After a long winter for all cycling fans, the 2019 season is finally here. As always, there's great anticipation for what this year will bring, but this time the hype is even greater.

This is the season of the Murcian rainbow , the season of the Giro with a route with an old-fashioned flavour , the season of Froome's assault on the club of 5 , the season of the direct duel on the road between the two living legends of cyclocross and the season of the debut of the child prodigy Remco .

The first races of the (pre)season have already been held, with victories for Daryl Impey Down Under , Winner Anacona in Argentina and Dylan Van Baarle in the Herald Sun Tour , among others.

After these initial battles, professional cycling returns to Europe (with permission from the Challenge de Mallorca) with the Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana . With a top-notch field thanks to a balanced course and fantastic weather, the youngest of the Izaguirre brothers ( Ion ) was crowned champion, ahead of Alejandro Valverde and Pello Bilbao. A tremendous start to the season for Astana.

In this already cycling-packed month of February, we'll also be able to enjoy the Vuelta a Murcia (Feb. 15-16) and the Clásica de Almería (Feb. 17). Following these, a trio of short stage races arrive with the Vuelta a Andalucía and Tour of the Algarve (both Feb. 20-24). The following day, the second World Tour of the season, the UAE Tour (Feb. 25-March 2), begins. I'd venture to say that this is the season's best star list for one-week races. All of these races, with the exception of the Vuelta a Murcia, will be broadcast on Eurosport.

And we've reached March. Purist fans always say the season doesn't start until the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (March 2). Then comes the excitement we feel seeing the first cobblestone walls in that sacred region that is Flanders for all of us. After that, two more cobblestone races to quench our stony withdrawal symptoms: the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (March 3) and the GP Samyn (March 5).

After this cobblestone binge, we come to races where the riders are already in peak form, and we often see some beautiful battles. The Strade Bianche (March 9), this very young race that, thanks to its excellent course and excellent participation, has become perhaps the first red-card race on the calendar for amateurs.

After this beautiful Italian classic, the first traditional World Tour rounds arrive: Paris-Nice (March 10-17), where Marc Soler defends his title, and Tirreno-Adriatico (March 13-19). All of them will be broadcast on Eurosport, although it remains to be seen whether they will also be broadcast free-to-air on Teledeporte.

And we've officially reached that time of year that gets your blood pumping. The time we all love, but even more so for those of us who are cycling fans. Spring arrives, and with it the Classic . Milan-San Remo (March 23). It won't be the most entertaining race, nor the most spectacular. But when the Poggio arrives, it's what, for me, is the most tense moment of the season. Will there be a sprint this year? All eyes will be on Peter Sagan, who should already have this classic under his belt.

Two days later, we have the oldest race in our country, the Volta a Catalunya (March 25-31), with its classic route and, as always, a five-star field. Plus, Remco Evenepoel's World Tour debut. How far can he go, now competing against the best climbers? There's a lot of excitement surrounding this race.

From the end of March onwards, we're already focusing on the gravel season. The most unpredictable, most spectacular races, where we enjoy ourselves year after year. This year we're arriving with more anticipation than ever for one simple reason. The duel we've seen in cyclocross over the last few years between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert moves this year to the major Belgian classics. If last year it was the Flemish rider who made his debut in the classics with the label of CX world champion, this year it will be Van der Poel who will do so (the Dutchman will not compete in Roubaix). Many of us believe these two riders are now ready to compete head-to-head in these races with the likes of Sagan , Van Avermaet , or Gilbert , and, why not, to win one of them.

Among the stones, we'll also have one of the biggest fan favorites of fans around the world: seeing Alejandro Valverde, finally, competing in the Tour of Flanders. And, to make it even more beautiful, he'll be doing it dressed in a rainbow.

29/03: E3 Harelbeke

31/03: Ghent-Wevelgem

1/04: Dwars Door Vlaanderen

7/04: Tour of Flanders

10/04: Scheldeprijs

14/04: Paris-Roubaix

(Eurosport, awaiting confirmation of RTVE's schedule).

But April isn't all about rocks for fans. Between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, we'll have, as always, the Tour of the Basque Country , with its traditional route of walls and mid-mountain terrain (Eurosport).

After Paris-Roubaix, we leave the cobblestones behind but continue with more exciting classics. The Ardennes. Classics that perhaps previously attracted less attention due to their predictable finish and boring development, but which have managed to reinvent themselves. The Amstel did so by removing the final pass through the Cauberg, and this year it's Liège that has bravely changed its route, leaving the final climb 15 kilometers from the finish. This year, we'll also have the attraction of seeing Peter Sagan compete in both Amstel and Liège, fulfilling the demand of all fans to see him in these races.

17/04: Brabant Arrow

21/04: Amstel Gold Race

24/04: Fleche Wallonne

27/04: Liège-Bastogne-Liège

(Eurosport, waiting for RTVE).

Amidst this maelstrom of classics, we'll have two stage races. The first, a World Tour-level race, will be the Tour of Turkey (April 16-21), with Remco Evenepoel participating, by the way. The other, much more attractive, will be the Tour of the Alps (April 22-26) , formerly the Giro del Trentino, with a large field and route, where we usually see the first duels leading up to the Giro d'Italia. Then comes a race that always provides glimpses of quality from great classics riders and climbers, more in the Tour sense: the Tour de Romandie (April 30-May 5). All of them on Eurosport.

And after this beautiful spring, comes the mother of all battles: the Giro d'Italia .

The most anticipated race of the year. Can you imagine Tom Dumoulin , Vincenzo Nibali , Simon Yates , Alejandro Valverde , Mikel Landa , Primoz Roglic , and Egan Bernal fighting for a Grand Tour, all of them at the peak of their season form, on the same Tour? Well, you won't have to imagine it in May. We'll experience it at the Giro. With a route that does justice to a Tour and a race of this category. It will be held between May 11 and June 2, and will be broadcast on Eurosport.

An article by Fran Alarcón for Baggicase.