First Roubaix, then the Ardennes: These are the most important races in April

While the cyclists continue to prepare for the Giro d'Italia and have one or two preparatory tours in their programme, the battle for the most important classics of the year rages on for everyone else.

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With 40 races for the men, the very well-filled racing calendar also included six World Tour events. The Tour of the Basque Country is on the programme from 1 April. But even this climb-heavy tour will not see the first duel of the season between the two riders Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). The two biggest favourites to win the Tour de France will continue to avoid each other until the climax of the year. While Pogacar was in Catalonia in March, Vingegaard will now start two weeks later in the neighbouring Basque Country. Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick Step) are two other top cyclists at the start, but it is currently difficult to imagine that even one of them could seriously compete with the Dane.

The "hell of the north" awaits

At the same time, the sprinters will choose their unofficial world champion on 3 April at the Scheldepreis. The race through the Netherlands has no elevation gain whatsoever and has been regarded as the "unofficial sprinters' world championship" for years. Marcel Kittel has won there five times, most recently Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The women now also take part in the race. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx - Protime) has won all three editions.

From there, most of the starters move on to the next highlight of the season. After Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix will be the third cycling monument of the year on 7 April. The "Hell of the North", the "Queen of the Classics". Due to the crash of Wout van Aert (Visma - Lease a Bike) including collarbone and rib fracture at Dwars door Vlaanderen the race has already lost a top favourite early on. But even without the Belgian, the race still has a high-calibre line-up, including world champion and last year's winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The women's race will take place the day before on 6 April. After a six-strong breakaway group finished ahead of the favourites last year and Alison Jackson (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) surprisingly managed to lift the cobblestone into the air, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx - Protime) and Co. are likely to have a score to settle.

Ardennes Triple with highlight in Liège

From France, it's back to Belgium, where the Ardennes Week awaits. Men and women first complete the Amstel Gold Race (14 April), then the Fleche Wallonne with the finish at the Huy Wall (17 April) and finally Liège-Bastogne-Liège. For the men, "La Doyenne", first held in 1892, is the fourth monument of the year, the last in spring.

Last year, Demi Vollering (SD Worx - Protime) became the second woman after Anna van der Breggen to win all three races in one year. In the men's race, Pogacar was well on his way to doing the same before a crash in the last race, in which he broke his hand, put an end to his dreams. This time, the Slovenian will only be at the start in Liège to reclaim the trophy he already won in 2021. Meanwhile, Evenepoel is in the running for the triple.

Giro preparation at the Tour of the Alps and the Tour de Romandie

At the same time, the men will continue to prepare for the Giro. At the Tour of the Alps from 15 to 19 April and its five mountain stages through Italy and Austria, almost everyone - apart from Pogacar - who wants to ride for the overall classification at the Tour of Italy will be at the start, led by Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe).

The final touches for the Giro or mountain kilometres in preparation for the Tour de France will then come at the Tour de Romandie from 23 to 28 April. The tour through western Switzerland is traditionally well-staffed. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), Aleksandr Vlasov and Jai Hindley (both Bora-Hansgrohe), Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Enric Mas (Movistar) and also Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) - all Tour candidates - have the difficult tour on their agenda.

While the men are still preparing for their big national tours, the first one for the women is already on the programme. The Vuelta Espana Feminina will be held from 28 April to 5 May. The race has now grown to eight stages. Now that defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten has ended her career, Vollering will be looking for her first title in this race.

The most important road races in April at a glance

Men (40 races in total):

• 1-6 April: Tour of the Basque Country (1st UWT)
• 3 April: Scheldt Prize (1.Pro)
• 7 April: Paris-Roubaix (1st UWT)
• 14 April: Amstel Gold Race (1st UWT)
• 15-19 April: Tour of the Alps (2.Pro)
• 17 April: Fleche Wallonne (1st UWT)
• 21 April: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1st UWT)
• 23-28 April: Tour de Romandie (2nd UWT)

Women (18 UCI races in total):

• 3 April: Scheldt Prize (1.1)
• 6 April: Paris-Roubaix Femmes (1st WWT)
• 14 April: Amstel Gold Race (1st WWT)
• 17 April: Fleche Wallonne (1st WWT)
• 21 April: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (1st WWT)
• 28 April - 5 May: Vuelta Espana Feminina (2nd WWT)