2021 Ronde van Vlaanderen Race Preview
The details of this year's 2021 Ronde van Vlaanderen are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The spring classics season reaches its magnificent centrepiece this Sunday as the peloton descends on Antwerp for the start of the 105th edition of the Tour of Flanders, one of cycling's most revered monuments. The 254-kilometre route winds through the Flemish Ardennes before arriving at the iconic finish in Oudenaarde, taking in the brutal combination of short, steep climbs and rough cobbled roads that have defined this race for generations.
The parcours features the familiar cast of fearsome climbs that make this race so unique. The Oude Kwaremont, with its long stretches of cobbles, will test the legs multiple times, while the savage ramps of the Paterberg will split any remaining groups. The Koppenberg, reinstated after years of absence, adds another layer of brutality, its narrow cobbled walls capable of ending races before they have truly begun. The final circuits around the Oudenaarde finishing area give the strongest riders the opportunity to make their definitive move.
Mathieu van der Poel arrives as the overwhelming favourite following his stunning debut victory here in 2020, where he produced one of the great performances in the race's history, dropping back from apparent defeat to win in extraordinary fashion. The Alpecin-Fenix rider has shown strong early season form and will be the man every rival targets from the moment the peloton leaves Antwerp.
Defending champion with that memorable win, Van der Poel will face fierce competition from his great rival Wout van Aert, who has been in exceptional form throughout the spring. The Jumbo-Visma rider finished second here last year and will be desperate to go one better in front of a Belgian crowd starved of live racing after pandemic restrictions severely limited spectator attendance in 2020. Van Aert combines raw power with tactical intelligence and has every quality required to win this race.
World champion Julian Alaphilippe has shown his ability to perform on this type of terrain and cannot be discounted, though the Frenchman's style tends to favour punchier attacks rather than the sustained power output often required on the Kwaremont cobbles. His Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team will be well represented with multiple options capable of influencing the race.
Kasper Asgreen will be another key Quick-Step card, having finished second in last year's edition and subsequently winning the Tour of Flanders' sister classic Paris-Roubaix. The Dane is a formidable force on the cobbles and represents a genuine threat to win. His team's strength in numbers could prove decisive in manipulating the race in the closing kilometres.
Greg Van Avermaet, Zdenek Stybar, Oliver Naesen and Sep Vanmarcke all carry the experience and ability to feature prominently if the race unfolds in their favour, while Jasper Stuyven will hope to build on encouraging earlier spring results. Alberto Bettiol, winner of this race in 2019, knows what it takes to win here and should not be forgotten despite flying somewhat under the radar in recent weeks.
The weather forecast suggests dry conditions on Sunday, which may allow for slightly higher speeds than in some recent editions, though the roads of Flanders have a way of making their demands felt regardless of conditions. With Van der Poel and Van Aert seemingly destined to collide in the finale once again, Sunday promises another classic confrontation in this most beloved of races.
Get our full coverage of the Ronde van Vlaanderen and every race we cover with our mobile app! The apps have over 100 additional exclusive features, including our award-winning Time Machine feature that lets you pause/rewind/replay the entire app to sync with delayed race video, integrated Fantasy Cycling, push notifications, an integrated news feed, live GPS tracking, world-class commentary, and our animated interactive maps and profiles.
