Looking forward, Spring in Europe means only one thing to the cycling fan — the Spring Classics.

Legendary one-day races like Liege-Bastogne-Liege, The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix draw huge crowds and audiences to witness the hardest of pros battle over famous or infamous cobbles and climbs in often terrible weather.

Many of the Classics have amateur versions the day before so the enthusiast can ride the same bumpy roads and hills in the same conditions before cheering the peloton 24 hours later. The Tour of Flanders Cycle attracts 16,000 riders.

If you have the cash to spare a number of firms while provide a a bucket/bike-it list experience for the ages.

Check out Going Belgian: Riding the Spring Classics for a rundown of the Spring Classics, their gran fondo/sportive/tour versions and options to get there. 

Battling on the Louisiana gravel of Rouge Roubaix. Credit: Rouge Roubaix
The good news is that if a trip to the land of Trappist Ales, mud, muurs and bergs is not possible a raft of events has grown up in explicit or implicit tribute to the Spring Classics everywhere cycling is a thing including here in North America.

You too can live out your Flemish fantasies from Canada to California with the likes of the Hell of Hunterdon, The Belgian Waffle Ride, Paris to Ancaster, Gran Fondo Ephrata and, of course, Battenkill, "America's Queen of the Classics".

Many events adopt the terminology and imagery of the Low Countries — looking at you Roubaixes — while others mix up the essential ingredients of the Classics, early season unpredictable weather, challenging surfaces and an emphasis on rider resilience.

In Europe the cobbles of Northern France and Begium are now carefully preserved for cycling and protected from the road-laying machines while rural America and Canada are blessed with mile after mile of unsealed gravel and dirt roads to create a uniquely North American challenge.

UnBelgian weather but hardness still required in Texas. Credit: Castell Grind
We've stretched the Classics season a little to accommodate some outliers and, as always, this is not a complete list so please let us know additions we should make.

The "Spring Classics" - North America

Feb 28        Sourland Semi-Classic, New Jersey

March 12    Rouge Roubaix, Louisiana

March 19    Milan - San Remo, Italy

March 19    Waterloo Grit and Gravel, Michigan

March 19    Redlands Strada Rossa, California

March 20    Gran Fondo Ephrata, Washington

March 20    Love Valley Roubaix, North Carolina

March 25    E3 Harelbeke, Belgium

March 26    Dirty Devil, California

March 26    Hell of Hunterdon, New Jersey

March 27    Gent-Wevelgem, Belgium

April 2         Castell Grind, Texas

April 3         Tour of Flanders, Belgium

April 3         Vermont Overland

April 3         Steaming Nostril, Ontario

April 10       Paris-Roubaix, France

April 10       Darby Roubaix, North Carolina

April 16       Rasputitsa, Vermont

April 16       Barry-Roubaix, Michigan

April 17       Amstel Gold Race, Netherlands

April 17       Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo, Pennsylvania

April 20       La Fleche Wallonne, Belgium

April 23       Fools Classic, Pennsylvania

April 23       Battenkill Spring Preview, New York

April 23       Muddy Onion Spring Classic Dirt Road Ride, Vermont

April 30       Fleche Buffoon, Pennsylvania

April 24       Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Belgium

April 24       Belgian Waffle Ride, California

April 24       Paris to Ancaster, Ontario

May 21       Tour of Battenkill, New York

A gravel descent on the Hell of Hunterdon course. Credit: Dan McCausland
The Sourland Semi-Classic around New Hope, PA, is a tribute to the less famous Belgian second-tier classics. Organizer Brian Ignatin of Kermesse Sport, which takes its name from a traditional Belgian village festival, is also responsible for the Hell of Hunterdon (Read a Ride Report), the Fools Classic and the Fleche Buffoon on the roads and gravel of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo also makes the most of the terrain of Pennsylvania to "show you things you haven't seen, teach you things about yourself, and challenge your bike to keep you going when you can't see where the road and gravel and mud end, and civilization begins".

Four Roubaixes make the list -- six if you count Battenkill (Tour of and Spring preview), which was Battenkill-Roubaix in the early years.

Rouge Roubaix in Louisiana is unlikely to see true Belgian weather, but the temperature can vary from freezing to 80 degrees and humid while the 106-mile course ranges from smooth tarmac to sandy gravel and the "plain bad". The open gran fondo runds the day before the licensed racing.

North Carolina's Love Valley Roubaix promises "cheap thrills and 50 miles of leggy gravel". It is the first in the six event Appalachian Grinder Series.

Darby Roubaix, formerly Tom Dula's Revenge, is number two in the series, which is run by Blue Mountain Revival Productions and their talented design department.

Heading North to Michigan, "like the classic it's named after, Barry-Roubaix will test riders against (80%) rolling gravel roads, pavement, one mile of rough two track, rocks, sand, mud, and possibly snow and ice", is the warning (or is it a challenge) issued. Entries are capped at 3,500 for the "largest gravel road race in the world".

Meeting House Road always plays a major role at Battenkill. Credit: Anthem Sports
The Battenkill Spring Preview and the Tour of Battenkill (Read a Ride Report) use the gravel roads of the Battenkill Valley in New York State to mimic the pave sections of Paris-Roubaix. Anthem Sports put on a great event. This year, as well as condensing to just one day, the Tour has moved from its previous Spring Classic-esque mid-April date to May, but we've squeezed it in anyway.

Paris to Ancaster is not track cycling. Credit: SPORTSZONEPHOTOGRAPHY.CA
Paris to Ancaster, "Canada's Spring Cycling Classic", (Read a Ride Report) is a 70km ride that does everything it can to pump up the hardness factor to Paris-Roubaix levels. There are a number of mud sections that see most riders shoulder their bikes.

Earlier in April on the 3rd, and thus even more at the mercy of the weather north of the border, is the wonderfully named Steaming Nostril (and the shorter Runny Nose).

Rasputitsa: What tire pressure are you running? Credit: Juliette Leblanc
The same day sees the Vermont Overland with its seven sections of "Vermont pavé". The Green Mountain state also plays host to Rasputitsa, (Read a Ride Report) which features Yetis, maple syrup shots and, of course, Cyberia and the Muddy Onion Spring Classic Dirt Road Ride with its "beautiful, scenic and iconic dirt roads".

The action is not confined, to the North and East, however. The Castell Grind (Read a Ride Report) on April 2 offers gravel grinding Central Texas style with miles of rolling hills on remote gravel roads in the middle of nowhere.

And on the West Coast Gran Fondo Ephrata has become a Pacific Northwest "spring classic" with 80 miles of primitive central WA back roads, 5000′ of climbing. "Come prepared to be unprepared."

Farther South, California is home to the Dirty Devil, the Belgian Waffle Ride and the Redlands Strada Rossa.

Nothing wrong with an Italian angle given that Milan-San Remo kicks of the Spring Classics and Tuscany's Strada Bianche in early March is growing in importance rapidly.

The Waffle Ride -- "the Country's Most Unique Cycling Event" -- shouts its Belgian inspiration and is a monster with 14 dirt sections across 140 miles and over 11,000 feet of climbing.

The Dirty Devil -- "California's premier (and most challenging) road bike ultra century" -- matches the BWR for climbing in 127 miles and 28 miles of that is dirt roads. You'll deserve that beer after either one.

No matter which event you choose to do just remember to ride like a Belgian.

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