The 2021 Eurométropole Tour was the 80th edition of the
Eurométropole Tour and the fifth edition since it became a
one day race. It was held on 29 September 2021 as part of the
2021 UCI Europe Tour
The 2021 UCI Europe Tour was the 17th season of the UCI Europe Tour. The season began on 24 January 2021 with the Trofeo Luis Puig, Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana 1969 – Gran Premio Valencia and ended on 24 October 2021 with the Ronde van Drent ...
and the
2021 UCI ProSeries
The 2021 UCI ProSeries is the second season of the UCI ProSeries, the second tier road cycling tour, below the UCI World Tour, but above the various regional UCI Continental Circuits.
The 2021 season initially consisted of 55 events of which 28 we ...
calendars. This edition was the race's first in the
UCI ProSeries
The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's elite road cycling tour. It was inaugurated in 2020. The series is placed below the UCI World Tour, but above the various regional UCI Continental Circuits.
Development
In December 2018, the UCI announ ...
; the 2020 edition was expected to feature in the
inaugural
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...
UCI ProSeries but was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The race was originally scheduled for 2 October, but after
Paris–Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...
was postponed to 3 October, race organisers decided to reschedule the race in order to attract a more competitive field.
The race, which took place in
Walloon Belgium near the border with France, featured a hilly route covering . The first of the race saw riders travel west from the start in
La Louvière
La Louvière (; wa, El Lovire) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Boussoit, Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Houdeng-Aimeries, Hou ...
to the finish city of
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
, traversing one sprint point in
Lessines
Lessines (; nl, Lessen, ; pcd, Lissene, wa, Lissene) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. As of the 2014 census, The municipality's total population was 18,637. The total area is 72.29 km² (27 ...
(''Souvenir
Criquielion'') and five short but steep hills. Once the race reached Tournai, riders then completed five laps of a circuit around the city, with each lap featuring an ascent of the Col de la Croix Jubaru. Additionally, each passage through the finish line before the end of the race was a sprint point; in order, these were the ''Souvenirs
Duquennoy,
Weylandt,
Demoitié,
Rossolini,'' and ''
Dubois''. Each of the six ''souvenirs'' was named after a deceased figure in cycling. The first four were professional cyclists: Criquielion and Duquennoy died of illness, while Weylandt and Demoitié were fatally injured in separate racing incidents. Rossolini was an announcer at several cycling events, including the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, while Dubois was a media reporter.
Teams
12 of the 19
UCI WorldTeam
A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour
...
s, nine
UCI ProTeams, and three
UCI Continental
The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...
teams made up the 24 teams that participated in the race. Five teams, all of which were UCI WorldTeams, each entered six riders instead of a full squad of seven riders; these teams were , , , , and . In total, 163 riders started the race, of which 133 finished.
UCI WorldTeams
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UCI ProTeams
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UCI Continental Teams
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Result
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eurométropole Tour, 2021
Eurométropole Tour
Eurométropole Tour
Eurométropole Tour
Eurométropole Tour