2021 World Championships RR Race Preview
The details of this year's 2021 World Championships RR are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The road to Leuven promises to be one of the most brutal tests the world championship circuit has ever thrown at the professional peloton. The Belgian city and its surrounding roads have been carefully chosen to produce a race that rewards the very best puncheurs and classics specialists, and the course design ensures that a pure sprinter has almost no chance of lifting the rainbow jersey by the end of Sunday afternoon.
The circuit through the Flemish Ardennes is relentlessly demanding. Riders will tackle the Wijnpers and Smeysberg climbs repeatedly throughout the day, but the defining feature of the race is the Wijnberg, a punishing cobbled climb that rises through the center of Leuven itself and will be climbed multiple times in the closing circuits. The final ascent of the Wijnberg comes with just a few kilometers remaining, meaning any selection made there will likely prove decisive. The descent and short run to the finish line in Leuven favor a small group or even a solo rider rather than a bunch sprint.
Belgium will arrive as the overwhelming favorites on home roads. Wout van Aert is in the form of his life having had an extraordinary season, and the course suits him almost perfectly. He is a rider capable of climbing with the best puncheurs while also possessing a finishing speed that makes him dangerous in any reduced group. His teammate Dylan Teuns provides additional firepower, and the depth of the Belgian squad means they can control the race tactically for long stretches.
Julian Alaphilippe arrives as defending champion and will be desperate to become the first rider in decades to successfully defend the rainbow jersey on the road. The Frenchman is tailor-made for a course like this, with his explosive acceleration on short climbs a constant threat throughout the final circuits. France has surrounded him with a strong team, and if Alaphilippe reaches the closing kilometers with his legs intact, he must be considered among the primary favorites.
Mathieu van der Poel missed much of the spring classics season and arrives with a question mark over his condition following his Olympic mountain bike disappointment in Tokyo. However, when van der Poel is motivated and on a course that suits him, he is almost impossible to discount. The Wijnberg and its cobbled surface are deeply familiar to a rider who has excelled on such terrain throughout his career.
Denmark brings considerable strength with Michael Valgren and others in support, while Slovenia will look to Tadej Pogacar to demonstrate that his climbing abilities translate to this type of shorter, punchier terrain. Pogacar is undeniably one of the best riders in the world, but questions remain about whether a course designed for classics men rather than grand tour climbers will play fully to his strengths.
The weather in Belgium in late September can be wild and unpredictable, and any wind or rain would only increase the difficulty of an already brutal day. Fatigue will accumulate across the lengthy distance, and it is likely that only a small elite group will still be in contention when the Wijnberg is tackled for the final time.
Expect an aggressive race from the very early kilometers as Belgium attempts to control proceedings, with challengers looking for the right moment to launch an attack that sticks. The combination of a demanding course, a fiercely motivated home nation, and several world-class rivals ensures that the 2021 road world championship will be one of the most compelling and physically demanding one-day races of the entire season.
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