Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Italian team named for Worlds and set for pre-worlds showdown at Ballarat Classic

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Parent Category: Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Category: News 2010

Published on Wednesday, 15 September 2010 12:14

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Italy will line up for the 2010 UCI Road World Championships without a pure sprinter, having confirmed leader Filippo Pozzato and their nine-man team overnight.

The Italian team are expected to arrive in Australia next week ahead of the Herald Sun World Cycling Classic Ballarat where they will field their entire elite men’s squad, including reserves.

Olympic and two-time world champion Paolo Bettini’s course reconnaissance in July confirmed to the national sport director that the course will not be suited to the speedsters of the road.

Pozzato will be joined by national champion Giovanni Visconti, grand tour stage winners Luca Paolini, Vincenzo Nibali, Marzio Bruseghin, Matteo Tosatto and Marco Pinotti, world championship debutante Daniel Oss and domestique Francesco Gavazz.

Two-time Tour de France stage winner and sprint champion at the Giro d’Italia and Veulta a Espana Daniele Bennati was the victim of the Italians decision to overlook sprinters for the Geelong course. 2008 world champion Alessandro Ballan and 2004 Giro d’Italia champion Damiano Cunego (BMC) also missed out on selection.

Meanwhile, the Herald Sun World Cycling Classic Ballarat is shaping up to be the ultimate pre-worlds showdown with world championship favourites Belgian Philippe Gilbert and Norwegian Thor Hushovd amongst the initial confirmations for the 130km event on Sunday, 26 September.

The pairs inclusion comes days after Australia’s Simon Gerrans indicated his interest in the Buninyong event and the suggestion that team member Stuart O’Grady will also ride following his withdrawal from the Vuelta a España.

As a prelude to the 2010 UCI Road World Championships, the Herald Sun World Cycling Classic Ballarat will feature a 130km men’s and under-23 combined race and women’s 90km race providing riders with the perfect opportunity to dust off some cobwebs after the long flight down under.

Gilbert and Hushovd, who will arrive in Australia for the championships in blistering form following stage wins at the Vuelta a España, will race alongside riders from Spain, Italy, USA, France, the Netherlands and Australia.

Gilbert’s most recent win, on stage three of the Vuelta, came in comparable conditions to those faced by riders in an uphill finish in Geelong. Alongside his victory at the one-day Amstel Gold Race in April, the Belgian confirmed his status as the man to beat for the rainbow jersey.

The 28-year-old will be joined by fellow countrymen Dominique Corno, Mario Aerts, Jan Bakelants, Kevin De Weert, Bjorn Leukemans, Jurgen Roelandts, Greg Van Avermaet and Fredick Willems with Leif Hoste also expected to ride as the replacement for Stijn Devolder, who pulled out of the worlds due to lack of form.

Hushovd, a stage winner at each of cycling’s grand tours and two-time sprint champion at the Tour de France, has also been flagged as one of the favourites despite Norway qualifying just three riders.

The ‘God of Thunder’ will be joined at the Herald Sun World Cycling Classic Ballarat by teammates Edvald Boasson Hagen and Alexander Kristoff as a final hit out before they race off in pursuit of Norway’s first elite men’s road race world title on Sunday, 3 October.

Gerrans, a nominated team leader alongside reigning world champion Cadel Evans, returned to Australia last week for a training stint with VIS coach Dave Sanders following the withdrawal of Team Sky from the Vuelta a España due to the shock death of a staff member.

The 30-year-old has expressed his desire to compete in some local cycling races, including the Herald Sun World Cycling Classic Ballarat, in order to mirror the intensity required at the world championships.

Gerrans looks set to be joined by fellow Aussie, O’Grady, who will also be looking for some race-based training ahead of Geelong following his withdrawal from the Veulta by team Saxo Bank.

Herald Sun World Cycling Classic Ballarat – Elite Men confirmations

Belgium

Dominique Cornu

Mario Aerts

Jan Bakelants

Kevin De Weert

Philippe Gilbert

Bjorn Leukemans

Jurgen Roelandts

Greg Van Avermaet

Frederik Willems

Norway

Edvald Boasson Hagen

Thor Hushovd

Alexander Kristoff

Sweden

Jonas Ljungblad

Croatia

Robert Kiserlovski

Rogina Radoslav

Hrvoje Miholjevic

Matija Kvasina

Luxembourg

Laurent Didier

Ben Gastauer

South Africa

Robert Hunter

Daryl Impey

Darren Lill

Jay Thomson

Christoff Van Heerden

Johann Rabie

Italy

Filippo Pozzato

Vincenzo Nibali

Luca Paolini

Francesco Gavazzi

Daniel Oss

Marzio Bruseghin

Matteo Tosatto

Giovanni Visconti

Marco Pinotti

Matteo Tosatto

Andrew Tonti

Austria

Bernhard Eisel

Peter Wrolich

Stefan Denifl

Matthias Brandle

New Zealand

Gordon McCauley

Jack Bauer

Greg Henderson

Jeremy Vennell

Poland

Jaroslaw Marycz

Maciej Bodnar

Bartosz Huzarski

Michal Golas

Przemyslaw Niemiec

Marcin Sapa

The UCI Road World Championships, held from Wednesday 29 September to Sunday 3 October, will include road races and individual time trials for elite men and women and under-23 men.