From pocket-sized climbers to the giant pedal crushers, all types of heights and builds can shine in road cycling. Some will be best suited to gruelling climbing, others will thrive in the explosive sprints, but the bergs of the Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres welcome them all, posing only one crucial question for them to answer: are you a racer?
More than 300 riders will aim to prove their worth on Sunday, April 4th, as they tackle some of Belgium’s most demanding challenges through Flanders as part of the 2021 UCI Women’s WorldTour and 2021 UCI WorldTour competitions.
Swiss Michael Schär (AG2R Citroën Team) is expected at the start, for the 12th time in his career. At 198cm tall he’ll stand above everyone in the peloton as he cares for AG2R Citroën Team’s new three-man punch led by the solid Greg Van Avermaet (13 participations, 3 podium finishes), Oliver Naesen (6 participations, 2 top 10s) and Bob Jungels (1 participation, 16th).
Standing at 176cm according to his team, Stan Dewulf seems much smaller. He looks up to all of his teammates in the French squad but the 23-year-old Belgian is still punching above Arjen Livyns’ weight – or that of Julian Alaphilippe – as the Frenchman gets ready to lead Deceuninck - Quick-Step.