The Ardennes classics are three cycling classics

Classic cycle races

The classic cycle races are one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. Most of the events, all run in western Europe, have been fixtures on the professional calendar for decades and the oldest ones date back to the 19th Century. They are normally held at roughly the same...

 held in mid-April in the Ardennes

Ardennes

The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...

 (Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

) and Dutch Limburg

Limburg (Netherlands)

Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...

. The races are notable for their hilly courses, and often have similar riders competing for the top positions as the races are held close after each other. In recent years, the three classics are held within a 8-day timeframe.

The only winners of the "triple" are Davide Rebellin

Davide Rebellin

Davide Rebellin is an Italian road bicycle racer, currently riding for the Italian Miche-Guerciotti team. He served a 2-year suspension for testing positive for Mircera at the 2008 Olympic Games...

 in 2004 and Philippe Gilbert

Philippe Gilbert

Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...

 in 2011. Other riders to win all three races, though not in a single year, are Danilo Di Luca

Danilo Di Luca

Danilo Di Luca is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rode for numerous UCI Professional Continental teams throughout his career including Liquigas-Bianchi and . He holds victories in the Giro di Lombardia in 2001, the 2005 UCI ProTour and won both the Giro d'Italia and the spring...

, Michele Bartoli

Michele Bartoli

Michele Bartoli is a retired Italian road racing cyclist. He was a single-day race specialist, winning three of the five Monument races. Bartoli won the UCI Road World Cup in 1997 and 1998.-Biography:...

, Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx

Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...

 and Bernard Hinault

Bernard Hinault

Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...

.

There is no official competition connecting the three races, although there have been classifications in the past for the two Walloon races.

In recent years, these three hill classics are held in the second half of April, following a similar set of three Cobbled classics

Cobbled classics

Cobblestones, like mountaineous terrain, are decisive elements in courses of cycling. Many classic cycle races in northwestern Europe contain cobbled sections. The two classics of this race type are the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris–Roubaix, with over 20 cobbled sectors...

.

Year	Amstel Gold Race Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...	La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne is a major men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium.The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège...	Liège–Bastogne–Liège
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Later in the year, there are two similar 'trebles' in Italy: the Trittico Lombardo

Trittico Lombardo

The "" , usually also called Trittico Lombardo is a cycling competition which includes three cycling races held around the region of Lombardy in three consecutive days...

 with the Tre Valli Varesine

Tre Valli Varesine

The Tre Valli Varesine is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Varese, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour....

, Coppa Ugo Agostoni

Coppa Ugo Agostoni

The Coppa Ugo Agostoni is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Lissone, Italy. The race is held in memory of Italian cyclist Ugo Agostoni, winner of prestigious classic Milan – San Remo, killed during World War II. It is also called Giro della Brianza...

 and Coppa Bernocchi

Coppa Bernocchi

The Coppa Bernocchi is an European bicycle race held in Legnano, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....

 in the Lombardy

Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

 Region, and the Trittico di Autunno

Trittico di Autunno

The Trittico di Autunno is an unofficial trio of cycling classics held in October in northern Italy. It is not an official competition like its counterpart, the Trittico Lombardo. Three one day races, Milano–Torino, Giro del Piemonte and Giro di Lombardia, are held within a 4 day timeframe in the...

 (Autumn Triptych) with Milano–Torino, Giro del Piemonte

Giro del Piemonte

The Giro del Piemonte is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour...

 and Giro di Lombardia.