The Big Day... In Pictures!

These people had a lot to celebrate today. Follow me to the Patrick Verhoest gallery du jour...

I love Belgian fans, they come in many different flavors of hardcore. This guy, for an example, cares far more about supporting his team than not looking ridiculous:

These fans are dressed as garbage. Or members of Parliament. Either way...

Then there are the home-made (please say these are home-made) concoctions, like the Pauwels Victory Umbrella:

And the Albert sash, complete with serious face paint:

This Rob Peeters flag is Belgian, and awesome, on so many levels:

The Stybar Supporters could be spotted from passing helicopters:

Hooo-kaaay, it's distinctive at least. Anyway, there was racing too. Here, the women get started:

Katie Compton puts in a dig, en route to a solid fifth place:

Meredith Miller and Nicole Duke took the last two spots in the top 20:

Nobody got too close to catching the Golden Fox:

You see what I did there? Nobody needs a nickname more than Marianne Vos, and as far as I can tell she doesn't really have one. The Empress of 's-Hertogenbosch? Too hard to pronounce. And Vos in Dutch for Fox. Sure, a cynic might call her the Silver Fox one day each year, but it's a testimony to Marianne's greatness that she can come second in the worlds road race five times in a row and not have it define her in the least. So yeah, the Golden Fox. And hey, it's an Olympic year! Anyway, here's your women's podium:

And an awesome closeup of the great Golden Fox with some more hardware:

OK, time for the men to roll out...

Slightly better view. It was right about here where the Belgian national team made its move...

Want a chaser? Start with Tom Meeusen, fourth on the day:

Then there's the great Sven Nys, seventh and last among his countrymen, in what he said might be his last worlds appearance (an assertion I don't buy for a second):

Next was K-Pow. What's up with the red legs Kev?

Tim Johnson and John Gadret lead one of the foreign chases. Johnson finished 34th.

Anyway, here's the guy they were chasing in vain, King Albert:

Sufferface getting it done:

Digging deep:

And drinking in the win. Albert spent much of the last lap enjoying himself.

Peeters, Albert and Pauwels on the podium:

Albert shakes hands with the actual King Albert of Belgium:

Happy bunch:

Winaar!

All photos by Patrick Verhoest for the Podium Cafe. Great job Patrick!