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World Road Championships 2010

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Preview

Geelong, Victoria, Australia 2010

The Road World Championships will take place from 29th September to 3rd October in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The city, south-west of Melbourne is a seaside town close to the surf beaches of the Great Ocean Road. The course may not have the beauty of European mountains but the courses for the Individual Time Trial and Road Race will certainly challenge the women. 

This isn't going to be a race for the pure sprinters. The punchy, attacking riders will be anticipating making their move on a course that should be well matched to their abilities. Geelong is almost guaranteed to host an exciting, tactical race. Its steepest point, averages out at around 8% gradient, peaking at 13% but the top of the climb actually hits 22% for 150m. The sprinters and non-climbers should not have too much difficulty passing over this climb for the early laps but as the race gets older, expect this climb to split the field considerably. Weather conditions will also play a part in both the ITT and the road race. 

The course is exposed along the seafront and the extra section added for the TT will test the riders as they navigate the the windy section through the Geelong Botanical Gardens.

Based on performances this year, there are possibly around a dozen riders who will make this race their own, Marianne Vos (Netherlands) has been consistent all year and having secured the World Cup leaders jersey this year and the top rank in the UCI rankings. She has proved that she has what it takes to win this year on tough circuits. Judith Arndt (Germany) has spent her season between Europe and Australia. Making use of the time when she hasn't been racing to ride the course. Arndt's team mate Trixi Worrack will suit the course too, so there could be a German victory again. The exception to the pure sprinter rule, could see Ina-Yoko Teutenberg joining Arndt at the front of the race. Teutenberg has proved this year she can climb the short steep climbs and complete the race with a sprint. Emma Pooley and Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) have one of the strongest teams produced out of the UK for a while. The talented Britain, Lizzie Armitstead has benefited from second year as a professional cyclist and gain a number of wins. It cannot be discounted that Britain might get another World Championship jersey. The Italians have a strong team, any one of three riders could appear in the top 10, Naomi Cantele and Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) have been consistent all year and are strong all round competitors. Cantele is showing good form in the end of season race the Giro di Toscana but so is the sprinter Giorgia Bronzini. If there were to be an Australian in the mix, which of course you hope there will in the home championships, likely top 12 finisher could possibly be Ruth Corset, Vikki Whitelaw and Tiffany Cromwell particularly given the hills on the circuit. The Americans will want to feature in this and Amber Neben and Evelyn Stevens are riding well and have opportunities in both the TT and the Road Race. 

The programme is as follows:

Individual Time Trial
Wednesday 29th September , 22.7 km (1 lap x 22.7km circuit)

Road Race, Geelong Road Race Circuit (15.9km)
Saturday 2 127.2km (8 laps)

Each National Federation shall be entitled to enter 12 competitors of whom 6 to ride in the road race and a maximum of two starters in the individual time trial. 

For the elite women, the incumbent Continental Champions and World Champions will be granted additional places for the event in which they won their title, for 2010 this means the following outgoing Continental Champions are potential starters in addition to the their nominations from their countries. 

A number of National teams have announced long list or actual final list for the championships. We will update this as we get the latest information.

Australia: National champion Ruth Corset, Carla Ryan and Bride O'Donnell are among eight riders in the Australian women's team for the world road cycling championships. Corset was the top Australian finisher in the road race at last year's worlds, taking 12th despite several mechanical problems.Ryan won the road race and time trial at last year's national championships, while O'Donnell was second in the two events this year.Reigning Australian time trial champion Amber Halliday, Chloe Hosking and Rochelle Gilmore are among those who did not make the final cut.Joining Corset, Ryan and O'Donnell in the road race team will be Shara Gillow, Amanda Spratt and Vicki Whitelaw.Gillow and Whitelaw will also ride the time trial, while Alexis Rhodes gains a start in the time trial as the reigning Oceania champion.

Austria:With the retirement of their experienced riders, the future of cycling sits with Andrea Graus, Jacqueline Hahn and Daniel Pintarelli. Pintarelli is the most experienced of the team.  (To be confirmed )

Belgian: The Belgian team has been building strength over the last few years and will be led by Grace Verbeke (Lotto Ladies) has had a mixed year but will like the course. Lieselot Decroix  (Cervelo Test Team) and Liesbet de Vocht (Nederland Bloiet), Ludivine Henrion (Red Sun) bring experience to the team. Kaat Hannes, Sjoukje Dufoer and  Sofie de Vuyst complete the list (To be confirmed )

Canada: The Canadian Women’s team will be headlined by Joëlle Numainville (Montreal, QC) in the road race and Tara Whitten (Edmonton, AB) in the time trial.Numainville will be one of the Canadian cyclists with a chance of a podium finish at these championships. Numainville, the 2010 road Canadian Champion, won several races this season with her powerful sprinting abilities, including the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau and the Tour of White Rock.

Tara Whitten (Edmonton, AB) is a favourite Canadian for the time trial race, an event in which she posted the top Canadian result at 2009 World Championships with an eighth position. Whitten, double World champion and five-time 2010 Canadian champion in track cycling, will seek to add more hardware to her collection for the 2010 campaign. Whitten took the second place in the road race at the Canadian Championships, and third place in the Time Trials.

Czech Repubilic: Small team for road and TT, Tereza Hurikova and Martina Ruzickova.

Germany: Judith Arndt, Luise Keller and Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (HTC-Columbia) lead the strongest German team for years. The disappointment for the team, is that Sarah Düster (Cervelo Test Team) who would had added real power to the team was injured in the run up event in Ballarat, fracturing her pelvis. This added to the previous withdrawl of Claudia Häusler (Cervelo TestTeam), who had been selected for the team, crashed last week at the Giro di Toscana. Completing the team are the experienced Trixi Worrack (Equipe Noris Cycling), Charlotte Becker (Cervelo Test Team) and Hanka Kupfernagel.. 

France: Jeannie Longo- Ciprelli at 52 continues to compete at the highest level along with the experienced Edwige Pitel at 43, lead the French team. France does finally have a number of talented riders moving through the ranks. Christel Ferrier-Bruneau, Béatrice Thomas and Pascale Jeuland lead a young group of riders, Aude Biannic, Sophie Creux, Emilie Blanquefort, and Audrey Cordon. (To be confirmed)

Great Britain: The British team will have a lot of expectation Lizzie Armitstead, Katie Colclough Nicole Cooke
Sharon Laws, Lucy Martin, Emma Pooley and Catherine Williamson. There will probably be two leaders in this team. Pooley who snatched the British Champion jersey from Cooke this year has strong support from her Cervelo Test Team (Laws and Armitstead), while Cooke has had to be content with racing with the National team this year after her Pro-team lost its sponsor and therefore not had the same opportunity to compete this year.

Italy: The Italians have a long history of winning World Championship medals. 2009 winner Tatiana Guderzo (Team Valdarno) leads a strong group of riders. Noemi Cantele (HTC Columbia) will look to go better this year . provisional line up is The Italian national team will be comprised of:Monia Baccaille (Team Valdarno), Marta Bastianelli (Fenix), Elena Berlato (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo), Giorgia Bronzini (Gauss RDZ Ormu), Rossella Callovi (Vecchiafontana) and Valentina Carretta (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo). Guderzo and Cantele will ride in the time trial

Luxembourg: Small and lacking in expereince team, Nathalie Lamborelle, Christine Majerus

Netherlands: The Netherland team has one of the strongest chances of Gold. Vos has the benefit of support from her stron Nederland Bloiet team and the experienced of riders from Cervelo Test Team, HTC Columbia and Leontien. Vos has proved that she can climb and take on the best sprinter in the world (Teutenberg) this year so 2010 might see Vos replace her three silvers from the last three years to Gold. The full team, Chantal Blaak (Leontien.nl), Kirsten Wild and Regina Bruins (Cervélo TestTeam), Loes Gunnewijk, Noortje Tabak, Annemiek Van Vleuten, Marianne Vos (all Nederland Bloeit), Adrie Visser (HTC-Columbia)

New Zealand: The women’s team will be led by Melissa Holt and Catherine Cheatley, who has enjoyed an excellent season for her Colavita Sutter Home team. Linda Villumsen (HTC Columbia) has switch allegiances form Denmark to New Zealand and will add good experience to the team. Toni Bradshaw, Courteney Lowe, Emma Crum and Serena Sheriden

Sweden:  Emma Johansson (Red Sun) leads a small but talented Swedish team. Emilia Fahlin (HTC Columbia), Sara Mustonen and Marie Lindberg form the team.

USA :The elite women’s time trial squad will include Evelyn Stevens (HTC Columbia) who automatically qualified for the time trial with her win at the USA Cycling Time Trial National Championships along with 2008 Time Trial World Champion Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif) will join Stevens in contesting the race against the clock Down Under. 

As the continental champion Shelley Olds (Peanut Butter & CO TWENTY 12) automatically qualified and will help lead the seven-woman road race squad, along with Stevens and Neben. Joining them in pursuit of the rainbow jersey will be Amanda Miller (Team TIBCO), Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita-Baci p/b Cooking Light), Katheryn Mattis (Webcor) and Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Colavita-Baci p/b Cooking Light). Recent women’s Giro winner Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & CO TWENTY 12) automatically qualified for the team, but declined due to illness.

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