The Flanders 2021 World Championships are well underway and we’ve already been treated to some exciting action.
From the elite time trials to the junior events, the World Championships in Belgium is a celebration of all things cycling.
Racing got underway on Sunday (September 19) with the elite men’s time trial, won by Filippo Ganna of Italy.
That event was followed by the under-23 TT and the elite women’s TT on Monday, with Denmark taking gold in the U23 thanks to Johan Price-Pejtersen, while Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands claimed her second rainbow jersey in the women’s race.
On Tuesday we saw the junior women and junior men compete for the coveted title of world champion.
This year’s event also marks the return of the relatively new discipline, the mixed relay team time trial, where teams of three men and three women from the same nation race against the clock.
Once the time trials are done, we then turn out focus to the road races later in the week, with the men’s junior and U23 races both on Friday (September 24).
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The junior women and the elite women will then compete on Saturday, followed by the elite men’s race on Sunday, the final day of competition.
Here are the routes for all of the events in this year’s race:
UCI World Road Championships Flanders 2021 - Routes
Men's elite road race
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The men's elite road race starts in the city of Antwert with 268.3km on the menu with a finish in the town of Leuven after taking on 42 climbs along the way.
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
In comparison to last year's championships, the climbs are tiny but with the race expected to be ridden hard, riders will likely be all over the road by the end and is the weather is anything like it was in Yorkshire back in the 2019 Worlds, it will be very selective.
Women's elite road race
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The women's elite road race, while being far shorter than the men's race, is expected to create just as much drama as the short route lend themselves to very explosive races from start to finish. This should be no different.
Men and women's elite individual time trial
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The elite men face a slightly longer route to the elite women with the men taking on a 43.3km route from Knokke-Heist to Bruges on a largely pan-flat course that should suit the power time trialists.
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The elite women take on a very similar looking route but over 30.3km. It does still suit a power rider unlike the last edition which favoured a rider who could take on the climbs as well.
Men's U23, men's junior and women's junior road race routes
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The men's U23 road race looks largely similar to the women's elite road race but is, in fact, three kilometres longer than that race with is sitting at 160.9km with 20 climbs on the route it goes over the same laps as the women's elite race.
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
In the men's junior road race the riders will take on a challenging 121.4km over eight laps of the finishing circuit in Leuven. Taking on 31 official climbs as well as the rise to the finish on the Geldenaaksevest adding another eight.
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
With the women not getting an U23 race, the junior road race is the main stage for the fresh up-and-coming talent of the sport.
The route races entirely on the Leuven circuit, much like the men's junior race, but it is over five laps making a 75km route with 25 climbs including the rises to the finish.
Men's U23, men's junior and women's junior time trial routes
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The men's U23 time trial route is exactly the same as the women's elite race with the start in Knokke-Heist and finishing in Bruges after 30.3km.
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The men's junior time trial route takes on 22.3km between Knokke-Heist and Bruges missing out a couple of the short ascents the other routes face.
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
Taking a very different route between Knokke-Heist and Bruges, the junior women face a short yet sharp kick right at the start of the race before a completely flat ride all the way to the line.
Team time trial mixed relay
(Image credit: Flanders 2021)
The second edition of the mixed relay comes two years after the first that took place in Harrogate in 2019.
The race sees the men ride a 22.5km route from Knokke-Heist to Bruges where the women will start their ride of 22km before coming back to finish in the famous city making a route of 44.5km.
The two times are put together and the fastest joint time wins.
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