2021 World Championships in Flanders: Road Races

[JosefK]

Just following the team captain’s instructions.

JA will never quite be in Tommy V.'s league when it comes to pulling faces. Tommy is the GOAT.

 

[Volderke]

Positives:

1. Great great racing starting from very early on;
2. Evenepoel never ever having to ride as a domestique again;
3. Alaphilippe is a spectacular and very worthy winner;

negatives:
1. Crowds were impressive in the beginning, but acted like sore loosers in the end (the main reason I didn’t go to Leuven, as I thought about how the crowds would be when no Belgian would get a medal);
2 all kinds of tactical mishaps by the Belgians, especially killing off Remco when it was already clear that WvA wasn’t doing very well, and sitting very far in the group when it was clear that alaphilippe would go full with cavagna (the move that destroyed WvA completely)
3. No medal for Stuyven in his hometown.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Genuinely mystified as to why they wasted Evenepoel, if Wout didn't have the legs? Remco did have the legs.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Whoever the French DS is he is clearly some sort of tactical genius.

He must have been a really saavy bike rider in his day

Well played, sir!
In the end I don't think that Italy's tactics were that bad, the team leaders were just not strong enough. Loosing both Ballerini and Trentin with +100kms to go was a big loss.

 

[RedheadDane]

You think slaves are sub-human?

Were slaves stolen, or kidnapped?

 

[Danskebjerge]

Valgren's Worlds record:
2018 7th
2019 6th
2021 3rd

 

[saganftw]

i have to question why was van aert looking for stuyven to do pulls for him towards the end, at that point he had to be aware he didnt have legs

stuyven could salvage at least a medal

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Wiggins and Blyth giving Remco a hard time on GCN. It was inexperience rather than crap Belgian tactics apparently.

 

[Tonton]

I just finished watching the last 20 Km of the race. What happened to Belgium?
This got to be a nightmare for them. Where was Remco in all this?
Didn't they work as a team?
And Pidcock, if he was so strong why sucking wheels so much until the end?

Well, one thing I am happy about. Cobrelli didn't get a chance for sucking the wrong wheels! LOL.

And Chapeau to Ala. He was simply the best today. And it wasn't close.

Last 20km? So you missed the biggest waste in talent that I have witnessed in a long time: Remco driving the lead group for over 15km to distance the chase group. He was so strong, but wasted all his energy for the team.

Belgium bet on the wrong horse. That Remco could have followed Alaf' imo. But as we know, coudda shoudda...

 

[Bonimenier]

i have to question why was van aert looking for stuyven to do pulls for him towards the end, at that point he had to be aware he didnt have legs

stuyven could salvage at least a medal

Van Aert just said in an interview that he even told Stuyven that he didn't have the legs today.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

You think slaves are sub-human?

No. But I don't think there are any slaves in a genuine and loving relationship, which the Alaphilippe/Rousse relationship seems to be.

 

[Eeslliw]

Next year Wout should work for Remco at WC. He had obviously great legs today, and Wout just shat his pants in the finale. It's not that he didn't win but that he was not even close.

 

[SarahtheDane]

Valgren's Worlds record:
2018 7th
2019 6th
2021 3rd

So number super 1 in 2023?

 

[Red Rick]

The big question for me is at what point Van Aert should have known he simply wasn't good enough. This is also a reason why Evenepoel attacking at 180km to go was a huge blunder.

Still, they'll have their chances yet. This route was not very good for Evenepoel. Van Aert mispeaked.

 

[movingtarget]

the lesson of this race is that Thomas Voeckler is somehow a tactical genius

He must have learnt that in retirement................

 

[Danskebjerge]

We'll never know for sure, but maybe the early Evenepoel attack did weaken Team Suzuki so much that they lost out in the final, with Colbrelli having to do the chase from the front of his group.

 

[Escarabajo]

they really stuck Powless on the front for that sprint huh, lmao

We knew he was the worst of that lot at the sprint, but when they showed the top view of the replay it looked really funny. It was like he was sprinting in sand. I can sprint faster wearing sandals !!

 

[RedheadDane]

Valgren saved the bacon for the Danes!

DNF	Kasper Asgreen		Denmark	​	​
DNF	Mikkel Bjerg		Denmark	​	​
DNF	Magnus Cort		Denmark	​	​
DNF	Mikkel Honore		Denmark	​	​
DNF	Andreas Kron		Denmark	​	​
DNF	Mads Pedersen		Denmark	​	​
DNF	Mads Würtz Schmidt		Denmark

 

[Tonton]

Looks like it

Positives:

1. Great great racing starting from very early on;
2. Evenepoel never ever having to ride as a domestique again;
3. Alaphilippe is a spectacular and very worthy winner;

negatives:
1. Crowds were impressive in the beginning, but acted like sore loosers in the end (the main reason I didn’t go to Leuven, as I thought about how the crowds would be when no Belgian would get a medal);
2 all kinds of tactical mishaps by the Belgians, especially killing off Remco when it was already clear that WvA wasn’t doing very well, and sitting very far in the group when it was clear that alaphilippe would go full with cavagna (the move that destroyed WvA completely)
3. No medal for Stuyven in his hometown.

Yes, I rate this bike race a 8

 

[TMP402]

Biggest news for me today is that Alaphilippe stole Gallopin's girlfriend.

Wife!!

 

[F_Cance]

Van Aert just said in an interview that he even told Stuyven that he didn't have the legs today.

that was clearly too late then.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Wiggins and Blyth giving Remco a hard time on GCN. It was inexperience rather than crap Belgian tactics apparently.

Wiggo and Adam Blyat can shove it!
Pidcock really strong, but he missed that move.
Not a good sports WE for the uk, Anthony Joshua also got outclassed by cossack slickness...

 

[movingtarget]

I think all the Belgium riders should be made to wear Movistar jerseys for the year.

In boxing they call that a low blow..............

 

[Breezy1985]

Wiggins and Blyth giving Remco a hard time on GCN. It was inexperience rather than crap Belgian tactics apparently.

Yes but Pidcock who also won nothing is a legend apparently

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Last 20km? So you missed the biggest waste in talent that I have witnessed in a long time: Remco driving the lead group for over 15km to distance the chase group. He was so strong, but wasted all his energy for the team.

Belgium bet on the wrong horse. That Remco could have followed Alaf' imo. But as we know, coudda shoudda...

If Remco would have been protected, I think he showed he had the legs today to have covered Alaphillippe.