2 0 13
7  Ireland 2 0 2 3 4 11
 Spain 5 0 0 4 2 11
9  Slovenia 1 1 0 3 4 9
10  Australia 2 0 2 1 0 5
 Denmark 0 2 0 2 1 5
 Luxembourg 0 0 1 3 1 5
13  United Kingdom 2 1 0 0 1 4
14  Kazakhstan 0 0 0 3 0 3
15  Norway 1 1 0 0 0 2
 Russia 0 0 0 1 1 2
 Slovakia 0 1 1 0 0 2
18  Colombia 0 0 0 0 1 1
 Lithuania 0 0 0 0 1 1
 Moldova 0 0 1 0 0 1
 Poland 1 0 0 0 0 1
 Sweden 0 0 1 0 0 1
 United States 0 0 0 1 0 1

Most wins per monument

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Monument Wins Rider(s)
Italy Milan-San Remo 7  Eddy Merckx (BEL)
Belgium Tour of Flanders 3  Achiel Buysse (BEL)
 Fiorenzo Magni (ITA)
 Eric Leman (BEL)
 Johan Museeuw (BEL)
 Tom Boonen (BEL)
 Fabian Cancellara (SUI)
 Mathieu van der Poel (NED)
France Paris-Roubaix 4  Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)
 Tom Boonen (BEL)
Belgium Liège-Bastogne-Liège 5  Eddy Merckx (BEL)
Italy Giro di Lombardia 5  Fausto Coppi (ITA)

Winners of three monuments in a single year

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Only Eddy Merckx has been able to win three monuments in a single year – and he did it four times:

Winners of two monuments in a single year

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26 different riders (including Eddy Merckx) 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 (including Merckx in 1971 and 1972). Only Merckx has won the combinations Milan–San Remo/Tour of Flanders and Tour of Flanders/Liège–Bastogne–Liège, when he won all three Monuments in 1969 and 1975. Only twice have two riders (Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel) won two Monuments each in the same year (2023 and 2024).

Women's events

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Unlike the men's events, the women's editions do not have a higher points status above other one-day races. Media have therefore discussed other races that may be worthy of the "monument" moniker, including Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio (the oldest one-day race on the women's calendar) and Strade Bianche Donne.[15][16]

As of 2025, four of the five monuments hold women's races as part of the UCI Women's World Tour. Since 2017, at least two monuments have had women's races in each calendar year. As of 2025, Giro di Lombardia is the only monument without an equivalent race for women.[17]

  • Italy Milan–San Remo Donne – a women's version of Milan–San Remo, named Primavera Rosa, was first held in 1999, but cancelled after 2005. From 2025, the race will take place as Milano–San Remo Donne, on the same day and over a shorter course as the men's race.[18]
  • Belgium 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 the day before the men's event over a shorter route.
  • France Paris–Roubaix Femmes – First held in October 2021, after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race takes place the day before the men's event over a shorter route.
  • Belgium 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.[19]

In 2021, British rider Lizzie Deignan, became the first women's rider to win a classic triple crown of the three existing monuments, having won 2016 Tour of Flanders for Women, 2020 Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes and 2021 Paris–Roubaix Femmes.[20]

Winners

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Year Milan–San Remo Tour of Flanders Paris–Roubaix Femmes Liège–Bastogne–Liège Giro di Lombardia
1999  Sara Felloni (ITA) Not contested Not contested Not contested Not contested
2000  Diana Žiliūtė (LTU)
2001  Susanne Ljungskog (SWE)
2002  Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel (NED) (1/3)
2003  Zoulfia Zabirova (RUS) (1/3)
2004  Zoulfia Zabirova (RUS) (2/3)  Zoulfia Zabirova (RUS) (3/3)
2005  Trixi Worrack (GER)  Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel (NED) (2/3)
2006 Not contested  Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel (NED) (3/3)
2007  Nicole Cooke (GBR)
2008  Judith Arndt (GER) (1/2)
2009  Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (GER)
2010  Grace Verbeke (BEL)
2011  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) (1/4)
2012  Judith Arndt (GER) (2/2)
2013  Marianne Vos (NED)
2014  Ellen van Dijk (NED)
2015  Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) (1/3)
2016  Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) (1/3)
2017  Coryn Rivera (USA)  Anna van der Breggen (NED) (1/3)
2018  Anna van der Breggen (NED) (2/3)  Anna van der Breggen (NED) (3/3)
2019  Marta Bastianelli (ITA)  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) (2/4)
2020  Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (NED)  Lizzie Deignan (GBR) (2/3)
2021  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) (3/4)  Lizzie Deignan (GBR) (3/3)  Demi Vollering (NED) (1/2)
2022  Lotte Kopecky (BEL) (1/3)  Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) (2/3)  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) (4/4)
2023  Lotte Kopecky (BEL) (2/3)  Alison Jackson (CAN)  Demi Vollering (NED) (2/2)
2024  Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) (3/3)  Lotte Kopecky (BEL) (3/3)  Grace Brown (AUS)
Year Milan–San Remo Tour of Flanders Paris–Roubaix Liège–Bastogne–Liège Giro di Lombardia

Most monuments wins

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Rank Cyclist Nationality M–S ToF P–R L–B–L GdL Total
1 Annemiek van Vleuten  Netherlands 0 2 0 2 0 4
2 Zoulfia Zabirova  Russia 2 1 0 0 0 3
Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel  Netherlands 1 2 0 0 0 3
Anna van der Breggen  Netherlands 0 1 0 2 0 3
Lizzie Deignan  United Kingdom 0 1 1 1 0 3
Elisa Longo Borghini  Italy 0 2 1 0 0 3
Lotte Kopecky  Belgium 0 2 1 0 0 3
8 Judith Arndt  Germany 0 2 0 0 0 2
Demi Vollering  Netherlands 0 0 0 2 0 2

Winners by nationality

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Rank Nationality M–S ToF P–R L–B–L GdL Total
1  Netherlands 1 8 0 6 0 15
2  Italy 1 3 1 0 0 5
3  Germany 1 3 0 0 0 4
 United Kingdom 0 2 1 1 0 4
 Belgium 0 3 1 0 0 4
6  Russia 2 1 0 0 0 3
7  Canada 0 0 1 0 0 1
 Lithuania 1 0 0 0 0 1
 Sweden 1 0 0 0 0 1
 United States 0 1 0 0 0 1
 Australia 0 0 0 1 0 1

Notes

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  1. ^ The result in 1949 took several months and two international conferences to sort out. André Mahé was first but his win was challenged because he took the wrong course. Mahé was in a break of three that reached Roubaix velodrome in the lead, but he was misdirected by officials and entered the track by the wrong gate. Mahé was declared winner but a few minutes later other riders arrived using the correct route and Serse Coppi, brother of famous Fausto, won the sprint for what was assumed to be the minor placings. After a protest and several months, Serse Coppi was named joint winner with Mahé.
  2. ^ Two riders shared the 1957 race. Germain Derijcke was first over the line, but because he crossed a closed rail crossing, the second-place rider, Frans Schoubben, was promoted to first as well. Derijcke was not disqualified, because he had won by three minutes advantage; judges felt he had not gained that much time from illegally crossing the railway.
  3. ^ The 2020 Paris–Roubaix was initially moved to October and subsequently cancelled in its entirety due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

References

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  1. ^ Cycling Hall of Fame: Introduction, 2010, retrieved 2010-07-12
  2. ^ Cycling Monuments, 2010, retrieved 2010-07-12
  3. ^ "Cancellara dreams of all winning all five of cycling monuments", CyclingNews.com, 2010, retrieved 2010-07-12
  4. ^ "Le Tour de France 1904. La 6e étape" [The Tour de France 1904. The 6th stage]. L'Auto. 25 July 1904.
  5. ^ a b c Colombani, Xavier (17 March 2016). "Pourquoi les appelle-t-on des Monuments ?". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  6. ^ a b c Lindsey, Joe (2024-03-01). "What makes a Monument?". Escape Collective. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  7. ^ Cossins, Peter (2018-03-05). "Should Strade Bianche be cycling's sixth Monument?". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  8. ^ Neef, Matt De (2019-03-12). "Photo gallery: Strade Bianche, road cycling's sixth Monument?". Velo. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  9. ^ Robinson, Joe (2021-03-08). "The day Strade Bianche finally became a Monument". Cyclist. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  10. ^ Farrand, Stephen (2025-03-09). "Strade Bianche was spectacular yet again, but here is how we think it can be even better". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11. In just 19 years, Strade Bianche has become one of most loved races in the sport, with the women's race as important as the men's race. There is no longer any debate that Strade Bianche is cycling's sixth Monument.
  11. ^ Tremblay, Philippe (2019-03-07). "Is Strade Bianche deserving of the moniker of cycling's sixth Monument?". Canadian Cycling Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  12. ^ ""It would be a big error" to make Strade Bianche a monument says Philippe Gilbert". CyclingUpToDate.com. 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  13. ^ "Paris–Roubaix: Philippe Gilbert wins fourth 'monument' title of career". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Milan-San Remo". FirstCycling.com. 2023.
  15. ^ O'Shea, Sadhbh (2023-03-17). "Are there monuments in women's cycling, and what are they?". Velo. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  16. ^ Cossins, Peter (2018-03-05). "Should Strade Bianche be cycling's sixth Monument?". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  17. ^ Wilson, Ewan (2024-10-11). "Opinion: Il Lombardia shouldn't be a Monument in its current form". Cyclist. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  18. ^ Westemeyer, Susan (26 January 2006). "Women's Milan–San Remo cancelled". Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  19. ^ "New-look route for Liege-Bastogne-Liege as debut women's parcours unveiled". cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  20. ^ Knöfler, Lukas (2021-10-02). "Lizzie Deignan solos for 82km to win inaugural Paris–Roubaix Femmes". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2021-10-04.