You know the cobbled classics, but what about the Ardennes Classics with Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège? And who's won all three of them – or the Ardennes Triple? It's worth exploring especially after Tadej Pogacar's recent wins.

After the run of cobbled classics with the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, these races take place in mid-April in the Belgian Ardennes and southern Limburg in the Netherlands. In the current format, Amstel Gold Race comes first in the Southern part of The Netherlands, in Limburg, then in Belgium the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The latter is the oldest, with the first race being held way back in 1892.

One of the things that make the Ardennes Classics stand out is their hilly courses, which make them a thrilling spectacle to watch especially as you see the grand tour riders on the start line. Riders like Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic and Vincenzo Nibali.

In recent years, the three classics have been held within an 8-day timeframe, creating this Ardennes Classics triple possibility.. Prior to this, there was a points classification for the Belgian Ardennes classics, called Ardennes Weekend, which combined La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

The inclusion of the Amstel Gold Race in this week created this unofficial triple crown. Only Davide Rebellin in 2004 and Philippe Gilbert in 2011 have won the Ardennes Triple. However, there are many other notable riders who have won all three races, albeit not in a single year, including Danilo Di Luca, Michele Bartoli, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Tadej Pogacar.

In 2017, women's races for all three of the Ardennes Classics were held for the first time. Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes made its debut alongside a revival of the Women's Amstel Gold Race, which had previously been held from 2001 to 2003. La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, on the other hand, has been held since 1998.

Eddy Merckx is the king of the Ardennes with 10 total wins in these races, with five wins in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, three in La Flèche Wallonne, and two in the Amstel Gold Race. Alejandro Valverde follows with nine total wins, all of them in La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Moreno Argentin is in third place with seven total wins, all of them in Liège–Bastogne–Liège and La Flèche Wallonne.

Philippe Gilbert has six total wins, with four in the Amstel Gold Race and one in La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège each. Bernard Hinault and Jan Raas both have five total wins, with Hinault winning one in the Amstel Gold Race, two in La Flèche Wallonne, and two in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Raas winning all five of his in the Amstel Gold Race.