FORGING LEGENDS

We look back on the top 10 best Classics of all time and remember the British riders who staked their claim to one-day fame

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1 Liège-Bastogne-Liège 1980

Like the 1988 Giro d’Italia stage in a snowstorm over the Gavia that resulted in Andy Hampsten taking the maglia rosa, the 1980 edition of La Doyenne produced an unforgettable day of racing, iconic images and a heap of astonishing tales. On a day of bitter cold and snowy squalls, Bernard Hinault finished more than nine minutes ahead of runner-up Hennie Kuiper, as only 21 riders completed the long loop back to Liège through the Ardennes hills and forests.

It was snowing when the 174 starters got underway. Riders began to abandon as the peloton headed up the ridge to the south of Liège, Lucien Van Impe climbing into a car that he presciently told his wife Rita to park on the edge of the city. Others took refuge in cafes and restaurants as the snow began to fall more heavily. At Bastogne, there were only five dozen riders still on the road.

Hinault acknowledged that he too thought about quitting, but was encouraged to keep riding by his team-mate and close friend Maurice Le Guilloux, their Renault team director Cyrille Guimard, and the appearance of the sun. During another snow flurry on the Côte de Saint Roch climb, Hinault told Le Guilloux that he would quit at the feed station just before the Côte de Wanne if it was still snowing, but the sun reappeared and he pressed on.