2008 Ghent-Wevelgem/Omloop Het Volk

AU$53.72 2008 Ghent-Wevelgem Freire's Firestorm! Once again the peloton was tested by the high winds and treacherous cobbles of the Kemmelberg in Ghent-Wevelgem. It’s often known as a sprinter’s race, but having the fastest finish won’t guarantee victory. Last year’s event was marred by spectacular crashes that helped German Marcus Burghardt come away with the win. This year’s race was full of attacks and strong breakaways including the group of Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas), Matti Breschel (Team CSC), and Philippe Gilbert (Française des Jeux). Plenty of other teams, most notably CSC, sent out riders looking for the winning move as well, but in the end brilliant team riding by Rabobank and the finishing class of Oscar Freire would rule the day. 2008 Omloop Het Volk Philippe's Breakaway! Het Volk welcomes the peloton back to northern Europe in late winter from the hot weather racing in Qatar, Australia, Malaysia and California to contend with the short, but murderously steep climbs of Flanders. In 2008, Belgian Philippe Gilbert, also the race winner in 2006, went on a heroic solo ride to win under uncharacteristically sunny skies. Writing his attack at 49k to go off as a doomed-to-fail flyer, the contenders let Gilbert go, but they wouldn’t see him again until he mounted the top step of the podium in Ghent. Not even the powerful chasing group of Nick Nuyens (Cofidis), Fabian Cancellara (CSC), Allan Johansen (CSC), Leif Hoste (Silence-Lotto), Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) and Nicolas Jalabert (Agritubel) could catch the young rider from Wallonia.

2008 Paris-Roubaix

AU$53.72 Tornado Tom, Takes Two The pre-race favorites fought it out fair and square this year, making sure the best man won the 106th running of the Queen of the Classics, and it was Tom Boonen’s return to glory after a quiet spring — proving again that he is the best sprint finisher of the elite Classics riders. The 2008 Paris-Roubaix was a dream race as the world’s best one-day racers broke from the pack on the famous Arenberg cobbles, but those rocky roads took their toll on contenders Juan Antonio Flecha and Filippo Pozzatto, who were down, but not out, after crashes. The lead group had plenty of firepower though, including all three of the past three winners. Boonen and Belgian champion Stijn Devolder (Quick Step), Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O’Grady (CSC), Alessandro Ballan (Lampre), and George Hincapie (High Road) were all in the group that lead out of Arenberg forest. By the time the final selection was made, it was down to Boonen, Cancellara, and Ballan. Who would bet against that breakaway? With Boonen and Cancellara jousting for advantage through the final kilometers, the crafty Ballan stayed with the two favorites, hoping to surprise them in the velodrome. Every minute of racing drama is here… The attacks, the crashes, and the excitement that make Paris-Roubaix cycling’s most brutal one-day classic and one of cycling’s most sought after wins.

2007 Tour of Flanders

AU$53.72 Belgian super-star Tom Boonen faces a near-unique and deceptively simple challenge this year: can he become the first rider in over half a century to take the Tour of Flanders three times in a row? Back to back victories in 2005 and 2006 make Boonen the overwhelming favorite for the biggest bike race in cycling’s biggest heartland – Flanders. And with every pedal stroke he takes in the grueling 200-mile length, should he show even the slightest sign of weakness, you can guarantee his rivals will pounce, and with no remorse. Flanders is a true epic, and Boonen’s challenge is an epic one. That’s why World Cycling Productions will be there in Flanders following local hero Boonen as closely as the most persistent Belgian bike fans do. But Flanders remains much, much more than the fate of one bike rider: a host of other riders from grizzled German veteran Steffen Wesemann to classy Spanish specialist Juan Antonio Flecha are poised in the wings and eager to pull Boonen off his pedestal. Plus there is more than one rider in Boonen’s own team whose loyalty could be questioned... Thanks to this World Cycling Productions DVD you’ll get an unparalleled view of Boonen’s struggle to ride into cycling history and see whether he is up to this awesome challenge Commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Approx 240 min. This item is out of stock.

2007 Omloop Het Volk and Ghent-Wevelgem

AU$53.72 This DVD set has been specifically designed to take you straight to the heart of top-flight one-day racing, in the shape of two of northern Europe’s most venerable and daunting Classics, Het Volk and Ghent-Wevelgem. Complex, challenging and invariably fraught with tension, both events hinge on the crucial Belgian cobbled climbs or murs. The battle to the top of each rain-soaked, painfully steep mur becomes a race within a race, but each time, the war is far from over. Add to all the action on the murs a lethal combination of cross winds, technical descents, and constantly developing race action, top it off with some of the biggest names in cycling such as Tom Boonen and World Champion Paolo Bettini, and the result is a heady combination that few real sports fans can resist - or want to resist. Nothing quite captures the true, unsullied spirit of the Classics cycling universe as well as races like Ghent-Wevelgem and Het Volk. So are you ready to be snared? Commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Approx 274 min.

2007 Liege-Bastogne-Liege & Fleche Wallone

AU$53.72 Forging its way through the harshly beautiful landscape of the Belgian Ardennes hills, Liege-Bastogne-Liege is the oldest Classic of them all - and arguably the most complicated to win. A frequently rain-soaked race of pure attrition, dotted with short but viciously steep climb after climb after climb, Liege is also the culmination of the Northern Classics season, a tantalizingly elusive last chance for the one-day specialists to make it into the history books. The one thing they know for sure before starting Liege is that they will have it tough: 260 kilometers long with altitude changes as hard as any Alpine stage of the Tour de France. At Liege, no rider can predict how far he will go before cracking, but the prestige a Liege win brings is worth all the pain. Small wonder that this year, as in so many other years, a star-studded host of riders eager for glory will be drawn to the start like filings to a magnet of the 106th edition of this race. Among them will be the reigning World Champion, Paolo Bettini, the flamboyant and fearless 2006 Liege winner Alejandro Valverde of Spain, the enigmatic Kazakh star Alexandre Vinokourov, and the valient young Belgian Phillipe Gilbert. Complex, intriguing and with a relentless pace that will keep you glued to your television, our 120-minute DVD will be a painstakingly crafted chronicle of a true highlight of the cycling season. DVD package includes 2007 Fleche Wallone. Commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Approx. 240 min