Rider of the Year 2018

Congrats Peter! You have been elected Cycling Impression's rider of the year!
Someone says that winning a Paris - Roubaix is worth a Word title, but in this case it seems more than just a hyperbole.
Despite Valverde's great victory in Innsbruck, Sagan impressed everybody with his solo attack 50 kilometers away from Roubaix and gained the last encomium of the year.
I think this happened also due to the fact that Paris - Roubaix is the last legendary race. It brings us back to the legendary old cycling, made of gravel roads, punctures and hazard.
Nevertheless, Sagan would be remembered as the last winner of THE Paris - Roubaix because I don't know if we will call the race with its legendary name in the future.
I am talking about the shameful request, made by the Amis de Paris Roubaix, to fill the gaps between the cobbles of the Arenberg Forest with mortar.
They say that, otherwise, the sector is too hard to clean.
I hope they are kidding! We are talking about one of the last legendary cycling places in a cycling world that is moving to new nice places like Oman or Dubai but where history still has to be written.
My final question is: these people, asking to add mortar between the cobbles in the Arenberg Forest, are Friends of Paris Roubaix or Friends of the Sofa?

The Smell of the Cobbles

Saturday Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will open the season of the Cobbles 2017.
Most people identify the essence of cycling with climbs and Grand Tours.
I understand this but we can't forget the magic of the Classics and in particular the Cobbles Classics.
It is how ask a baby if he prefers mom or dad, It is just a stupid question without answer.
Cobbles Classics are races that allow us to feel part of history and closer to our ancestor.
The cobbles roads are always the same, the Ancient Romans built and trod them with their bigas.
Riders tread them with their bikes, Boonen, Coppi and Merckx have won on the same stones, those trod by the Ancient Romans too and by so many historical figures. Winning or riding a Cobbles Classic means being part of history.
This is the reason why Cobbles Classics are so magical, because history is linked by a sector of Cobblestones.

Great Climbs Around The World: Ghisallino

Ghisallino is a nice climb that leads you to one of the most iconic places of the Cyling World.
If you are a cycling fan and lover you can't miss this little trip to the Madonna del Ghisallo Sanctuary.
The climb starts in Asso, Lombardy, Italy and after 9 Km with an average slope of 4% you reach the top of the hill of Ghisallo and you can breathe pure cycling.
On the top of the hill there is a little church where all the bikes and signed jerseys that the cycling champions have donated to the church are collected.
You can start having a look at the bike of Coppi, then the bike of Merckx, the bike of Pantani (just to mention three legends) and so on.
On the top of the hill there is also a cycling museum but the living museum and the iconic place is the little church mentioned above.
The hill is climbed every year during Il Lombardia but It is climbed on the other side, the harder one, the proper Ghisallo, that will be analyzed in a different topic.
Click here for a techinical analysis of the climb and here to join the club on Strava of this blog and compare your performances with the other readers.
Have a nice ride!