World Championships thread

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Thought I would start the thread early as the British provisional squad is out

Elite Men – Road Race (9 to start)
Adam Blythe
Mark Cavendish
Steve Cummings
Alex Dowsett
Andy Fenn
Chris Froome
Peter Kennaugh
Jeremy Hunt
Luke Rowe
Ian Stannard
Ben Swift
Jon Tiernan-Locke
Geraint Thomas
Bradley Wiggins

Elite Men – Time Trial (2 to start)
Alex Dowsett
Chris Froome
Geraint Thomas

Elite Women – Road Race (7 to start)
Lizzie Armitstead
Hannah Barnes
Katie Colclough
Nicole Cooke
Catherine Hare
Nikki Harris
Dani King
Sharon Laws
Emma Pooley
Joanna Rowsell
Emma Trott
Laura Trott

Elite Women – Time Trial (2 to start)
Wendy Houvenaghel
Sharon Laws
Emma Pooley
Julia Shaw

U23 Men – Road Race (3 to start)
Mike Cuming
Josh Edmondson
Richard Handley
Ali Slater
Scott Thwaites
Simon Yates

U23 Men – Time Trial (2 to start)
George Atkins
Sam Harrison
Joe Perrett

Junior Men – Road Race (6 to start)
Germain Burton
Hugh Carthy
Jon Dibben
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Ed Laverack
Chris Lawless
Chris Latham
Sam Lowe
Harry Tanfield
Alex Peters
Will Stephenson
Oliver Wood

Junior Men – Time Trial (2 to start)
Jon Dibben
Tao Geoghegan Hart

Junior Women – Road Race (5 to start)
Elinor Barker
Lucy Garner
Emily Kay
Amy Roberts
Jessie Walker
Molly Weaver

Junior Women – Time Trial (2 to start)
Elinor Barker
Amy Roberts

There it is. No Wiggins for the time trial

[Dave.]

Will Wendy throw a wobbly if she's left out?

Is Germain anything to Beryl Burton?

[Big]

Mildly surprised by the ommision, however, if I had to hazard a guess Wiggins is too shot after a long season to realistically win the TT but still has enough to do a useful stint in the road race?

Looking at the strength across the mens and the womens teams I keep having to remind myself where we were 15 years ago.

Not necessarily likely, but the result I'd most like to see is Pooley winning the womens TT. The course doesn't seem to suit her, but she's been there or thereabouts a few times this year and it would be good to see her get a big win.

[djlovesyou]

I hope GB ride for the cycling deity that is JTL.

Not that they'll need to, next years hot LBL favourite could probably lap the field without any help.

[Mad for Chelsea]

GB men teams in, according to L'Equipe:

road race: Mark Cavendish, Steve Cummings, Alex Dowsett, Chris Froome, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Jon Tiernan-Locke, Bradley Wiggins.

TT: Froome and Dowsett.

A bit surprised not to see Thomas in the road race team, but other than that no surprises there.

[djlovesyou]

8 decent riders and a JTL.

[JDizzle]

Froomey has pulled out of the TT to concentrate on the RR. Not surprised really, if Wiggo has found it too much to do both then Froome was always going to struggle especially coming off a brutal Vuelta.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Martin wins the TT as expected in the absence of pretty much his three main rivals, but a great performance by Taylor Phinney to push him all the way, the gap just 5 seconds in the end, nothing in it!

Good ride from Alex Dowsett too, finishing 8th (ahead of an off-colour Contador).

[djlovesyou]

British double in the junior girls.

Elinor Barker won the TT earlier in the week, and Lucy Garner defends her title in the road race. Great stuff.

[djlovesyou]

GB team have confirmed that they will be riding for JTL.

[Dave.]

Interesting!

It'll be longer than anything he's ever done though, yes?

Who is your pick? Boonen? Sagan? Voeckler?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I think Tiernan Locke could have a decent shout, sort of an outside bet. I can't call an out and out favourite tbh, which is what makes it all the more exciting!

[Dave.]

Yeah....I would be a domestique in terms of road knowledge (looking to improve), but the guy I know who follows the roads says it's wide open - thinks it could be Gilbert, Roche, Voeckler, perhaps Roche. Thinks Rodriguez, Gerrans as well!

[djlovesyou]

Think the Irish will be riding for Dan Martin more than Roche.

Gilbert has a good chance but they'll be thinking Boonen if he can get up the Cauberg. Gerrans has a good chance as he's an improved sprinter out of a small group. Sagan would be a pretty strong favourite but he's been off form for a while now, so it remains to be seen how he does.

Can't see Voeckler doing anything this time mind you. Chavanel would have been a better option but he's already said he's not in shape.

[dummy_half]

EBH? Strong enough Classics rider to get over the climb and deal with the distance, and plenty good enough a sprinter to beat almost anyone else likely to remain in a small group. Not sure what his form is like at the moment.

World RR is notoriously tough to call when on a decent circuit, as anyone from the sprinter-all rounder (Hushovd, Boonen, Friere) to GC rider (Evans) is in with a shot. Only last year's sprinter-friendly route made it predictable.

[dummy_half]

Gilbert kicked away on the last climb of the Cauberg, and was strong enough to hold on to his gap for the last 1.5km.

EBH should be kicking himself rather - was a bit late covering PG's attack, and got in a group of 3 with Kolobnev and Valverde (iirc), but each of them looked at the other rather than trying to close down. He was still strong enough to kick away for 2nd though.

Most of the guys we named above were in contention right to the last climb of the Cauberg - Tiernan-Locke got great help from Stannard, but in the end just wasn't strong enough to hold with the front guys and finished in the front group in 19th. Both the Irish guys were also in the front group 2.5km from the end but trailed in tailed off.

Looks like it was the pefect WC course, with the strong sprinters (Degenkolb, Sagan) being up there but also the real GC type riders (Nibali, Moreno) also being in the front group, and all having to battle with both the Ardennes Classics guys like Gilbert and the Flandrians like Boonen.

[Azabache]

The fact that JTL was only 5 secs. back gives tremendous hope for the future. He needs to be carefully managed though to avoid blowout.

Was pleased with the BBC2 coverage-no annoying 4-minute commercial breaks.

And wasn't the ladies' race terrific!

[Epen99]

If Wiggo has found it too much to do both then Froome was always going to struggle especially coming off a brutal Vuelta.

[JDizzle]

TT looks like it is going the way of Tony Martin at the moment! Cancellara 13 seconds behind and Wiggo another 25 behind that after 24km.

[Hammersmith harrier]

Martin owned that one.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Yeah top quality performance by Martin, nobody else in his league yesterday

[Big]

Yeah top quality performance by Martin, nobody else in his league yesterday

Agree, as you say he was in a league of his own.

[JDizzle]

I won't be convinced if Nibali goes on to win this. Very dubious use of the team car to get back to the peloton after his crash...

[JDizzle]

Nearly put some quids on Uran at 50-1, was looking like I was going to regret that but in a weird way I am now glad he crashed! Hopefully he is alright!

[whocares]

Very very tough race. Horrible conditions and a lot of pace in the last 150kms when the Italians and spanish decided to go for it. Dunno how the spanish (and specially Valverde) let Rui Costa get the victory. Another 2nd place for Rodriguez, he was rightly gutted.
What happened to team GB? The coach Ellingworth wasnt really impressed by the performance of his key cyclists.

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