Leuven (Belgium) (AFP)

He showered the enthusiasm of the Belgian crowd!

Julian Alaphilippe retained his title of world champion on Sunday in Louvain, in Flandria, at the conclusion of a memorable day for French cycling.

A solo winner after making a decisive attack 17 kilometers from the finish, Alaphilippe is the first Frenchman to win two titles since the first world championship in 1927.

Julian Alaphilippe starts an attack and flies off to victory in the elite Worlds race in Leuven, September 26, 2021 Kristof RAMON POOL / AFP

Behind the darling of the French public, used to wearing the yellow jersey in the Tour since 2019, the Dutchman Dylan van Baarle took second place, about thirty seconds, ahead of the Danish Michael Valgren.

The Belgian Jasper Stuyven remained at the foot of the podium (4th) in this race to the immense popular success, throughout the 268.3 kilometer course between Antwerp and Louvain.

Alaphilippe, who usually races for a Belgian team (Deceuninck), above all inflicted a major defeat on the Belgian national team who bet everything on the big favorite, Wout van Aert, for whom Remco Evenepoel turned into a teammate luxury in contrast to his behavior at the Tokyo Olympics.

- France on the offensive -

"A lot of supporters were for Belgium and Wout van Aert on the last lap, they asked me to slow down and they didn't have very nice words, I want to thank them, it made me want to support even more strong on the pedals ", noted the world champion, who wiped a few tears on the podium of this world championship which he had approached" relaxed ".

The French Julian Alaphilippe celebrates on the podium his second consecutive title of world champion on the road, September 26, 2021 in Louvain Kenzo Tribouillard AFP

"The French team made the race very hard," noted Evenepoel, praising the behavior of Thomas Voeckler's "Blues", who bet on the offensive to avoid a sprint to their disadvantage.

To succeed, the French ignited the race, one of the most exciting championships of recent decades, ... 178 kilometers from the finish.

With Evenepoel - already - to continue the effort of Benoît Cosnefroy and wear down the Italian team and its leader, the European champion Sonny Colbrelli, who hunted for almost an hour.

"Thomas Voeckler wanted us to launch hostilities from afar," explained Florian Sénéchal, ninth at the finish.

"The plan was for Julian to attack on feeling. But he was the only one who could hold out at this pace until the end. He was really incredible in the moguls. I could see that Van der Poel and van Aert were on top but couldn't manage. to be continued".

The Dutch Mathieu Van der Poel in front of the Belgian Wout van Aert, during the elite world championship, September 26, 2021 between Antwerp and Louvain DAVID STOCKMAN BELGA / AFP

- "I really did myself violence" -

"I was instructed to toughen up the race, to see what was going to happen while Florian was focused on a sprint finish," confirmed Alaphilippe.

"But I had not imagined that scenario", alone in the last 17 kilometers.

Alaphilippe, who now has 37 victories to his name, has managed to attack on several occasions.

The first time, 58 kilometers from the finish, to provoke the selection of a group of favorites, then to hurt his rivals who ended up losing on his last start in the Côte de Saint-Antoine, au heart of the city of Leuven.

"I really did myself violence, I was thinking of my little one (Nino) in the end," said the Frenchman (29), the companion of TV consultant Marion Rousse, about his first child born last June.

The joy of Julian Alaphilippe, in the arms of his partner Marion Rousse, after having retained his title of world champion on the road, September 26, 2021 in Louvain Kenzo Tribouillard AFP

"It was impossible to follow him, I just didn't have the legs," van Aert admitted.

"I am human," added the Belgian favorite, who finished second last year in Imola (Italy) behind the Frenchman.

"Julian adopted the right strategy, summarized Evenepoel. We had to trap Wout by attacking several times. Because Wout is the fastest in the world on a course like this. The France team did the right thing. ".

© 2021 AFP