Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Fenix) on the startline of the Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
Team BikeExchange at the start of the Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
AG2R Citroën Team sign on at the Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
Trek Segafredo head into the Tour of Flanders with Jasper Stuyven as their leader(Image credit: Getty Images)
On the start line of the 2021 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
Deceuninck-QuickStep are the team to beat in the Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
Greg Van Avermaet (Ag2R Citreon) is still searching for his first Tour of Flanders wins(Image credit: Getty Images)
Defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tour of Flanders leaving Antwerp(Image credit: Getty Images)
The riders set off on the 2021 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
On the start line of the 2021 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
After the warmth and sunshine of Dwars door Vlaanderen, the peloton were greeted with more familiar weather on Sunday for the start of the 2021 Tour of Flanders, with grey skies and light winds.
Every rider on the start list passed late COVID-19 tests and there were attacks from the gun as riders exited the short neutralized zone, but the majority of the main contenders opted for the safety and warmth on offer in the middle of the bunch.
The three top favourites for the race, Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Julian Alaphilippe were among the riders to sign on in Antwerp with the peloton set to race 254.3km kilometers and 19 climbs.
You can follow our complete live text coverage from the race, right here, and in the meantime enjoy our gallery of images from the start.
Earlier in the morning, it was announced that Antwerp and Bruges will share the race starts for the Tour of Flanders for the next six years. Antwerp will host the start of the race in 2022, 2024, and 2026, Bruges starts in 2023, 2025, and 2027.
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