The Ronde van Vlaanderen, Gent-Wevelegm, and Paris-Roubaix make up the opening week of the big Northern Classics. These ancient races have created as many heroes as they've destroyed, and can only truly be understood in person. We offer this humble attempt to explain why...

Big Australian Matthew Hayman showed why he is an integral part of top Dutch Pro Tour squad Rabobank by taking the Commonwealth Games road race title after four hours under a hot Melbourne sun.

After the euphoria of the velodrome where Scotland took four bronzes, a silver and a gold medal, grim reality dawned on the smooth tarmac of the Port Phillip Bay time trial course where Scot Duncan Urquhart was a distant 5:48:19 off the pace in 19th position behind Australian favourite Nathan O’Neil...

Today is 12 hours of daylight at PEZ HQ, and the plum blossoms in my backyard signal winter is done. Things were a bit colder Saturday in Milan, but as our Ale Federico reports, the fans along the route didn’t notice, and share the same enthusiasm for the new season as we do…

Son of Scotland Evan Oliphant is in Melbourne racing the Commonwealth Games, and finds time between events to bring us up to date on the action… I got to wave my Scotland flag on Sunday when the Commonwealth Games track programme concluded with the 80 lap scratch, but unfortunately not for our boy Evan; ‘I went almost from the gun but was brought back, just as the group I was in came back another attack went…”

Boonen, Petacchi and Hushovd were at the top of Unibet.com’s list. Friere or even Zabel had a look in. The usual suspects all lined up for the start of the 2006 Milano-SanRemo with the backing of cycling’s pundits and fans. However, nearly 300km is a long way and a lot can happen out on the road...

‘It wasn’t a great atmosphere at the track last night,’ Scottish points race challenger Evan Oliphant explains to me. “Why not?” says I. ‘Well it was deathly quiet except for when an Aussie was riding.’ Given that the local media have been suggesting that Morris Dancing should be included in the Games in order to – ‘Give the Poms a chance!’ it’s not surprising.

There’s no better Saturday ride than the 300km from a still wintery Milan south to the more agreeable San Remo on the Mediterranean coast. Four hours of flat to get warmed up, a gentle climb over the Turchino Pass, and then sun, sea, and salt air enroute to the best tasting seafood risotto you’ll have. If you’re Italian, you know this day is about so much more than just bike racing…

La Primavera, La Classicissima, Milan-San Remo, Milano-Sanremo, whatever you prefer to call the first of the five monuments in cycling - MSR is a big deal, and if you're from Italia, or you're a sprinter, it's next to the Holy Grail. Ever seen a grown man cry? If an Italian wins La Primavera, the odds are very good.