Tour of Flanders 2021

The road

At the start

The Ronde returns to April

Antwerp on Easter weekend, and Flanders is back in its proper slot after a pandemic autumn. Mathieu van der Poel arrives as the man who beat Wout van Aert to Oudenaarde six months ago, and the two are favourites again. Behind world champion Julian Alaphilippe stands a QuickStep team deep enough that Lampaert, Stybar and Kasper Asgreen are threats in their own right. Nineteen climbs.

How it was won

1. 166 km to go

   Carnage before the Kwaremont

   A crash with 66km to go takes down or holds up Naesen, Matthews, Kristoff, Alaphilippe and Asgreen, splitting the field wide open. The panic of the regrouping causes a second fall at the foot of the Oude Kwaremont — Asgreen's race very nearly ends here.

2. 255 km to go

   Van der Poel shows his hand

   Deceuninck-QuickStep light it up with Lampaert, but at the crest Van der Poel comes over the top of the move and accelerates. Only Asgreen can hold the wheel. Van Aert, alone and without help, drags himself back across on the descent.

3. 351 km to go

   Asgreen answers on the Paterberg

   The Dane counters on the steepest cobbles of the day and again only Van der Poel can follow. For the second time in ten minutes Van Aert has to close the gap single-handed — the effort that will cost him everything later.

4. 445 km to go

   Alaphilippe splits the race on the Koppenberg

   The world champion drives the chase group up the wall, knowing he has Van Aert and Van der Poel on the back foot. Riders are scattered in pockets all over the road; Kristoff and Sagan are already gone.

5. 527 km to go

   Asgreen's counter

   Alaphilippe sets a relentless tempo up the Kruisberg and attacks over the top, and Van Aert covers it. Then Asgreen counters, and the power of it pulls Van der Poel and Van Aert clear — leaving Alaphilippe sitting on behind, his race quietly ending.

6. 617 km to go

   The final Oude Kwaremont

   Third time up the most famous cobbles in Flanders, and the race reduces to two. Asgreen and Van der Poel ride away from everything that is left, Van Aert finally emptied by the two chases he made alone. From the top of the Kwaremont it is a straight fight between the defending champion and a Dane nobody has picked.

7. 7At the line

   The upset in Oudenaarde

   Van der Poel opens the sprint from 250 metres, a long way out against a rider with less snap. It works, briefly — then Asgreen claws alongside and goes past, and Van der Poel sits up and shakes his head.

The result