From Paris-Roubaix to Fleche Wallonne – the big races coming up in April

The Queen of the Classics has attracted another heavyweight field, despite the 2017 route featuring even more cobbles than last year.

The riders will have to negotiate a bone-jangling total of 55 kilometres of cobbled streets over the course of the 257km course, with a short but sharp cobbled climb adding another challenging feature to the notoriously unpredictable race. Sagan is likely to go in as favourite, but predicting the outcome of Paris-Roubaix has never been easy – especially when the elements add some moisture to the already unstable terrain.

Eurosport will bring you six hours of coverage of the race, with two-time winner Sean Kelly part of the team behind the mics.

Sunday 9 April
1000-1600 LIVE on Eurosport 1

The cobble season drifts into the rearview mirror as the pro teams travel to the Ardennes for the first of the true stage race Classics of the year. But 2017’s Amstel Gold Race has moved away from tradition, with the famous finishing climb removed to try and generate a more attacking mindset earlier in the race.

Climbs will still feature, but the Cauberg will arrive with 19km remaining (rather than as a climb to the tape) meaning that there still should be a sprint finish on the flat closing straight.

Sunday 16 April
1300-1600 LIVE on Eurosport 1

The sprinters can take a day off for this one as the famous Wall of Huy faces the riders, not once, not twice, but three times. The notorious uphill section reaches a ridiculously steep 26% gradient, with only specialist climbers likely to compete for the win.

Alejandro Valverde is the obvious early favourite, but Adam and Simon Yates have the talent to offer a British challenge for once on the slopes of Belgium.

Wednesday 19 April
1330-1600 LIVE on Eurosport 2

Belgium doesn’t have the Alps or the Pyrenees, but the Old Lady of the cycling calendar proves that you don’t need a mountain range to have a tough day of climbing.

It’s been suggested that Liege-Bastogne-Liege’s total climbing is on a par with the hardest days on the Tour de France, with 23 total climbs over the one-day Classic.

It’s not for the faint hearted, with La Redoute probably the pick of the hilly sections.

Sunday 23 April
1300-1600 LIVE on Eurosport 2

Alejandro Valverde was in breathtaking form in the Tour of Catalunya, but in northern Europe it’s been the Greg Van Avermaet show. The Belgian bagged a rare cobbled hat-trick by winning the E3 Harelbeke, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Gent-Wevelgem.

However, a crash wiped out both the Belgian and his big rival Peter Sagan in the Tour of Flanders to end hopes of the pair catching eventual winner Philippe Gilbert.

Eurosport will bring you the Giro d'Italia in May, with four hours live on the channel for every single stage – even more coverage than ever before.

And that's not the last of it, with 200 days of live cycling to satisfy your thirst in 2017.