Famous Bicycle Races
The Grand Tours
The most famous cycling race is the Tour de France, a multi-stage tour over three weeks through France, traditionally ending in Paris. Similar long multi-stage tours are held in Italy (the Giro d'Italia) and Spain (the Vuelta a España). These three races make up the "Grand Tours".
UCI ProTour Events
Professional racing is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale. In 2005 it instituted the UCI ProTour to replace the UCI World Cup series. While the World Cup contained only one-day races, the ProTour includes the Grand Tours and smaller stage races such as Tour of Switzerland, Paris-Nice and the Critérium de Dauphiné Libéré.
The former UCI World Cup one-day races - which include all five Classic cycle races or 'Monuments' - are also part of the ProTour:
- Milan-San Remo (Italy)
- Tour of Flanders (Belgium)
- Paris-Roubaix (France)
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)
- Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands)
- Clasica San Sebastian (Spain)
- HEW Cyclassics (Germany)
- Championship of Zürich (Switzerland)
- Paris-Tours (France)
- Tour of Lombardy (Italy)
Other Notable Races
The Race Across America, or RAAM is an ultra marathon road race. It is a single stage race without designated rest periods about 3,000 miles or 4,830 kilometres long over 9 days with cyclists racing approximately 22 hours a day.
