2021 marks a special year for the UCI Road World Championships: 100 years of top-level cyclists battling all out for the prized rainbow jersey. The inaugural 1921 race, held in Copenhagen, was initially held only for amateur racers and was known as the “Men's Road Race for Amateurs.” In 1927, the UCI began holding the Road World Championships to recognize the World Road Champion at the professional level; women’s races were added in 1958. 

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Over the last 100 years, Belgium has hosted the World Championships nine times, while the Flanders region has held six of those Championships. While all of the road races that are being held from September 24-26 traverse from Antwerp to Leuven (with the exception of the junior men and women), there will be several lengths of courses depending on the category that the rider competes in. Read on to discover every road course of the Flanders World Championships.

Junior Men’s Road Race

The junior men will race on September 24 for 121.4km and will start at the Ladeuzeplein square in Leuven, Belgium. The approximately 15km long circuit (“local circuit”) will feature 4 climbs: Keizerberg, Wijnpers, Sint-Antoniusberg and Decouxlaan in which the racers will complete eight times.  

U23 Men’s Road Race

The U23 men will race on September 24 for 160.9km with an official start on the Grote Markt in Antwerp. The peloton will pass through the village of Keerbergen before arriving in  Leuven. The U23 men will also complete the same 15km local circuit as the junior men and will then add the “Flanderien Circuit.” This circuit will feature the following climbs: Bekestraat, Veeweidestraat, Smeysberg, S-Bocht Overijse, Taymansstraat and Moskesstraat. The U23 men will complete the local circuit 1.5 times, the Flandrien circuit one time and then the local circuit 2.5 more times. The finish features a slight climb up the tough Geldenaaksevest.

Elite Men’s Road Race

The elite men will race on September 26 for 268.3km with an official start on the Grote Markt in Antwerp.The peloton will pass through the village of Keerbergen before arriving in  Leuven. After arriving in Leuven, the elite men will complete the local circuit 1.5 times, the Flandrien circuit one time, the local circuit four times, the Flandrien circuit one more time and the Leuven local circuit 2.5 more times. The finish features the same slight climb up the tough Geldenaaksevest that the U23 men will complete.

Junior Women’s Road Race

The junior women will race on September 25 for 75km and will start at the Ladeuzeplein square in Leuven, Belgium. The Junior women will complete 5 laps of the local circuit and end on the slight climb up the tough Geldenaaksevest.

Elite Women's Road Race

The elite women will race on September 25 for 157.7km with an official start on the Grote Markt in Antwerp. The peloton will pass through the village of Keerbergen before arriving in  Leuven. After arriving in Leuven, the elite women will complete 1.5 passes of the local circuit, one Flandrien circuit and then 2.5 final local circuit loops. The finish features the same slight climb up the tough Geldenaaksevest that the elite men will also complete.