2021 World Championships in Flanders: Road Races

[Blanco]

A 2 up sprint is a very different beast to a small group sprint. Pidcock beat Van Aert in a 2 up sprint by the tiniest of margins but there is no chance he would feature on the final sprint in Paris as Wout did so brilliantly.

A 2 men sprint is not very different to small group sprint, but it is very different to bunch sprint...

 

[Keram]

Todays time trial set me up to men RR. I am looking forward to it. 100th anniversary WC in Flanders. How cool is that? Super cool for me. Obviously I want Sagan to break history record but he is not prime favourite anymore. Anyway I like how hard he is trying recently. He was quite active in Benelux Tour in some stages and attacked left and right at Tour of Slovakia. My gut tells me Colbrelli will win this spectacular bike race.

P.S. I saw down the thread climbs but is there som cobbles sections or even better cobbled climbs? Obviously not famous Ronde climbs.

 

[Ricco']

I always thought the Moskestraat circuit would be repeated more times. Two times seems a bit short, maybe one or two more and two times less the Leuven circuit would lead to better racing.

Racing aside, I'm really looking forward to sunday's race. Leuven has a very special place in my heart and I'm looking forward to see the city again. Already today nostalgia kicked in as I've done by bike the last km's of today's TT from Damme to Brugge a few years back.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Italy's team is supposed to be like this:
Trentin
Colbrelli
Nizzolo
Ballerini
Bagioli
Moscon
De Marchi
Ulissi

That's the one thing I dislike about Cassani, he keeps insisting on Ulissi, who is great as a stagehunter and in semiclassics, but can't handle the distance in a Monument or the WC.

 

[SafeBet]

Italy's team is supposed to be like this:
Trentin
Colbrelli
Nizzolo
Ballerini
Bagioli
Moscon
De Marchi
Ulissi

That's the one thing I dislike about Cassani, he keeps insisting on Ulissi, who is great as a stagehunter and in semiclassics, but can't handle the distance in a Monument or the WC.

Ulissi is good friends with most other Italian riders and over time has accepted his role as a pure helper in these big races.
I'd probably take someone else too but he can be useful in the first 200 km.

 

[Jagartrott]

I have a feeling that it will be a Danish rider that wins the men's RR. So much quality, so many cards to play, but much less pressure on them than on Belgium and Italy.

 

[Netserk]

Italy's team is supposed to be like this:
Trentin
Colbrelli
Nizzolo
Ballerini
Bagioli
Moscon
De Marchi
Ulissi

That's the one thing I dislike about Cassani, he keeps insisting on Ulissi, who is great as a stagehunter and in semiclassics, but can't handle the distance in a Monument or the WC.

I'm more puzzled by Nizzolo. Cattaneo or even Oss would be more useful.

 

[topcat]

Italy's team is supposed to be like this:
Trentin
Colbrelli
Nizzolo
Ballerini
Bagioli
Moscon
De Marchi
Ulissi

That's the one thing I dislike about Cassani, he keeps insisting on Ulissi, who is great as a stagehunter and in semiclassics, but can't handle the distance in a Monument or the WC.

It's a pity Bettiol is out. I would have bet the house on him.

 

[ij74]

Todays time trial set me up to men RR. I am looking forward to it. 100th anniversary WC in Flanders. How cool is that? Super cool for me. Obviously I want Sagan to break history record but he is not prime favourite anymore. Anyway I like how hard he is trying recently. He was quite active in Benelux Tour in some stages and attacked left and right at Tour of Slovakia. My gut tells me Colbrelli will win this spectacular bike race.

P.S. I saw down the thread climbs but is there som cobbles sections or even better cobbled climbs? Obviously not famous Ronde climbs.

Sagan said that seeing so many people, which were rooting for him, gave him a plenty of energy. He didn´t hesitate in any of those stages to attack and make a show for the crowds. I think it worked out perfectly. Despite the lack of stage winning, he demonstrated his strength with a dominant performance. Of at least two stages that were supposed to be quite boring due to its mostly flat character, he made a spectacular race. Uphill and downhill breakaway attacks, sprinting for an intermediate and polka-dots points cost him a lot of energy and possibly the stage victories, as well. On the contrary, the effort guaraanted him an overall classification leadership.

The sprinting competition at the Tour of Slovakia did not belong among the best, but it still had its quality. Bol, Hodeg or Steimle, all of them were decent competitors. Unfortunately, his top sprint is not top anymore, but is good enough to catch up with MVDP or Colbrelli, which are the cyclists who should be there – in the final meters of the WC or PR.

After all, what Sagan did not lack was consistency, though. Tenth in the prologue, then second, second, third and second in the bunch or reduced sprints. He is always there with the best and statistically, when you are all the time among the best, is it even possible not to win once in a while?

 

[Mayomaniac]

I'm more puzzled by Nizzolo. Cattaneo or even Oss would be more useful.

They'll also bring Puccio to Belgium and pick the 8 starters from those 9. I guess Nizzolo is their option for a bunch sprint if it's a negative race. e can handle the distance, bt one could say the same about Ballerini.
Oss hasn't been great duing the last few seasons, I'd probably pick a young guy like Aleotti (who has been decent in both the Bretagne and th Primus classic) instead of Ulissi.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

They'll also bring Puccio to Belgium and pick the 8 starters from those 9. I guess Nizzolo is their option for a bunch sprint if it's a negative race. e can handle the distance, bt one could say the same about Ballerini.
Oss hasn't been great duing the last few seasons, I'd probably pick a young guy like Aleotti (who has been decent in both the Bretagne and th Primus classic) instead of Ulissi.

Nizzolo is a good pick I think. But should be cattaneo or Masnada instead of Ulissi. They need more gregario.

 

[Bonimenier]

The Netherlands selected 5 riders for the junior RR and only a couple of days realized they have just 4 spots

 

[claudio666]

 

[Mayomaniac]

Beppe Conti is afraid of the Danish team, can't say that I blame him...

 

[Didinho]

Bekestraat as of today. Also the road has been cleaned yesterday and everything between the cobbles is gone. I did the ascent maybe 20 times the past year and today was by far the hardest.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Winner will be Giacamo Nizzolo

 

[RedheadDane]

Bekestraat as of today. Also the road has been cleaned yesterday and everything between the cobbles is gone. I did the ascent maybe 20 times the past year and today was by far the hardest.

The climb is invisible!

 

[Didinho]

The climb is invisible!

It was just to show that they can't ride at the side anymore. So full on the cobbles. I needed both hands after i took the picture

 

[RedheadDane]

It was just to show that they can't ride at the side anymore. So full on the cobbles. I needed both hands after i took the picture

But... you aren't showing anything! There's no picture...

 

[Alexandre B.]

France
Julian Alaphilippe
Rémi Cavagna
Benoît Cosnefroy
Arnaud Démare
Christophe Laporte
Valentin Madouas
Clément Russo
Florian Sénéchal
Anthony Turgis

I don't understand why Démare has been picked.

 

[RedheadDane]

France
Julian Alaphilippe
Rémi Cavagna
Benoît Cosnefroy
Arnaud Démare
Christophe Laporte
Valentin Madouas
Clément Russo
Florian Sénéchal
Anthony Turgis

I don't understand why Démare has been picked.

Wait, they only just officially selected their roster?
They like torturing your people, or something?

 

[Rackham]

France
Julian Alaphilippe
Rémi Cavagna
Benoît Cosnefroy
Arnaud Démare
Christophe Laporte
Valentin Madouas
Clément Russo
Florian Sénéchal
Anthony Turgis

I don't understand why Démare has been picked.

Laporte could be a dark horse (Démare had too many issues in the Vuelta to be considered here).

But I feel the "all for Alaphilippe" attitude might not be suitable on such a parcours (because it isn't punchy nor selective enough, so anyone with a good solo engine or a good sprint stands a chance).

 

[BlueRoads]

Laporte could be a dark horse (Démare had too many issues in the Vuelta to be considered here).

But I feel the "all for Alaphilippe" attitude might not be suitable on such a parcours (because it isn't punchy nor selective enough, so anyone with a good solo engine or a good sprint stands a chance).

Is it an all for Alaphilippe approach, though? I think that's what they said, but the selection looks more like several cards instead of Ala plus many workhorses?

 

[Rackham]

Is it an all for Alaphilippe approach, though? I think that's what they said, but the selection looks more like several cards instead of Ala plus many workhorses?

More than a "several cards" approach it looks political as hell, to me at least.

There are names on that list (like Démare) who're only there because of who they ride for. Of that I am certain.

3 DQS, 2 FDJ, 1 Cofidis, 1 AG2R, 1 Arkéa-Samsic & 1 TotalEnergies.

Le compte est bon! as the French say.

 

[memyselfandI]

Nizzolo is a good pick I think. But should be cattThey need more gregario.

Italy's team is supposed to be like this:
Trentin
Colbrelli
Nizzolo
Ballerini
Bagioli
Moscon
De Marchi
Ulissi

That's the one thing I dislike about Cassani, he keeps insisting on Ulissi, who is great as a stagehunter and in semiclassics, but can't handle the distance in a Monument or the WC.

Italy is really good setup this time if they sort team dynamics out nicely. Sonny C spearhead I guess, but Moscon is very good typically in Worlds so is he or Trentin road captain?