Written by Don Hamstre of don hamstre team
  
  The new season has already started and as time creeps forward, our memories of previous season will slowly fade away. So let us look back now at the classics in the lower divisions, so we will not lose our memories too fast.
  I will speak about all those classics with, self-named, OCM Ccassic analyst Jannic Dyhm, the first winner of Vejle-Kobenhavn. We will start right at the bottom of the list, in division seven.
  
  Jannic Dyhm: 'The classics in division seven are a place for the young teams to get their first glimpse of life in a higher division. They will face much more competition than in normal races, because almost all the teams want to win the classic and will sign up with their very best teams. The races are not always at the highest level, but they are exciting. The amount of opportunistic breakaways is massive and you can not close your eyes for a second.'
  
  The riders start with Brebes - Brebes, a cobble race. The race is best known for its awesome ape-trophy. Aquilino Querido, Xim procycling team took the trophy home.
  Climbing classic Uttendorf- Matrei in Osttirol was won by Benjamin Meldgard, teamvildogvoldsom.
  Jannic: 'Two worthy winners, but both not world class. But I think it is important for the teams to win these classics, as they gain valuable experience which they can use to improve their team and managing skills'.
  
  The competition gets a lot tougher as we enter the classics of Division six. 'Again a cobble classic and a climbing classic, but you will have to work much harder to win these classics', our expert says. Budapest Meeting Point had a famous rider on the podium, Maas de Wolf, Britcycles. The Dutch allrounder could however not win the race for his team. He did beat Bruce Thomason Super Velo in the sprint for glory, but Jair Silva, Sparkster was a little faster and won the classic.
  At the second classic, Bali Classic,the Nigerian city and not the famous Indonesian island, I was a visiting spectator. I signed my own team up and took advantage by interviewing the winner. I also saw my ex-captain Amos Gordon fail again, a familiar sight. He got fourth place. The crowd was very pleased with the result of the race, because Vergilio Conceiçao Team Antena 3 TV won the race. 'I am so pleased to win the only African classic. My team has worked so hard today to make my dream come true', he said.
  Phumedzo Cicero, elmi got second place, making it an African one-two.
  
  Sicily is the place where the first sprinting classic is held in division five. Division five has some great riders in it, as Jannic explains: 'A lot of teams with good captains are present in this division, but most teams are still developing their full roster. This means the captains do not have much support, but still face tough competition. So this could be the worst division to bein as a captain.' Anastasia Padilla, PCG looked like he was going to win in the Classico di Siracusa, but he was beaten on the photofinish by two riders, Diedrich Rinzema ScotterPop, who got second and the winner, Brajan Gajda, PCMGeeks.
  
  Juberri-Pas de la Casa is the climbing classic in this division. Benjamin Guimaraes, kakaolin won it, leaving Joel Rosback, PegasusFlights and Hélio Ginjeira, qazpl a long way behind.
  
  Four classics in Division Four. Critérium la Grasse is the first. In the capital of perfumes, the riders will start a race which will make them smell a lot less pretty. Timoteo Gavaldon, Ron Cycling Team was the first to finish after an impressive solo. Viktor Bertkovic, Ponika

got second place.
  All goes downhill in Classic Oslo, at least the most important bits of the race. 'I love downhill races', our classic specialist says, 'the riders have to take many risks if they want to stay ahead or break away. Jeffrey Hagy, SJShark took the needed risks at the first descent, but he was joined by Danut Zafiu, Team Sjoelen and Sundarraj Chanda, Papkompania at the final climb. Chanda just descended better than the others and got to Oslo first. But he nearly crashed into a ravine, proving that going downhill is a very dangerous business'.
  Baltimore Invitational and Orel-Kursk Classic were very exciting aswell. The American crowd could cheer for Perry Bird, Sekos Team, while the Russians were not as happy. They got a Brazilian winner with Ezequiel Branco, Locos.
  
  The classic season in division three starts in Belgium. Turnai-Turnai, a cobble classic, was won by Forrest Hofstetter, GQP 76rs. Tour of Hawaii almost got the same winner as last season. Hermann Herzog, Rantanplan, was very close, but was beaten by Carrol 'The Consistent' Mullan.
  Dyhm: 'Two very interesting races, you never know what is going to happen in a cobble classic or in Hawaii. No surprising winners this season, but still very enjoyable races' 'Third division has a variety of classics. All the different types of riders can challenge for a trophy. The sprinters are welcomed in the city of Rotterdam. As one of Europe's most vibrant, multicultural cities all the teams that have participated in this race love to return. Rotterdam Classic is known for its cutting-edge architecture, lively cultural life, striking riverside setting and maritime heritage. And Rotterdam is often called the "Gateway to Europe".' (quote from: Race description, Finz)
  The description almost makes this sound like a nice place to be for riders. It is not. They have to work hard all day long and only one man gets all the glory. In this case that man was Juancho Lara, THE DUTCHIES, who got first place in an exquisite field with big names like Carrol Mullan and Spiridon Apetri, EpoTopTeam.
  The Zyte GP classic is the first chance for the climbers of division three to take a classic win. 'The tough French climbs can produce nothing else than pure suffering for the riders' , Dyhm told me, 'But this season it looked like Pascal Pârcalab didn't even notice them. He was amazing that day.'
  VCK Classic is the last on the calender in this division. Jannic: 'This is one of the most amazing races to watch. It has a pretty steep finishing climb, but the hills are the real deciders. Anousone Keovilay, Vientiane Cycling, Udo Breinholt, Beardy Bikers and Terkel Lindegaard, Sons of the Desert managed to break away in the hills. Lindegaard got incredible support of the fans and won the race.'
  
  Division two. The best riders so far. The best teams so far. The most classics so far. First classic is Ainet-Bruggen. You might expect a heroic fight between top-climbers. But a breakaway happened. Wolter Braamhaar, Hard Gaat Ie was the lucky rider to cross the finish line first, just ahead of the chasing group of favourites.
  We move on to the next classic, Minsk CBGP. And what an amazing pack of riders. You would almost think this is division one, with Sandjis Semerjaks, JJL24SS, Viljo Teravainen omega pharma lotto, and Bartoli Rivera, omega pharma lotto. But al those great names were beaten by Tonio Vicario, Dormilon, who got his first Division two win.