for a forum that has decent amount of helpful knowledge, the number of people blattering nonsense is also quite staggering...



let's see, Oude Kwaremont as part of the TT course? Personally i'd be fine with running the last 50 km of de Ronde for the TT course.

Ah, see, the shorter cranks thing...

That road course will be the spring classics gift that keeps on giving for the season. Ought to keep GvA around and Valverde racing into his 50s

I may just lose my mind that week. That will be a race (nay, several races) for the ages. The sides of the courses will be solid yellow Lions of Flanders.

Maybe Evenepoel will win that one. Kid's a phenom.

The race starts in Antwerp and ends in Leuven. That's Belgian Capital region/East Flanders. Most of the Flemish classics are in West Flanders. No idea of the terrain in East Flanders. Could one cobble together a series of cobbled climbs in that region?

The thread title tipped the OP's hand

I live just near Leuven. One could find cobbles climbs in lots of places in Belgium, but not so many as in the typical spots of the classics. I read that the course would rather do some of the local hills after arriving from Antwerp. Stuyven just won the GP Poeske Scherens in Leuven, you can look that up, it has some short but steep climbs. If they do those hills a bunch of times at a decent pace the pure sprinters would be toast. Devolder won the Belgian championship in Leuven in 2010 when he was still one of the big classic favourites, so that might also give an idea about the course that they can possibly create. I will definitely be taking a few days off.

The TT course will be in Oostende (Ostend for the English or French speakers/readers) so that will probably be windy but mostly flat as it is near our coast.

Do you think it would incorporate some form of a circuit or more of a point to point?

Both: start in Antwerp, riding to Leuven and doing local circuits there.

cobbled climbs or "just" climbs

and yea, Devolder is a fine representative

No cobbles climbs in the very close area, so I suspect it will be regular climbs. Which is a shame, but if they want to make a cobbles WC they should just organise it near Oudenaarde anyway. Or a Roubaix like race if it has to be in France, or Strade Bianche if it's been a while since they did Italy (having just visited Siena on my way to Elbaman it sure looked nice and steep over there). Then again there is no way the UCI would approve that.

ETA: just checked some more news reports and the TT would be between Knokke and Brugge (Bruges). So still flat and windy but with some added old Tour of Flanders vibes.
The road race would end on a slight uphill in Leuven. I have no idea where that would be but I like that it would not be a typical flat sprint finish.

My god what a race for him. Came back from a 1:30 deficit due to a mechanical after a crash and still won by 1:20? At a WC? Hope he surrounds himself with good people, he’ll be an interesting rider to watch in the pro field in a few years.

Is that the kid who taco'd his wheel early on?

Thanks for this info, please keep popping in and dropping more info as you find it.

My fall '21 travel schedule is getting much clearer.

Double world champ, crazy how good he is. Everyone knows he's going to solo and can't do anything about it.

Signed with QS / Wolfpack. With that kind of natural talent, Lefevere & company will turn him into a world beater.

A world beater or a burnt out 22 year old. I really hope the former. It's going to take a heavy hand to keep that kid in check and develop him slowly.

He finished with a shallow rear from change. How much better could he have done with a deep aero wheel?

From what I've read they're going to bring him along slowly; good thing about that team is learning from the other riders and not having pressure to win right away. I think his dad was a pro too, and he came to cycling late. Hopefully it works out for him.

So being relatively new fan to the world of cycling, has any Junior before impressed as much as Remco Evenepoel without becoming something big on the pro circuit?

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

It isn't unusual for a dominant junior to end up mediocre. I think early maturity has a lot to do with it, and serious training at a young age. Other riders eventually surpass them.

But... Evenepoel only started cycling last year. And the way he is winning, the competition has a lot of catching up to do.

That's what struck me when I read about him (this morning...) and was quite surprised that he had only been riding for 18 months with his father having been a pro cyclist.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

That sucks. Gonna be totally lame. I was hoping for Qatar again.

Reminds me a little of Taylor Phinney who kind of "came off the couch" and started winning right off the bat at age 16 (like the Junior Worlds TT). Won the senior Worlds 1k, 4k and team pursuit at age 18. Good genes. Won the U23 TT at age 20, and was 2nd (by 5s) in the Worlds TT at age 22. I don't know if he ever would have made it to the Martin or Cancellara level of TT dominance, but he was close. The accident seems to have dampened his performance.

The Belgian kid is more of an all around talent. Will be cool to see what he does.

Reminds me, Tom D was in that 2010 U23 TT that Phinney won, and he sucked. Always some late bloomers.

So far my September 2021 looks pretty wide open......

Damn there goes my pick already.. 2021 is going to be a great year if worlds come to Belgium, should be a really competitive race with a lot of contenders!

On another note, why isn't anybody really talking about Kwiato? I didn't really expect him to be 4th in the TT to be honest, if his form is there on Sunday, he might be a contender..

I think Allaphilipe will get it...

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Spaniard. Sorry for my english for the sensitive ones :P