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Join us for the Spring Classics Member Summit

Come for the riding, the racing, and the history and culture of northern Europe. Stay for the fine dining, locally brewed beverages and above-average company.

Escape Collective
by Escape Collective 29.11.2023 Photography by
Gruber Images and Cor Vos More from Author +

Back in March 2023, a ragtag group of journalists from a brand new, member-funded outfit known as Escape Collective landed in northern Europe for the cobbled classics. Caley Fretz and Jonny Long filed race reports and recorded podcast snippets from the trenches and team cars. When he wasn’t scoping out the minutiae of tire pressure or bikes with single vs. double-wrapped bar tape, Ronan Mc Laughlin reconned Roubaix’s cobbles with Trek-Segafredo and was voluntold to enter a Belgian kermesse. Kate Wagner posted up in the Arenberg Forest, not to watch the race, but to experience it through the eyes of diehard fans.

For 2024, we’re doing it all again, and you – our members – are invited to join us.

We’ve teamed up with Bikestyle Tours and planned an unforgettable week for members in the heartland of cycling. A week of iconic rides, iconic races, good food, locally brewed beverages and above average company.

So, if you’re a member, if you’ve always wanted to experience the Spring Classics and deepen your connection to the sport, if you can make your way to Belgium in early April, then we want to see you there.

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If you’re not sold just yet, here’s Caley, Kit, Ronan and Jonny talking about it on last week’s Placeholder podcast:

Ronan Mc Laughlin joins the Trek-Segafredo team for a recon of the Paris-Roubaix cobbles. He's two bike lengths behind the last rider in the bunch, ahead of the team car, on dry cobbles in spring sunlight.
Ronan Mc Laughlin races in a Belgian kermesse. He's chasing a rider in all black, and has a hand raised as if he's about to tell him something.
Ronan Mc Laughlin at the finish of the kermesse, with one arm raised in celebration.
Fans watch a bike race from inside a restaurant, as riders pass by outside the window.
Sean Kelly rides in a historical, muddy, edition of Paris-Roubaix.
Riders race in an old edition of Paris-Roubaix, across dusty cobbles.
Another old edition of Paris-Roubaix, where Adrie van der Poel (wearing a large, 80s-era headband and no helmet) leads a line of cyclists on dry, dusty cobbles.
Johan Museeuw races up a berg in an edition of the Tour of Flanders. He's wearing the unmistakable multi-colored "cube" kit of Mapei as he attacks out of the saddle.
The Lion of Flanders himself.
Fans and photographers gather on both sides of a narrow cobbled section at the 2023 Paris Roubaix Femmes. A string of riders fly past, navigating the slick cobbles.
A tight shot of riders powering over the cobbles of the 2023 Paris Roubaix Femmes. The pack is stretched out, with multiple bike length gaps opening. Fans dressed in coats and rain jackets flank the side of the road.
Panoramic perspective of fans and photographers gathered at a narrow cobbled section at the 2023 Paris Roubaix Femmes. A string of riders fly past, navigating the slick cobbles on an overcast day in April.
A close up of a supporter wearing a pink and yellow 'Watch the Femmes' cap. The man, with a thin moustache, wisps of white hair and a bright yellow rain jacket appears to be staring directly at the camera, his brow furled in deep concentration.
Allison Jackson, winner of the 2023 running, as she crosses the line at Roubaix's historic velodrome. The photo captures the moment the achievement begins to set in and there is a look of triumph and disbelief in Jackson's facial expression and posture.
From the perspective of a photographer on a moto, a tight grou of riders navigates the cobbles while flanked by rows of supporters at the edge of the road.
A string of riders, led by Mads Pedersen, navigate the Troué d'Arenberg.
Wout van Aert leads the selection across dry and dusty cobbles. Throngs of fans crowd the edge of the lane.
Seen from the level of the pavé, Jasper Phillipsen leads John Degenkolb through a corner. A fan holds a homemade sign that reads "Forza Lampaert"
The chaos at the exit of a secteur of pavé, with crowds of photographers, fans and soigneurs with spare wheels watch the peloton scream past.
A wide shot of Mathieu van der Peol as he enters the Roubaix Velodrome for the finish. A sea of fans and sponsor banners flank the barriers of the road.
Mathieu van der Poel's victory salute, captured from the infield looking into the packed rafters. The blues, whites and reds of various sponsor banners and velodrome walls, as well as van der Poel's blue kit, white helmet and red bike, evoke the French and Dutch flags.
A (presumably) naked John Degenkolb, obscured from the shoulders down by the Roubaix shower stalls, rinses a thick lather of soap from his head and face.

To learn more about the summit, including the dates, details, inclusions, price and more, click the button below.

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This inaugural summit will be a yearly highlight on the calendar, so, if you can’t make it in 2024, start planning for 2025.