• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

2021 World Championships in Flanders: Road Races

Page 63 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Think that's because he was really not impressing in the Vuelta and he never sounded like this race was very important for him this year?
I'm aware his Vuelta was a main factor here. But he went there totally unprepared after fulfiling his most important goal of this season and just used the race as a preparation for today.
He also never sounded like this race isn't important for him. That's why I was totally surprised he's rarely been mentioned even as a 3rd tier favourite.
Remember he won on those roads in the spring ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: noob
I don't see much difference between 2020 and 2021 for Alaphilippe.

+1

Not the winner I was rooting for but Alaphilippe and French team earned this win no doubt. The way JA spanked that bike of his..hats off and chapeau for that.

Hats of to Remco Evenepoel for his ride for the team. I think he grew this year more than all his previous years in cycling in these three races: Giro, EC, and Worlds today.

Pidcock..It's really exciting to see this man climbing the ladders. Not your typical classics contender.
 
I'm aware his Vuelta was a main factor here. But he went there totally unprepared after fulfiling his most important goal of this season and just used the race as a preparation for today.
He also never sounded like this race isn't important for him. That's why I was totally surprised he's rarely been mentioned even as a 3rd tier favourite.
Remember he won on those roads in the spring ;)

If the Worlds were at the end of April, then expectations would have been sky high. But effectively, all he's ridden on the road since then has been the Vuelta. I think the low expectations going in to this race were about right, and he certainly exceeded mine
 
If the Worlds were at the end of April, then expectations would have been sky high. But effectively, all he's ridden on the road since then has been the Vuelta. I think the low expectations going in to this race were about right, and he certainly exceeded mine
Another CX rider has already proved before him, that you don't necessairly need to race that much on the road in the preparation to do well there.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: noob
What a winner, chapoeu :eek:


FAOCuEPX0AIwcbX


FAOFb69VUAQnxsc
 
After such a great race I'm now super stoked for Roubaix. Did we learn anything today?

Stuyven is going well and the course may suit him even better.
QS will be crazy strong as usual.
Colbrelli and MVDP will be racing it for the first time, should be interesting to see how they go.


Bring on the Roubaix thread!
 
  • Like
Reactions: postmanhat
Thanks to a "prior social engagement" I had to watch the last 30 km just now.


I am ecstatic that Alaf doubled up! Il est encore notre chouchou!

260 kms is a long effing race! In the end the strongest rider won and I think the outcome would have been the same 6 times out of 10...

I didn't see much wrong with most riders today except tired legs, although Stuyven was really, really strong and Evenepoel wasted the form of the season by attacking too early (of course Cosnefroy initiated it but RE drove that train). Had he saved some bullets for his second attack, he and Stuyven might have been able to neutralize any other attacks up to the end. But, really, WvA was not at his best so that might not have even mattered.

Pidcock, too, seemed like he had winning form but maybe lack of experience told him to hold back when JA attacked for the second time.

Chapeau too to Powless. He might have been able to go for a medal had he not kept attacking but he didn't really have a choice without a teammate behind...

Great race, and well deserved win.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tonton
I also thought Belgium's tactics were weird, but not even the Evenepoel part... they so often seem to use up riders in the wrong parts of the races.

But anyway, I really think the French selection and tactics were absolutely spot on again. Without Alaphilippe being amazing it wouldn't have come to that much, but they had a clear plan, they took the race in their hands and didn't wait, control, gamble diffusely etc. Cosnefroy was very strong today and it might have backfired had Ala not been able to finish it off, but it looks like they knew very well the strengths of each rider, they used them to their best, didn't hesitate... and they still had Sénéchal fresh in the mix all the time.
The Danes and Italians had more bad luck and lost riders early... but it looked like the Italians especially weren't as clear with their tactics as yesterday. They were pretty passive even when they had almost all riders left... they said they wanted to get Colbrelli in a small group without van Aert, but I never saw them doing anything for that. Even when Colbrelli could go with Ala he didn't work.
So, basically, like I already said: you need to have the legs, but the French and especially Alaphilippe took their fate into their own hands and that's why I'm even more happy they/he won.
The Italians were on the defensive after the early crashes and with Trentin they had also lost their road captain.
They managed to put Bagioli in an interesting group with Remco, Van Baarle and a feelw other riders, so not everything was bad.
Nizzolo was also a lot stronger on the cobbled climbs than expected.
Nothing broken for Trentin and Ballerini after those crashes, that's good news. Ballerini landed on his back while carrying a few bottles, that could have been ugly. He badly wants to ride Roubaix again, for him that's the biggest one day race.
 

TRENDING THREADS