It was the best Worlds EVER and Sunday’s men’s road race was absolutely mad and majestic and … well, 6 stars! So many stories, so many great fan tweets, so many songs … Dig in, folks!
What a race!
L'Equipe often rates big races with a 5-star system. Yesterday was so good it got 6 stars out of 5 pic.twitter.com/zPkTiiaYlY
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) September 27, 2021
World Championships gathered total of 1.4 million spectators. 1 million fans on Sunday including 350k in Leuven city. (via @EuroHoody)
At times, it felt like watching a whole new sport. The atmosphere was unreal & found its way to the couch. Had really missed it. #Flanders2021🌈 pic.twitter.com/7BApMNNm24
— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) September 26, 2021
Belgium really is the true home of cycling. Unbelievable atmosphere today.
— Brian Nygaard (@nygaardbn) September 26, 2021
Live cycling on scoreboard during football games. Only in Belgium.#Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/MnrzNK2wv4
— Kenneth Thuy (@KennethThuy) September 27, 2021
🥳SENSORY OVERLOAD🥳
The fans are fantastic here in Flanders!#Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/VIdfyHB2jN
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 26, 2021
I think this might be the best bike race I've ever seen #Flanders2021
— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) September 26, 2021
I'm with you.
Never has a race been 5 hours of full gas attacks over 260km
I have not wanted to miss a minute…quite astonishing
— anenglishmaninspain (@AndyElche) September 26, 2021
Tom Pidcock said in his post-race interview, 'it was like riding in a stadium, rather than on the roads' – incredible scenes, what an unforgettable World Championships. Still reeling from it this morning and I wasn't even there. Well done Belgium #Flanders2021 https://t.co/sdOoNU7Etq
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) September 27, 2021
A glimpse of things to come further along in the race …
Thomas Voeckler cheering for his French riders was a nice sight. #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/1nf0rE8lEu
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) September 26, 2021
What a champion!
Wout van Aert was the hands-down favourite, but as we all know, that is no guarantee of winning. But another thing that we know … if you’ve had the rainbow jersey the previous year, you will ride yourself inside out to keep it. And this year, Julian Alaphilippe did just that.
Lean over the barrier like that at your own peril! #Flanders2021 https://t.co/2ZesRn0TgB
— (((Lukas Knöfler))) (@lukascph) September 26, 2021
As we have seen time and time again in LouLou’s wonderful career, he often is the trigger for the winning move – as Suze says, whether for himself or for someone else. Sunday, it was all for him.
The great thing about making a big race winning move when you're the reigning champion is that either a) you win again or b) you make the selection that chooses your successor #WinWin #Flanders2021
— SuzeCY (@festinagirl) September 26, 2021
Attacktics, the Alaphilippe way.
#Replay 🎥 / #Flanders2021 🌈
L’attaque victorieuse de 🇫🇷 Julian Alaphilippe. En boucle.Il ne lui a pas fallu une longue montée pour faire la différence, c’est dingue.pic.twitter.com/6zdHT2iTNd
— Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) September 26, 2021
What a shot!! 💪 @alokoficial #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/NIS6mfuWzr
— Vélo Péloton (@VeloPeloton) September 28, 2021
One race not wearing the rainbow stripes, and Loulou decided he didn't fancy it much #Flanders2021
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) September 26, 2021
The Belgian crowd could howl and boo all they wanted. It wasn’t going to deter this man.
That's entertainment! #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/mzKPI5YtlP
— Alex Rasmussen (@alexfalkeman) September 26, 2021
Translation: I was thinking of my little one in the final. There were a lot of Belgian fans who asked me to slow down. They didn’t always have very nice words. I want to thank them, it made me want to ‘press harder.
Julian Alaphilippe: "Je pensais à mon petit dans le final. Il y avait beaucoup de supporters belges qui me demandaient de ralentir. Ils n'avaient pas toujours des mots très sympas. Je tiens à les remercier, ça m'a donné envie d'appuyer plus fort." #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/BmTkearkzY
— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) September 26, 2021
Me too.
Quite an astonishing ride, I stunned.
— anenglishmaninspain (@AndyElche) September 26, 2021
Defending the elite/pro mens rainbow jersey is rare unless you're called Sagan, but Juju is the first French rider ever to manage it. in 100 years
— William Fotheringham (@willfoth) September 26, 2021
So much talk in the Grand Tours about defending a jersey… today Alaphilippe showed how you defend a jersey, despite not even wearing it. What a day, what a race, what a champion 🌈 #Flanders2021
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) September 26, 2021
As if Alaphilippe could wait patiently …
Julian ran contrary to what I told him (Thomas Voeckler, France Team Manager)#Flanders21 #flanders2021 https://t.co/TlYcpGvTzL
— Miroir du Cyclisme (@Miroir2Cyclisme) September 26, 2021
He gets a hug from Tommy anyway …
The image of French cycling since I've been following this sport 🥲🇫🇷 #Flanders21 pic.twitter.com/Zdnm1AHNK5
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) September 26, 2021
Before making his decisive solo attack with 17 km to go, Alaphilippe attacked 3 more times. No wonder Voeckler said this wasn't the plan LOL. But tactics don't matter that much when you are so strong. And Alaphilippe was truly monstrous today. #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/FKi2Znp9fI
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) September 26, 2021
#TheWolfpack 😃#Flanders2021
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/ecK2a4aybQ— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) September 26, 2021
Look at what it means to him! 🇫🇷@alafpolak1 can't hide his 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 as he is awarded the 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐰 𝐣𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐲 once again – what an incredible moment 🌈
A true 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓!#Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/Qro0Ep05FP
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) September 26, 2021
Translation: “The jersey was bigger this year on the podium, they put me in XL. I think they planned it for Wout van Aert.”
🇫🇷🎙 Julian Alaphilippe : "Le maillot était plus grand cette année sur le podium, ils m'ont mis du XL. Je pense qu'ils l'avaient prévu pour Wout van Aert."
😏 Le genre de petite phrase qui veut tout dire. #rmclive pic.twitter.com/jMjtw18fsI
— Super Moscato Show (@Moscato_Show) September 27, 2021
No skinsuit just bibshorts and jersey and some balls…off we go to a bike race. What a rider @alafpolak1 Congratulations for another rainbow year…
— Andre Greipel (@AndreGreipel) September 26, 2021
The Belgian crowd might have been disappointed, but they still couldn’t resist the panache of the victor.
Julian Alaphilippe et le public belge ne sont pas fâchés : le nouveau champion du monde a profité du podium pour réaliser un clapping avec la foule. #Flanders2021pic.twitter.com/iUbh32pvjc
— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) September 26, 2021
What a swell party!
Fucking magnifique from the French team, dynamiting the race
Because of you want to win you have to be prepared to lose #Flanders21
— SuzeCY (@festinagirl) September 26, 2021
Bonne soirée à tous ! 😍 🌈
📸 @BousseauAlex pic.twitter.com/S6GtSncuXp— Team TotalEnergies (@TeamTotalEnrg) September 26, 2021
Collectif soudé. pic.twitter.com/K58CLr29OG
— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) September 26, 2021
We did not win but we did have fun. (And we’re all hungover today) #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/i8K8qc5lzn
— Tomas Van Den Spiegel (@tomasvds) September 27, 2021
Flying Alaphilippe on the front page of today's L'Equipe. 🦋 #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/fbFxEGm5YM
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) September 27, 2021
You’ll never be able to unsee this …
Nous ne faisons que vivre dans leur monde. pic.twitter.com/00gIwh4VjN
— Rog the God (@VroomeChris) September 26, 2021
What happened?
Wout just didn’t have the legs. ‘I’m only human, yeah?’
Wout van Aert had vandaag geen wereldkampioenenbenen: "Ik ben ook maar een mens, zeker?"https://t.co/9r7WhdvHpa pic.twitter.com/gleLwrj7Lu
— Sporza 🚴 (@sporza_koers) September 26, 2021
Belgium with three riders — Evenepoel, Van Aert, and Stuyven — in the final 30km, and ends up out of the medals. On home soil. Absolutely brutal. #Flanders2021
— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) September 26, 2021
In the heart of cycling, in the middle of a cyclone. Thank you #Flanders21 for a day my legs will remember forever 😅 Chapeau @alafpolak1, congrats @DylanvanBaarle & @MichaelValgren. Great winners 👏
📷 @gruchaseven pic.twitter.com/DyiSflRjCm— Michał Kwiatkowski (@kwiato) September 26, 2021
Colbrelli: I only had eyes for Van Aert and Van der Poel at Worlds
Italian game plan falls through after Trentin and Ballerini skittled in early crash#Flanders2021 https://t.co/CmbQtFbCrP
— Cyclingnews.com (@Cyclingnewsfeed) September 26, 2021
That’ll be a no. 😉 https://t.co/czVnScVnIF
— John Galloway (@VelocastJohn) September 26, 2021
The Remco Conundrum
So did Remco ride for himself, get told off, then ride for Wout? Did Remco ride for LouLou in the guise of riding for himself? Or did Remco just ride? We’ll never know for sure
He is all the angry today 😬, he had a few more words with Declercq on the decent just before this. #Flanders21 #couchpeloton #flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/Sf4XNMQ6ug
— Filippo AnnaMac (@AnnamacB) September 26, 2021
Words between Remco and Tim Declercq when he made his first attack about halfway through the race (or a bit before) and then suddenly we didn’t see him anymore. Banished to the back.
He’s going to sit there and think about what his done and will be allowed back in the peloton when he learns how to play nice with others 😆
— Filippo AnnaMac (@AnnamacB) September 26, 2021
Only if he’s really sorry for not playing nicely with his friends. pic.twitter.com/YW83rYiUsh
— Filippo AnnaMac (@AnnamacB) September 26, 2021
Or was it all in the plan?
And Remco has been brilliant, Remco has made this for VanAert.
Deserves absolute respect and credit for this ride.
Hope team appreciate this
— anenglishmaninspain (@AndyElche) September 26, 2021
I do think Remco did the right move but @Tim_Declercq sees this attack as a tactical move for WVA and Remco sees it as a winning move for him. Big difference. Remco should listen to Tim until he doesn't get smacked. #Flanders2021
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) September 26, 2021
I’m proud of my country and my flag, and to wear the jersey that represents that, is the greatest honor a sportsperson can have. I gave it really my all. I tried to convert the decibels of your cheers into watts! The crowds were amazing! Thank you Belgium 🇧🇪❤️ #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/3P2GvKxNTS
— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) September 26, 2021
The Danish curse
Danes not very lucky today. First Pedersen, now Honoré…Asgreen (mostly) and Cort already lost a lot of fuel. Seems Valgren is their main man now. #Flanders2021
— Cyclingtakes (@cyclingtakes) September 26, 2021
But Valgren still got on the podium
The end of #Flanders2021… 🌈 pic.twitter.com/ddKVhGRrqY
— FLANDERS 2021 (@flanders2021) September 26, 2021
Other races, other days
Just Marianne Vos ensuring Elisa Balsamo's socks had "Italy" showing and facing forward ready for her podium trip as World Champ 🥺#Flanders21 pic.twitter.com/p8Ru7IJbei
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) September 25, 2021
😍 PIC OF THE DAY 🌈 #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/0fD4ruWXLP
— FLANDERS 2021 (@flanders2021) September 25, 2021
Except that you can’t debut something more than once …
Elisa Bálsamo will debut stripes at Roubaix and Women’s Tour
— Andrew Hood (@EuroHoody) September 25, 2021
A proud dad of an amazing young rider …
News: Britain’s Zoe Backstedt presented herself with a fabulous belated 17th birthday present by adding a Gold medal to the Time Trial Silver from earlier in the week whilst the GB riders all finished in the top 16 of the race! https://t.co/5jJ5EePR7M pic.twitter.com/g54UmYpYLX
— VeloUK Cycling Mag (@AussieLarry) September 25, 2021
Wondering how on earth @Maggy_PR held it together when his daughter, Zoe, was battling it out for a rainbow jersey?
Answer, he didn't, but you have to love this reaction. Congratulations Zoe Backstedt, Junior Women's World Champion pic.twitter.com/tUhioUo1S3
— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) September 25, 2021
Absolutely fantastic
Awesome, that's really unbelievable.😳🇪🇷💪🇪🇷💪🇪🇷💪🇪🇷💪🇪🇷 @GrmayeBiniam We are proud of you and the whole team.@NATNAELTESFATS1 @henokmulubrhan …. We'll soon win the @LeTour🎖 🇪🇷with you guys.Good Job 🇪🇷✊🇪🇷💪🇪🇷✊🇪🇷🇪🇷✊🇪🇷💪🇪🇷✊🇪🇷✊🇪🇷✊🇪🇷✊🇪🇷✊🇪🇷✊🇪🇷✊🇪🇷 pic.twitter.com/TrTITGBbP6
— Eritrea cycling fan🇪🇷 (@Eri_Cycling_fan) September 24, 2021
Tiny dogs on podiums
Tell me more about the tiny dog, please. It's important. https://t.co/lMHJmmVQko
— fiona (@fiona_wyse) September 24, 2021
Tony Martin retires in style – with a rainbow jersey and a gold medal. Chapeau
Signing out on the top step of the podium, surrounded by his teammates ✨
Phenomenal @tonymartin85 🇩🇪#Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/sv1tgXBznS
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 22, 2021
Tony Martin gets an applause from the media as he finishes his press conference. A proper end of an era to see him retire.
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) September 22, 2021
The Gruppetto
After 270 gruelling kilometres, Roglic is still Roglic
One of the very few riders who finished #flanders2021, rode into the accredited area, stopped, turned around and came back out to sign every single autograph.
How can you not like @rogla ? 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Q9xCCoF5Ma
— Eva Marisa (@EvaMarisa) September 26, 2021
Happy to be here in Leuven for @flanders2021 together with my former team mates of BMC Racing Team. The common point is that we’ve all been World Champion. Great to see you guys. 🤜🤛🌈#flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/0kiNiC326I
— Philippe Gilbert (@PhilippeGilbert) September 26, 2021
The Waffle Race Circuit
While the roadies were racing the World Championships, Peter Stetina claimed his second Belgian Waffle Ride victory in Cedar City, Utahhttps://t.co/eqydrMHv0f
— Cyclingnews.com (@Cyclingnewsfeed) September 27, 2021
Always a place in Tweets for Esteban Chaves
OK but let me introduce you to Esteban Chaves https://t.co/ZoaQWH491a pic.twitter.com/qYUMlA5SHW
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) September 28, 2021
Can’t wait!
Roubaix next week.
Yep, Roubaix next week. Sounds crazy.
📸 ©A.S.O // Pauline Ballet #ParisRoubaix #Flanders2021 pic.twitter.com/hlIX4XOoP4
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) September 26, 2021
The last word
gonna go with nael https://t.co/jtCiep6FjD pic.twitter.com/8p87hL48pG
— noam (@NoamChompers) September 26, 2021