In recent years, the sentiment toward the cobbled Spring Classics is that they're getting easier as a result of bikes getting better. The trend towards wider tyres, nowadays 10mm bigger than those being used just a decade ago, certainly smooth out some of the lumps and bumps, but the GP Denain just delivered a cruel reminder that the cobbles are no joke.
With 22km of the race to go, Belgian Jules Hesters (Team Flanders-Baloise) was forced to ride a cobbled sector without a saddle, after his snapped off as a result of being rattled over the rough ground.
