Road cycling is not just about Tour de France. There is a whole world of cycling competitions beyond the most popular one.
There are the other grand tours (Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana), there are also several other multiple stage races,
and there are the one-day races.
Especially the Monuments, five of the oldest and most popular one-day competitions.
There is a well-known witty remark about the difference between these events. They used to say that
Tour de France is like a soap opera, the one-day races are like thrillers.
(No wonder, that I, a literary critic by profession, working with fictional storytelling all in my life, love this notion.)
So, if you have watched only Tour de France (or the other grand tours) so far, I think you should give a try to the one-day races too.
Paradoxically I wouldn’t recommend one of the Monuments as a first try (I would definitely not recommend Milano-Sanremo as a first try), but rather an event there is a lot talk about nowadays.
It’s the Strade Bianche (9 March 2025),
a competition on the white gravel road of Tuscany (Italy). You might have heard about it during Tour de France 2024, because the 9th stage was designed Strade Bianche-like. Also, since a few years, a Strade Bianche-styled stage is frequently included in Giro d’Italia too.
Many say that it’s the 6th Monument, but I argue against this in this article on Patreon.
Anyway, it’s a fun race to watch, a beautyful race to watch due to the famous landscape where it takes place. Strade Bianche is not only a big fan favourite, but also a well-beloved competition among the biggest stars of the current peloton.
Long story short, it’s a good entrance to the world of one-day races. And with that you might have prepared for the Monuments too.
In the world of PelotonTales blogfamily, and part of My last road cycling season project, I’ve created a special sub-site for
Cycling Monuments 2025
Please, visit the site for more informations about the five events, also about why I find those races sometimes more fascinating than Tour de France.