{"id":186589,"date":"2021-09-27T11:08:08","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T11:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=186589"},"modified":"2021-09-27T11:08:08","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T11:08:08","slug":"alaphilippe-wins-road-world-championships-as-pressure-scuttles-van-aert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2021\/09\/27\/alaphilippe-wins-road-world-championships-as-pressure-scuttles-van-aert\/","title":{"rendered":"Alaphilippe Wins Road World Championships as Pressure Scuttles van Aert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Road racing is a team sport but it\u2019s always good to have a winning strategy. In Sunday\u2019s men\u2019s Road Race World Championship, Belgium may have had the best rider in Wout van Aert but the French had the best strategy, enabling the exciting Julian Alaphilippe to win his second world championship in a row.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hosting this year\u2019s Worlds, the Belgians were under a lot of pressure to give their home fans a thrill by having the multi-talented van Aert win both elite titles, the time trial, and the road race. The 27-year-old native of Herentals did his best, coming second in the ITT behind Italian Filippo Ganna<\/a>. But a questionable strategy by the Belgians left him a disappointed onlooker as Alaphilippe took off in a breakaway and ultimately won the 268-km road race by 32 seconds over Dutchman Dylan van Baarle, with Denmark\u2019s Michael Valgren getting the bronze medal in the same time.<\/p>\n

\"UCI<\/a>
Julian Alaphilippe, Dylan Van Baarle and Michael Valgren Hundahl on the podium. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Belgium\u2019s Jasper Stuyven, a native of the city of Leuven where the race was held, finished a frustrating fourth. A visibly dispirited van Aert finished 11th<\/sup>, 1 min 18 secs behind. British rider Tom Pidcock<\/a> who finished sixth in the race believes the pressure the Belgian team was under made it nearly impossible for van Aert to win. “They kind of shot themselves in the foot with the pressure they put on their team,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, [the team] did an unreal job but [Belgian expectations] made it near impossible for Wout to win. If he’d won, it would\u2019ve been the best ride ever, let’s face it.”<\/p>\n

While the French team dynamized the early part of the race, the Belgians put pressure on the entire peloton for most of the distance, trying to eliminate sprinters who might contest a mass sprint to the finish. However, they had no answer (and probably little strength left) when Alaphilippe \u2013 as he did when he won last year \u2013 made his move on one of the course\u2019s modest climbs.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/UCI_cycling\/status\/1442199518041165824<\/p>\n

There is no better rider on short, steep climbs than the 29-year-old Frenchman who rides for the Deceuninck\u2013Quick-Step<\/a> team and he made three similar moves on similar climbs that, first, eliminated van Aert and then put distance between himself and the riders who had been part of his breakaway. Ironically, the pressure that hurt van Aert\u2019s chances apparently inspired Alaphilippe. \u201cA lot of Belgian fans asked me to slow down and they weren\u2019t very nice,\u201d he said after the race. \u201cThat gave me extra motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that before the race, he did not think he would win another rainbow jersey. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t something I had in mind,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it would happen, I didn\u2019t think it would be possible.\u201d\u00a0But he added that having won last year took the pressure off him. \u201cLast year it was a dream come true for me. It was very difficult but [what] a fantastic feeling. I know what it is to have a year in the rainbow jersey, so I had a lot of motivation but I didn\u2019t have any pressure really.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A day to remember \ud83c\udf89#Flanders2021<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KXEMKuAPUE<\/a><\/p>\n

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 27, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n