Bikes, Beer and Cobbles

Every spring, the rough roads of northern France and Belgium set the stage for cycling’s toughest tests. The Northern Classics are raw, unpredictable, and built on terrain never meant for racing. But the real story lives beyond the cobbles. In villages the peloton passes through, at the ‘frituur’ on the crossroads, and among the fans who’ve shaped these races for generations.

After years away of World Tour road racing, Ted King - who now made a career in racing gravel - heads back. Not as a competitor, but as a fan, rider, and storyteller, rediscovering the culture, history, and emotion behind these races. Part travel diary, part cycling pilgrimage, this is a love letter to the Classics and the people who make them unforgettable.

Ted King:
“I knew there was part of this classics time of year I was missing and I wanted to find out what it was. So, I decided to come back to ride the routes with modern bikes, Tour of Flanders aboard Synapse and conquering the cobbles of Roubaix with SuperX. Also, to catch up with old friends, drink the beers I love, and be a spectator for the first time since I left the world tour. Sort of my dream trip on my dream roads with my dream bikes. Let's go."