The classics are coming! The classics are coming! Saturday, February 25 ushers in the first of the cobbled, single-day races of the north with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The traditional Belgian season opener, the Omloop sets the sights of the peloton's hard men squarely on the type of glory that can only come from hours of pain over the stones and bergs of this cycling-obsessed country. Sunday follows with another prestigious semi-classic, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, and we're off and running.

A bit more than a month may remain until the monuments of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, but with racing fanning out over the European continent, classic racing is finally upon us once again. Peloton welcomes the 2012 classics season with ten images from the past two decades. (As if we needed any help getting in the mood.) Enjoy.