UCI Road World Championships 2013
Live Video, Preview, Map, Profile, Results and Photos
Tuscany (IT) Sep 22 - Sep 29, 2013



2013 Big Photossirotti/reuters
2012 Big Photos from all eventssirotti/reuters/flockton
2011 Big Photos from all eventssirotti/reuters
2010 Big Photos from all eventssirotti/reuters
16 Big Photos from the 2009 Elite Men RRsirotti and ed madden
Races   |  News  |  Startlists  |  Live Coverage  |  2012  |  2011  |  '10  |  '09
W Sun Sep 22 at 10:00 CET 42.8 km
Elite Women Team Time Trial TTT
profileprofile  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
M Sun Sep 22 at 14:00 CET 57.2 km 
Elite Men Team Time Trial TTT
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
JW Mon Sep 23 at 10:00 CET 16.3 km
Junior Women Time Trial TT
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
U Mon Sep 23 at 14:00 CET 43.5 km
Under 23 Men Time Trial TT
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
JM Tue Sep 24 at 10:00 CET 22 km 
Junior Men Time Trial TT
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
W Tue Sep 24 at 14:30 CET 22 km 
Elite Women Time Trial TT
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
M Wed Sep 25 at 13:15 CET 58 km
Elite Men Time Trial TT
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  |  video
JW Fri Sep 27 at 8:30 CET 83 km 
Junior Women Road Race
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
U Fri Sep 27 at 13:00 CET 173 km 
Under 23 Men Road Race
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
JM Sat Sep 28 at 8:30 CET 140 km 
Junior Men Road Race
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
W Sat Sep 28 at 14:15 CET 140 km 
Elite Women Road Race
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
M Sun Sep 29 at 10:00 CET 272 km
Elite Men Road Race
profilemap  | preview  |  results  | photos  | video
These times are local to the Italy (CEST/GMT+2). Subtract 6 hrs for EDT and 9 hrs for PDT.

Also follow steephill on Twitter for the latest race info and video updates.



2014 UCI Road Cycling World Championships News/Updates

Official 2014 World Roads Websitemundialciclismoponferrada
... more to come...

2013 UCI Road Cycling World Championships News/Updates

Day 7: Elite Men's RR


23 Big Photos from the Elite Men's RRsirotti
2013 Elite Mens RR Results
1  Rui Costa (Portugal)              7:25:44	 
2  Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain)	 	 
3  Alejandro Valverde (Spain)           + 16	 
4  Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)	 	 
5  Andriy Grivko (Ukraine)              + 31	 
6  Peter Sagan (Slovakia)               + 34	 
7  Simon Clarke (Australia)	 	 
8  Maxim Iglinskiy (Kazakhstan)	 	 
9  Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)	 	 
10 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
Full Official Elite Men's RR Resultsuci
Costa wins men's road race world championshipcyclingnews
Rui Costa plays it cool in the rain to take the Elite Men’s titlevelonation
Rui Costa wins men's road race at the 2013 world championshipsvelonews
Chris Froome disappointed with World Champs performancecyclingweekly.co.uk
Peter Sagan learned much from the 2013 worlds, and has time to apply itvelonews
Rui Costa cashes in big in world championship lotterycyclingnews
Crash proves costly for Nibali at the world championshipscyclingnews
Spanish world championship armada sunk by Rui Costacyclingnews
Uran left to lick wounds after spectacular final lap fallsbs.au
Rodriguez devastated in defeatsbs.au
Cancellara misses out on goal of rainbow jersey: ‘I’m not super happy about this’velonation
Rui Costa post-race press conference: details his tacticsvelonation
Why Great Britain's wheels came off at cycling's world championshipstheguardian
Rodríguez: 'Valverde told me to attack'velonews
23 Big Photos from the Elite Men's RRsirotti

Live Sunday: Elite Men's RR starting at 9:30 CET /
2013 Road Worlds Elite Men RR Riders to Watchbicycling
Italy’s Bettini under pressure to deliver strong worlds ride for home teamvelonews
Cancellara in search of missing worlds gemvelonews
Elite men's Road Race Preview & Favoritesc-cycling.blogspot.dk
Elite Men's RR Startlist w/ bib numbersuci
Sagan ready to live up to world championship favourite statuscyclingnews
Horner, van Garderen co-leaders for Worldscyclingnews
Heavy rain forecast for the men's world championship road racecyclingnews
Cancellara ready for a showdown at the world championshipscyclingnews


Day 6: Jr Men's RR and Elite Women's RR

Van der Poel wins junior men's world titlecyclingnews
Vos repeats as women's road race world championcyclingnews
Stevens shy of world championship medalcyclingnews
7 Big Photos from the Jr Men's RRsirotti
17 Big Photos from Elite Women RRsirotti

Live Saturday: Elite Women's RR starting at 13:50 CET /
Jr Men's RR Startlist w/ bib numbersuci
Elite Women's RR Startlist w/ bib numbersuci


Day 5: Jr Women's RR and U23 RR

Amalie Dideriksen wins junior Worlds titlecyclingnews
Full Official U23 Men's RR Resultsuci
Mohoric wins U23 men's road race world championshipcyclingnews
Matej Mohoric takes emotional solo victory in under-23 road racevelonation
6 Big Photos from the Junior Women's RRsirotti
15 Big Photos from the U23 RRsirotti

Live Friday: U23 RR starting at 12:50 CET /
U23 RR Startlist w/ bib numbersuci
Junior Women's RR Startlist w/ bib numbersuci


Day 4: Elite Men's ITT

Full Official Elite Men's ITT Resultsuci
Tony Martin wins elite men's time trial world championshipcyclingnews
Phinney ‘not overjoyed’ with fifth place at TT worldsvelonews
18 Big Photos from the Elite Men 58 km ITTsirotti

September 24 update:
Elite Men's Time Trial Preview & Favoritesc-cycling.blogspot
Worlds: Tuft withdraws from elite men's time trialcyclingnews
Wiggins: Worlds TT title would mean more than any other winvelonews
Bradley Wiggins targeting time-trial greatness in Florencewww1.skysports

Live Wednesday: Elite Men's ITT starting at 13:15 CET /
Elite Men's ITT start order, times and bib numbersuci


Day 3: Jr Men ITT and Elite Women ITT

September 24 update:
Decraene wins junior men's time trial world titlecyclingnews
Van Dijk wins elite women's time trial world championshipcyclingnews
Jr Men ITT Highlights (01:30 Dutch)sporza
American Mostov takes huge step in cycling world with worlds bronze in Jr Men'svelonews
10 Big Photos from the Junior Men ITTsirotti
9 Big Photos from the Elite Women' ITTsirotti

Live Monday: Elite Women ITT starting at 14:30 CET /
Jr Men ITT start order, times and bib numbersuci
Elite Women ITT start order, times and bib numbersuci


Day 2: Jr Women ITT and U23 ITT

September 23 update:
Eraud wins junior women's time trialcyclingnews
Howson powers to U23 men's time trial titlecyclingnews
9 Big Photos from the Junior Women's 16.3 km ITTsirotti
6 Big Photos from U23 ITTsirotti

Live Monday: U23 ITT starting at 14:00 CET /
Preview the under 23 time trialsbs.au
U23 ITT start order, times and bib numbersuci
Jr Women ITT start order, times and bib numbersuci


Day 1: Mens and Womens TTT

September 22 update:
Elite Men's TTT
Men's TTT Resultsuci
Omega Pharma Quick Step wins elite men's time trial world championshipcyclingnews
Omega Pharma repeats as world TTT championvelonews
16 Big Photos from Men's 56.8 km TTTsirotti

Elite Women's TTT
Specialized-Lululemon dominates the womens Worlds team time trialcyclingnews
11 Big Photos from Womens TTTsirotti


September 21 update:
World Championship - Team Time Trial Preview & Favoritesc-cycling.blogspot
Specialized-lululemon primed for world TTT title defensecyclingnews
Garmin-Sharp banking on experience for success at the world TTT championshipcyclingnews
Vande Velde to ride last pro race tomorrow, says doing world team time trial championships is an honourvelonation
Sagan tailors late season for run at the world titlevelonews

September 20 update:
Tuscany welcomes the Worldscyclingnews
5 things to know about the cycling worlds, which will be held in Tuscany starting Sundayctvnews.ca
British Cycling confirms elite men’s and women’s team for UCI Road World Championshipsbritishcycling.org.uk

September 19 update:
Pulling a ‘fast one:’ Teams gear up for worlds TTTvelonews

September 18 update:
Contador, Valverde, Rodriguez make Spanish worlds teamvelonews

September 17 update:
Barguil, Pinot and Voeckler feature in French Worlds teamcyclingnews

September 10 update:
Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome head up Great Britain squadtelegraph.co.uk

Tuscany 2013 world championship routes unveiledcyclingnews

2013 Live Video Streaming, Text Updates and TV Coverage

September 20 update: The 2013 UCI Road Worlds broadcasters are now listed below. Unrestricted live video links will appear in bold and will have associated popup ads which are beyond our control. Expand the video to full screen mode to avoid them. Please read the warning below. Check back for more streaming options throughout the race. Feel free to send additional links and info as they become known. — Steve

Warning: Any unrestricted live video links (in bold) in the table below that we suspect or have been reported to contain MS Windows malicious/malware popups (you do not need "Flash HD") are now denoted with 'm' as in "live videom (english)". Please ensure your Windows computer is virus protected before using "live videom" links as they are beyond our control.

Worldwide TV Broadcasters and their Schedules
Live Sunday: Elite Men's RR starting at 9:30 CET /

media source tv or internet comments/restrictions
  live video (english)
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
UK only; BBC 1, 2 or Red Button for live coverage. Elite Men's RR starts at 14:15 CET.
   live video (italian)
   live video m (italian)
   live video m (italian)
   live video m (italian)
   live video m (italian)
  tv schedule
Italy on RAI Sport 2. All events
   live video (flemish)
   live video m (flemish)
  tv schedule
Belgium; Sporza live coverage;
   live video (french)
  tv schedule
France; French. Restricted to France and other French-speaking countries
   live video (french)
  tv schedule
Belgium; French;
   live video (italian)
  tv schedule
Italy; RAI Tre live coverage of the Elite Men's RR. All the other races are on RAI Sport 2 in Italy
   live video (english)
  tv schedule (see comments)
U.S. only; Online streaming only for those that subscribe to a cable, satellite or telco video tier, or package, that includes Universal Sports Network
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
Canada; Delayed coverage on Rogers Sportsnet
   live video (french)
  tv schedule
Quebec/Canada via Quebec's Reseau des Sports; RDS (French) will be presenting live coverage and reruns of the elite mens and womens and u23 races
   live video (spanish)
  tv schedule
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
Australia only; SBS 2 for live coverage of the elite and u23 time-trials and road races
   live video (dutch)
  tv schedule
Netherlands; Dutch. Elite Mens and Womens races only
   live video (czech)
  tv schedule
Czech Republic; Live coverage for the Elite mens and womens race + u23
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
For all countries without official broadcasters
live text updates English.
 @steephill text updates
 Official Updates
short text updates from any and everyone
check back at race time for more and updated links; email send a comment or a new live link



2012 UCI Road Cycling World Championships News/Updates

Sunday, Day 7: Elite Men's RR


29 Big Photos from the Elite Men's RRsirotti/reuters/flockton
2012 Elite Mens RR Results
1  Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)               6:10:41   
2  Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)             + 0:04   
3  Alejandro Valverde (Spain)                + 0:05   
4  John Degenkolb (Germany)      
5  Lars Boom (Netherlands)      
6  Allan Davis (Australia)      
7  Thomas Voeckler (France      
8  Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania)      
9  Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Colombia)      
10 Oscar Freire (Spain)
Official Elite Mens RR resultsuci.ch
Gilbert wins world championship in Valkenburgcyclingnews
Philippe Gilbert solos to World road race championshipvelonation
Gilbert emerges from gloom with Cauberg solo attackcyclingnews
2011 Champion Cavendish pulls out of Worldscyclingnews
Final Kms (07:10 French) — rtbf.be
29 Big Photos from the Elite Men's RRsirotti/reuters/flockton
Elite Mens Highlights (03:07 French) — rtbf.be
‘Grande’ Gilbert delivers dream ridevelonews
Pre-Race Elite Mens Links
The top ten [Elite Men] Worlds contenderscyclingnews
Nibali carries hopes as Italy faces new realitycyclingnews
Cavendish rates victory chances as "non-existent"cyclingnews
Worlds favorite Spain quiet on five-option tacticsvelonews
Cavendish predicts sprint finish from small group at Worldscyclingnews
Tiernan-Locke to lead GB in Limburgcyclingweekly.co.uk
Elite Men's RR Start Listuci.ch
Jr Mens RR
Junior Men's RR Start Listuci.ch
Official Jr Mens RR resultsuci.ch
Mohoric wins junior men's road racecyclingnews
8 Big Photos from the Junior Men's RRsirotti

Saturday, Day 6: Under 23 Men's RR and Elite Women's RR


24 Big Photos from the U23 RRsirotti/reuters/flockton
U23 Men's RR Start Listuci.ch
Official U23 RR resultsuci.ch
U23 Report and Resultscyclingnews
24 Big Photos from the U23 RRsirotti/reuters/flockton
Lutsenko wins bunch gallop to take under-23 word championship titlevelonation

Elite Women's RR
Elite Women's RR Start Listuci.ch
Official Elite Womens RR resultsuci.ch
Vos solos to second world championship victorycyclingnews
Marianne Vos ends five years of hurt with a home World championship victoryvelonation
Vos wins home world title with late attack on the Caubergvelonews
Vos takes stunning solo win on home soilcyclingnews
Elite Women's RR Highlights (restricted to Belgium) — sporza
21 Big Photos from the Elite Women's RRsirotti/reuters/flockton
Marianne Vos ends five years of hurt with a home World championship victoryvelonation
Neben narrowly misses worlds medal; Stevens apologizes for missing Vos’ movevelonews


Friday, Day 5: Junior Women Road Race


Jr Women RR Start Listuci.ch
Official Jr Women's RR resultsuci.ch
Garner sprints to win in junior women's road racecyclingnews
Lucy Garner successfully defends World junior road race titlevelonation
3 Big Photos from the Junior Women's RRsirotti/reuters/flockton

Day 4: Elite Men's ITT


24 Big Photos from the Elite Men's ITTsirotti/reuters
Men's TT Start Listuci.ch
Elite Men Time Trial Results and Reportcyclingnews
Official Elite Men's ITT resultsuci.ch
Tony Martin defends World time trial title by tightest margin evervelonation
Tony Martin Is Opnieuw Wereldkampioen Tijdrijden (restricted to Belgium) — sporza.be
Elite Mens ITT Highlights (02:36 Dutch) — nos.nl

Day 3: Jr Women's and Elite Women's ITTs

Jr Women's TT Start Listuci.ch
Official Junior Women's ITT resultsuci.ch
Barker wins junior women's time trial — fcyclingnews
Podium Photo from the Junior Women's ITTsirotti
Women's Elite TT
Elite Women's TT Start Listuci.ch
Official Elite Women's ITT resultsuci.ch
Arndt repeats world time trial titlecyclingnews
9 Big Photos from the Elite Women's ITTsirotti/reuters

Day 2: Jr Mens and U23 ITTs

Official Junior Men's ITT resultsuci.ch
Jr Mens TT Start Listuci.ch
Svendsen wins junior Worlds time trialcyclingnews
Damien Howson Interview (01:59 English) — sbs.au
Podium Photo from the Junior Men's ITTsirotti

Official U23 Men's ITT resultsuci.ch
U23 Mens TT Start Listuci.ch
Vorobyev victorious in U23 time trial Worldscyclingnews
Vorobyev dominates under 23 world TT championshipvelonation
11 Big Photos from the U23 ITTsirotti


Day 1: Men's and Women's TTT


18 Big Photos from the Elite Men's TTTsirotti/reuters
September 16 update:
Official Men's TTT resultsuci.ch
Elite Men Team Time Trial Resultscyclingnews
Omega Pharma team time trial win down to perfect planningcyclingweekly.co.uk
Omega Pharma-Quick Step takes inaugural men’s trade team time trial World titlevelonation
18 Big Photos from the Elite Men's TTTsirotti/reuters
Mens TTT Highlights (01:35 French) — rtbf.be

Women's TTT results
Official Women's TTT resultsuci.ch
Specialized - lululemon triumphant in Worlds team time trialcyclingnews
World Champs TTT is 'brilliant for women's cycling'cyclingweekly.co.uk
9 Big Photos from the Elite Women's TTTsirotti


September 14 update:
Preview: World Championships return to Valkenburg for the fifth timecyclingnews
UCI Road World Championships: The return of the team time trial uci.ch
Tony Martin feels ready to defend gold medal at world championshipsvelonation
The new world championship team time trial explainedvelonews

September 13 update:
Gerrans to lead Australia at worlds; Sutherland misses the cutvelonews
Boonen pleased with pre-Worlds formcyclingnews
Bettini Q&A: Measuring up the 2012 road world championshipsvelonews
Hesjedal, Tuft head Team Canada for Worldscyclingnews

September 11 update:
John Degenkolb and Fabian Wegmann spearhead German men’s Worlds teamvelonation
Nibali and Bronzini head Italian worlds short listvelonation
Contador, Rodriguez, Freire and Sanchez head strong Spanish worlds teamvelonation
Spain announces Worlds line-upcyclingnews
[French national team coach] Jalabert Explains His Worlds Selectioncyclingnews

April 3 update:


17 Big Photos from Amstel Gold Race 2011sirotti/reuters
15 Big Photos from Amstel Gold Race 2010sirotti
September 28, 2011 update:
The 2012 Worlds course in the Netherlands will finish just after the Cauberg climb where the Amstel Gold Race finishes each year. Philippe Gilbert (Belgium), will most certainly be one of the favorites having won the last two Amstel Golds. The narrow, hilly course will produce a different sort of World's road race compared to the sprinter courses of Melbourne and Copenhagen the last two years. Also, the now more than week long event will start with Elite Men's and Women's team time trials for the first time since 1994. However, rather than teams of nations, trade teams will compete. — Steve
2012 Official Worlds Site (September 15-23, 2012) — limburg2012.nl
After sprinter’s worlds, 2012 offers a hilly challenge velonews
Radical changes for 2012 World Championships cyclingnews


2012 Live Video Streaming, Text Updates and TV Coverage

September 20 update: Here are the live/delayed video and ticker options for many of the 2012 Worlds races. If you see another good link then let us know... — Steve

September 20 update:
Live video for Sunday's Elite Men's RR starts at 10:00 CET /

media source tv or internet comments/restrictions
eurosport    live video (english)
   live video (english)
   live video (english)
   live video (english)
   live video (dutch)
  tv schedule (british)
  tv schedule (int'l/cet)
Europe; live daily coverage and rebroadcasts in 59 countries.

Ticker languages: EN | FR | DE | ES | IT

   live video (dutch)
Netherlands; Dutch;
   live video (flemish)
   live video
   live video
  tv schedule
Belgium; Sporza live coverage;
   live video (french)
  tv schedule
Belgium; French;
   live video (italian)
  tv schedule
Italy; RAI Tre live coverage for all events restricted to Italy
   live video (english)
   live video (unrestricted)
  tv schedule (see comments)
U.S. only;
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
Canada; Rogers Sportsnetwork 1
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
Australia only; SBS
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
UK only
   live video (dutch)
  tv schedule
Netherlands; Dutch
live text updates English.
 @steephill text updates
 Official Updates
short text updates from any and everyone
check back at race time for more and updated links; email send a comment or a new live link




JW Mon Sep 19 at 10:00 (GMT+2) 13.9 km 
Junior Women Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
U Mon Sep 19 at 09:30 (GMT+2) 35.2 km 
Under 23 Men Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
JM Tue Sep 20 at 09:30 (GMT+2) 27.8 km 
Junior Men Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
W Tue Sep 20 at 14:00 (GMT+2) 27.8 km 
Elite Women Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
M Wed Sep 21 at 12:30 (GMT+2) 46.4 km 
Elite Men Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  | video
JW Fri Sep 23 at 09:30 (GMT+2) 70 km 
Junior Women Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
U Fri Sep 23 at 13:00 (GMT+2) 168 km 
Under 23 Men Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
JM Sat Sep 24 at 09:00 (GMT+2) 126 km 
Junior Men Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
W Sat Sep 24 at 13:30 (GMT+2) 140 km 
Elite Women Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
M Sun Sep 25 at 10:00 (GMT+2) 266 km 
Elite Men Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
These times are local to Denmark (CEST). Subtract 6 hrs for EDT and 9 hrs for PDT.
bicycle directions

Also follow steephill on Twitter for the latest race info and video updates.

2011 Copenhagen UCI Road Cycling World Championships

Day 6: Elite Men's Road Race


19 Big Photos from the Elite Men's RR (more photos added)sirotti/reuters
September 25 update:
Full/Official Men's RR Resultsuci.ch
Cavendish sprints out of nowhere to Worlds victory ahead of Goss cyclingnews
Mark Cavendish wins World Championships road race in fine fashionguardian.co.uk
Mark Cavendish wins 2011 elite men’s road world championship velonews
Mark Cavendish wins World Road Race Championship cyclingweekly.co.uk
Danes miss Breschel but put on a big show on home turf cyclingnews
Greipel rues Martin's absence from lead-out train cyclingnews
White stands by Renshaw's non-selection cyclingnews
Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: From Tom Simpson to Mark Cavendish velonews
Last Km of Elite Men's RR (restricted to Belgium) — sporza.be
19 Big Photos from the Elite Men's RR (more photos added)sirotti/reuters
Extended Elite Men's RR Highlights (11:57 English) — sbs.au
Mark Cavendish Post-Race (01:56 English) — sbs.au
Matt Goss Post-Race (01:51 English) — sbs.au
Stuart O'Grady Post-Race (01:52 English) — sbs.au

Elite Men's RR Startlistuci.ch
Sagan plays down Worlds chances cyclingnews
Boasson Hagen, Hushovd give Norway a fighting chance cyclingnews
The [race] forecast for Sunday inrng
Mark Cavendish Pre-Race (05:46 English) — sbs.au
Stuart O'Grady Pre-Race (05:49 English) — sbs.au
Matt Goss Pre-Race (05:09 English) — sbs.au
Cavendish's 'billion butterflies'uk.eurosport.yahoo
The top 10 Worlds contenders cyclingnews
In-form Gerrans a genuine danger man cyclingnews
RR Live Coverage Day 6

Day 5: Elite Women's and Junior Men's Road Races


13 Big Photos from the Elite Women's RRsirotti/reuters
September 24 update:
Women’s preview: Bronzini returns to defend against favourite Vosvelonation
Women's Road Race Previewpodiumcafe
Elite Women's RR Startlistuci.ch
Full/Official Women's RR Resultsuci.ch
Bronzini wins second consecutive road world championship title cyclingnews
Giorgia Bronzini defends title at 2011 UCI women’s road championships velonews
Vos takes fifth consecutive silver medal at road Worlds cyclingnews
13 Big Photos from the Elite Women's RRsirotti/reuters
Top women pros say they deserve minimum-salary guaranteevelonews
... more to come ...

Junior Men's RR
Junior Men's RR Startlistuci.ch
Full/Official Junior Men's RR Resultsuci.ch
Lecuisinier wins for France (Jr Men Results and Report) — cyclingnews
11 Big Photos from the Junior Men's RRsirotti/reuters

Day 4: U23 and Junior Women's Road Races

September 23 update:
U23 Worlds Road Race Preview podiumcafe
Full/Official U23 RR Resultsuci.ch
U23 Results and Report cyclingnews
U23 Key Momentspezcyclingnews
12 Big Photos from the U23 RRsirotti/reuters
Last Km of U23 RR (restricted to Belgium) — sporza.be
Extended U23 Road Race Highlights (12:08 English) — sbs.au

Junior Women's RR
Full/Official Junior Women's RR Resultsuci.ch
Lucy Garner (Great Britain) sprints to Worlds victory (Jr Women's RR Results) — cyclingnews
7 Big Photos from the Junior Women's RRsirotti/reuters

Day 3: Elite Men's TT


31 Big Photos from the Elite Men's TTsirotti/reuters
September 21 update:
Full/Official Elite Men's TT Resultsuci.ch
Martin wins his first elite men's time trial world championship cyclingnews
Martin Wins Gold in Worlds Time Trialafp/bicycling
Single-minded Bradley Wiggins gains pride and silver after the fallguardian.co.uk
It’s Martin, Wiggins and Cancellara at TT worlds velonews
Extended Elite Mens TT Highlights (12:20 English) — sbs.au
Tony Martin Post-Race Interview (02:13 English) — sbs.au
Bradley Wiggins Post-Race Interview (01:28 English) — sbs.au
Jack Bobridge Post-Race Interview (02:08 English) — sbs.au
Fabian Cancellara Post-Race Interview (01:17 English) — sbs.au
31 Big Photos from the Elite Men's TTsirotti/reuters

Start Order and Times for Elite Men's TTuci.ch
Elite Men TT Preview: Martin v. Cancellarapezcyclingnews
Cancellara says Martin is the favorite for worlds TTvelonews
Wiggins in amazing form says Millar sbs.au
Dave Millar Pre-TT Analysis (06:18 English) — sbs.au
Taylor Phinney Pre-TT Analysis (05:23 English) — sbs.au
Richie Porte Pre-TT Analysis (03:43 English) — sbs.au

Day 2: Junior Men's TT and Elite Women's TT

September 20 update:
Start Order and Times for Junior Men's TTuci.ch
Start Order and Times for Elite Women's TTuci.ch
Full/Official Junior Men's TT Resultsuci.ch
Wurtz wins for Denmark (Junior Men's TT Report) — cyclingnews
11 Big Photos from Junior Men's TTsirotti
Full/Official Elite Women's TT Resultsuci.ch
Arndt claims time trial world title (Elite Women's TT) — cyclingnews
12 Big Photos from the Elite Women's TTsirotti/reuters
World championships: Judith Arndt powers through the rain for women’s time trial gold velonation
Whitten, Hughes just off podium at cycling worlds cbc.ca
Elite Women TT Highlights (08:41 English) — sbs.au

Day 1: Junior Women's and U23 TT

September 19 update:
Full/Official Junior Women TT Resultsuci.ch
Allen gives Australia the first world title (Junior Women TT Results) — cyclingnews
Full/Official U23 TT Resultsuci.ch
Durbridge takes gold for Australia (U23 TT Results) — cyclingnews
Australian Luke Durbridge wins U23 time trial at worlds velonews
Hepburn overcomes crash to take bronze in Worlds TTcyclingnews
Quaade lifts Denmark's spirit with time trial silver cyclingnews
U23 Highlights (08:10 English) — sbs.au
Luke Durbridge Interview (08:10 English) — sbs.au
6 Big Photos from Junior Women's TTsirotti
21 Big Photos from U23 TTsirotti

September 18 update:
Is Cancellara’s crown slipping? sbs.au
Kristin Armstrong replaced on U.S. team after Amber Neben's protest succeedsap
Wiggins previews Worlds course with medal in mind cyclingweekly.co.uk

September 13 update: Added links to the profiles, maps, previews and preliminary startlists along with dates and times for the U23, Womens and Mens events in the race summary table (upper right)
Gilbert plays mind games with his world championship rivals cyclingnews
Italy names world road race team velonews
Matt Goss to head up powerful Aussie squad at world championships afp
Thomas Voeckler, Sylvain Chavanel to lead French road squad for world championships afp
Cancellara heads Swiss team for road Worlds cyclingnews
Denmark, Canada announce Worlds team cyclingnews

February 23 update: Olympic road race route officially revealedcyclingweekly.co.uk

January 26 update: The 2011 Worlds Road Race Championships is September 19 - 25 from Copenhagen, Denmark.
Official Site for Copenhagen 2011 Worldscopenhagen2011.dk
... more to come...

2011 Live Video Streaming, Text Updates and TV Coverage

September 25 update: Here are the live/delayed video and ticker options for many of the 2011 Worlds races. If you see another good link then let us know... — Steve

Live Video Coverage, Earliest Start Times:
19/09 Junior Women time trial (09:00h CEST) ()
19/09 Men U23 time trial (13:30h CEST) ()
20/09 Junior Men time trial (09:30h CEST) ()
21/09 Elite Men time trial (13:00h CEST) ()
23/09 Junior Women (09:00h CEST) ()
23/09 Men U23 (13:00h CEST) ()
24/09 Junior Men (09:00h CEST) ()
24/09 Elite Women (13:40h CEST) ()
25/09 Elite Men (12:40h CEST) ()

media source tv or internet comments/restrictions
eurosport    live video (english)
   live video (english)
   live video (english)
   live video (english)
   live video (dutch)
   live audio (english)
  tv schedule (british)
  tv schedule (int'l/cet)
Europe; live daily coverage and rebroadcasts in 59 countries.

Audio languages: EN | FR | DE | ES | IT
Ticker languages: EN | FR | DE | ES | IT

   live video (french)
  tv schedule
Belgium; French; Live coverage for only the Men's TT (Sep 21) and RR (Sep 25)
   live video (flemish)
   live video
  tv schedule
Belgium; Sporza live coverage;
   live video (italian)
  tv schedule
Italy; RAI Tre live coverage for all events restricted to Italy
   live video ($ english)
   live video (unrestricted)
  tv schedule (see comments)
U.S. only; subscription required
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
Canada; Rogers Sportsnetwork 1 will broadcast the elite women's and men's road races live
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
Australia only; SBS
   live video (dutch)
  tv schedule
Netherlands; Dutch
   live video (english)
  tv schedule
UK only; BBC online and "Red Button"
sportresult live ticker English, startlist, intermediate times and live final results
live text updates English; Elite Men's RR updates from Charles Pelkey formerly of Velonews
live text updates English.
 @steephill text updates
 #worlds11 group
short text updates from any and everyone
check back at race time for more and updated links; email send a comment or a new live link


U Wed Sep 29 at 10:00 (GMT+10) 31.8 km 
Under 23 Men Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
W Wed Sep 29 at 15:00 (GMT+10) 22.9 km 
Elite Women Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
M Thu Sept 30 at 13:30 (GMT+10) 45.8 km 
Elite Men Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  | video
U Fri Oct 1 at 13:00 (GMT+10) 159 km 
Under 23 Men Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
W Sat Oct 2 at 13:00 (GMT+10) 127 km 
Elite Women Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
M Sun Oct 3 at 10:00 (GMT+11) 263 km 
Elite Men Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
These times are local to Australia. Subtract 8 hrs for CET and 14 hrs for ET. Subtract an additional hour on Sunday when Australia goes to Daylight Savings Time.
bicycle directions

Also follow steephill on Twitter for the latest race info and video updates.

2010 UCI Road Cycling World Championships News/Updates

Elite Men's Road Race

Hushovd hammers home for world championship win cyclingnews
Thor Hushovd is de nieuwe wereldkampioen wielrennensporza.be
  Last Km (01:25 flemish) — sporza.be
11 Big Photos from the Elite Men's Road Race (more photos added)
  Winner's interview (01:31 english) — sporza.be
Thor Hushovd wins world road racing titlevelonews
  Podium Ceremony (04:09) — M2010RoadWorlds
  Last Lap: Part 1 and Part 2 (25:00 flemish) — sporza (updated)
Worlds: Breschel almost beats the bestcyclingnews
Philippe Gilbert doesn’t regret courageous attackscyclingnews
Graham Watson photosgrahamwatson
  Last 6.5 km (10:00 english) — bbc
   Elite Men's Road Race Highlights (03:11 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports
more to come...

October 2/3 update:
Men's Road Race ... completed: Live Coverage
Worlds: Attention turns to men's decidercyclingnews
Favorites for Sunday’s world road race championshipsvelonews
World Championships: Dissecting the road race parcoursvelonews
  Road race course recon with Robbie McEwen: Part 1 (13:20) & Part 2 (05:30) — ozcyclingdotcom
Peloton to decide sprinters’ Worlds chance cyclingnews


Womens Road Race Post Race Links

Brilliant Bronzini snatches second goldcyclingnews
Italiaanse Bronzini pakt wereldtitel, Verbeke is 6e sporza.be
  Last Km (01:36 flemish) — sporza.be
Giorgia Bronzini sprints to women’s road race titlevelonation
13 Big Photos from the Women's Road Race
Graham Watson photosgrahamwatson
  Winner's Interview (01:39) — M2010RoadWorlds
La dedica speciale di Giorgia "Il mio oro per Ballerini"gazzetta.it
   Women's Road Race Highlights (01:36 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports

U23 Road Race Post Race Links

Full Resultsadmin.melbourne2010.com.au
Australia's Matthews grabs home turf titlecyclingnews
21 Big Photos from the U23 Road Race (more photos added)sirotti + reuters
Michael Matthews wins ahead of Degenkolb and Phinney/Boivin in under 23 rrvelonation
Australiër Matthews pakt wereldtitel bij beloftensporza.be
  Last Km (01:36) — sporza.be
  Last 10 Km (12:36 flemish) — sporza
  Winner's Interview (01:26) — ozcyclingdotcom
Facts and figures ‐ men's under‐23 road raceadmin.melbourne2010.au
Graham Watson photosgrahamwatson
  U23 Road Race Highlights (03:28 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports

September 30/ October 1 update:
U23 Road Race ... completed Live Coverage
U23 Road Race Start List (finalized) — uci.ch
Womens Road Race Start List (finalized) — uci.ch
Elite Men's Startlist (finalized) — uci.ch
Interactive Mens Road Race Start List (finalized) — uci.ch
Contador Case Means Hard Choices for Anti-Dopingbicycling
Vaughters wants fairness in Contador doping casecyclingnews
Thor Hushovd dismisses Mark Cavendish's chances in Geelongvelonation

Elite Men's TT Post Race Links

Full Official Resultsmelbourne2010.au
Cancellara takes record breaking fourth time trial title (results) — cyclingnews
Cancellara pakt vierde wereldtitel tijdrijdensporza.be
15 Big Photos from the Men's TT (more photos added)sirotti + reuters
  The Final Riders (10:59 flemish) — sporza
  Fabian Cancellara at post-race press conference (01:30) — ozcyclingdotcom
  David Millar at post-race press conference (01:09) — ozcyclingdotcom
  Tony Martin at post-race press conference (01:16) — ozcyclingdotcom
  Riders reaction to Alberto Contador testing positive (01:29) — ozcyclingdotcom
   Highlights: 4th World Title for Fabian Cancellara (02:19 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports
   Highlights: David Millar takes 2nd (01:48 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports
   Highlights: American Zabriskie takes 8th (01:48 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports
Graham Watson photosgrahamwatson

September 29 update:
Elite Mens TT Start Order and Times (finalized) — uci.ch
  Pre-TT interview with Richie Porte (06:31) — ozcyclingdotcom
Fabian Cancellara: "I want to write history"velonation
  Great preview of the road race course by Robbie McEwen (13:20) — ozcyclingdotcom
Who's Got the Cure for Cance? analyzing the elite men tt favorites — podiumcafe
Bettini hopes attention to detail will pay off for Italy (Italians for the road race) — cyclingnews
UCI says Alberto Contador's Tour de France doping positive requires further scientific investigationvelonation
Mosquera positive at the Vuelta?cyclingnews
more links from previous days (scroll down)

Womens TT Post-Race Links

Full Official Resultsmelbourne2010.au
Pooley too quick for competitioncyclingnews
11 Big Photos from the Women's TT (more photos added)sirotti + reuters
Elite Women's TT Photosmelbourne2010
Pooley wins Worlds time trialcyclingweekly.co.uk
  Highlights of Emma Pooley winnning Elite Womens ride (02:31 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports

Under-23 Men TT Post-Race Links


13 Big Photos from the U23 TT (more photos added)sirotti + reuters
Full Official Resultsmelbourne2010.au
Phinney claims rainbow bands for USA; Durbridge nets silver for home crowd (results) — cyclingnews
  Interviews with Phinney and Durbridge (01:02) — ozcyclingdotcom
Phinney lives up to expectation, Dowsett suffers setback cyclingweekly.co.uk
  Highlights of Phinney's winning U-23 TT ride (02:06 restricted to U.S.?) — universalsports
Toptalent Phinney pakt eerste regenboogtruisporza.be

September 28 4:24 PM PDT update: U23 TT starts on Wednesday 10:00 local time (today) which is Tuesday 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT in the United States. That's a 1/2 hour away. We'll have updated information for live coverage as it comes long. If you see something good first that let me know. — Steve

September 28 update:
U23 TT Start Order and Times (finalized) — uci.ch
Womens TT Start Order and Times (finalized) — uci.ch
Evans ready for every outcome at Worlds cyclingnews
The Worlds land Down Under in 2010 (updated) — cyclingnews
World championships road race: the top 10 contenderscyclingnews
Defending champ Cadel Evans predicts a race of attrition at Sunday’s world road race championships (good favorites recap) — AFP
Women’s time trial preview: Hilly course should see a wide-open racevelonation
  Interview with Team USA’s Jim Miller: ‘Farrar’s our best bet’velonews

September 27 update:
Cancellara targets road race glory againAFP
Geelong cops on the lookout for Worlds lawbreakerssbs.au
Cavendish revises Worlds ambitions [after course recon] sbs.au

September 22 update:
2010 Provisional Startlists: Elite Men  |  U23 Men  |  Elite Womenuci.ch
Freire faces record fourth world titlecyclingnews
Cipollini questions the strength of Italian teamcyclingnews

September 20 update:
USA Cycling announces complete roster for Road World Championshipsusacycling.org
September 17 update:
Favorites Preview: The Worlds land Down Under in 2010cyclingnews
August 15 update:
  Preview The 2010 World Championships Coursecyclingtipsblog
The Official 2010 Worlds Sitemelbourne2010.au


U Wed Sep 23 at 09:30 - 12:45 CET 33 km 
Under 23 Men Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
W Wed Sep 23 at 14:00 - 17:15 CET 27 km 
Elite Women Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
M Thu Sept 24 at 11:30 - 17:00 CET 50 km 
Elite Men Time Trial TT
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
W Sat Sept 26 at 09:00 - 12:30 CET 124 km 
Elite Women Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
U Sat Sept 26 at 13:30 - 18:00 CET 179 km 
Under 23 Men Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
M Sun Sept 27 at 10:30 - 17:30 CET 262 km 
Elite Men Road Race
profile  |  map  |  preview  |  live  |  results  |  photos  |  video
  

2009 Mendrisio, Switzerland UCI Road Cycling World Championships News and Updates

Elite Men RR Links

September 27 update:
Evans becomes road World Champion in Mendrisiocyclingnews
Evans solos to world road crownvelonews
Cadel Evans rijdt naar de regenboogtruisporza.be
  Elite Men RR Last Km (02:02 flemish) —sporza.be
Graham Watson's Elite Men RR photosgrahamwatson
Evans crowned world champsbs.au
Elite Men RR Photosedward madden
  Cadel Evans post-worlds interviewsbs.au
Official Resultsuci.ch
  Elite Men RR Last 5 Km (10:56 dutch) —nos
  Brief Highlights (00:29) — france24
  Elite Men RR Highlights (06:57 dutch) —nos
  Last 20 Minutes Part 1 and Part 2 (20:00 norwegian) — nrk
  Podium (04:25 flemish) — Sporza
  Elite Men RR Highlights (01:30) — eurosport
  Last 18 Minutes Part 1 and Part 2 (18:00 english) — phil liggett play-by-play
Evans’ victory reconfirms Vuelta-worlds link velonews
16 Big Photos from the Elite Men RRsirotti and ed madden

Elite Women and Under-23 Men RR Links

September 26 update:
Guderzo wins Worlds with solo attack cyclingnews
Italy's Guderzo wins women's road title; Armstrong fourth in women’s road racevelonews
Pooley disappointed with ride in women's road racecyclingweekly.co.uk
Sicard wins world Under 23 road titlecyclingnews
9 Big Photos from the Elite Women RRsirotti
9 Big Photos from the Under 23 Men RRsirotti
Graham Watson's Elite Women RR photosgrahamwatson
Sicard powers into history at U23 racevelonews
  Under 23 RR Highlights (01:21 flemish) —sporza.be
  Women RR Highlights (01:33 flemish) —sporza.be
  Women RR Last Km (02:32 flemish) —sporza.be
  Women RR Highlights (01:30) — eurosport
  Brief Highlights: Italy's Guderzo takes road race crown (00:34) — france24
  Cadel Evans Pre-Worlds Interviewplayer.sbs.au


Pre-Race Links

September 21 update:
Official Sitemendrisio09.ch
  Course Previewmendrisio09.ch
Detailed Course Map (PDF) — mendrisio09.ch
Preview: Cunego Worlds favourite on Mendrisio's climbers' coursecyclingnews
Why the Vuelta is key to the worldsvelonews
Spain brings a powerful threesome to worlds (even without Contador): Valverde, Freire and Sanchezvelonews
U.S. releases complete worlds rostervelonews
Hesjedal leads Canadian Worlds teamcyclingnews
Millar to lead Britain at Worldscyclingnews
Evans pleased with Vuelta podium place, now Worldscyclingnews
Mens TT Startlistcyclingstartlists
Mens RR Startlistcyclingstartlists
Mens RR Startlist (interactive)xs4all.nl
About Mendrisio, Switzerlanden.wikipedia.org
Elite Men Time Trial Previewsteephill.tv

2009 World Championships - Mendrisio
Elite Men’s Road Race Preview

Click here for Elite Women Road Race Previewsteephill.tv

Mendrisio, which sits in the southern foothills of the Swiss Alps, plays host to this year’s cycling World Championships. The road race course reflects the mountainous nature of the surrounding countryside and follows a hilly and difficult circuit. There is no space for recovery here, as the road rises and falls through uneven terrain. Mendrisio lies on the border with Italy not far from Varese, the site of last year’s championships, and Lake Como. Little wonder this road race bears a striking resemblance to the roads of the Giro di Lombardia. Italian team manager Franco Ballerini considers this year’s circuit to be the most difficult he has seen since he became the selector for the Azurri, and he is not the only one who has commented on the difficulty of this year’s race.

All Up And Down

Let’s start with the basics. The course covers 13.8 kilometers and the elite men will race 19 laps. Each lap includes two climbs, l’Acqua Fresca and Torrazza de Novazzano. Both are short and steep. The l’Acqua Fresca covers 1.2 kilometers and hits a maximum gradient of 12%. Stone retaining walls border the road which is cut into the hillside. A false-flat lasting 500 meters follows the summit of this first climb before the course plunges through a twisting, technical descent. The descent covers just over 4 kilometers and is followed immediately by the final climb which begins with just under 4 kilometers to go. The Torrazza de Novazzano climbs for 1.7 kilometers and the summit comes 2.5 kilometers from the line. Eddy Merckx and Felice Gimondi battled for the World title in 1971 on this climb, though that year the finish came farther from the climb’s summit. This year, a short descent follows the final climb and the finish is a climbing false-flat. It’s constantly up and down for this road race, and only about 4 kilometers separates the two climbs as the circuit winds around Mendrisio.

The roads on the climbs are narrow and the descent following the l’Acqua Fresca is fast and technical. Compared to last year’s Worlds course in Varese, the Mendrisio circuit is shorter and the climbs come closer together. The Varese course included a more lengthy descent between the two climbs and the final climb summitted 4 kilometers before the mostly flat finish. The total circuit in Varese covered just over 17 kilometers. Mendrisio is almost 4 kilometers shorter. The climbs will come thick and fast, and the technical descent will make it hard to move up for anyone who loses position on l’Acqua Fresca.

Last year’s Beijing road race had a similarly up and down character, but there, the course essentially climbed 10 kilometers, descended 10 kilometers, and climbed less than a kilometer to the finish. The lengthy descent in Beijing offered the chance for a good descender to chase back before the finish, if he found the pace too high over the climb. The two climb profile in Mendrisio will complicate this tactic, especially with the nasty 500 meter false flat that follows the first climb. Anyone distanced on this first climb will find it difficult to regain the front of the bike race.

This Worlds is for the riders who thrive in the hilly classics like the Amstel Gold Race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the Giro di Lombardia. The perfect rider for this course will climb well, descent brilliantly, and finish fast. Tactically, there is little room for error on this course, and the teams may find it difficult to chase back a dangerous escape on these narrow roads. Though a number of sprinters have decided to take the start, a sprint winner does not look especially likely this year. The climbs are short, but they are also steep and the cumulative effect of 19 laps will likely take the snap out of the legs of the sprinters long before the finish. Looking at the results from Varese, none of the big-name sprinters finished high in the standings, and this year does not look likely to depart from that pattern. It should be a small group or solo winner at the finish in Mendrisio.

Who Can Win?

Several riders stand out for their near-perfect combination of characteristics for this course. Let’s start with one of the more obvious favorites for this year’s World Championship. Damiano Cunego comes to Mendrisio as captain of the always mighty Italian national team. He finished second last year, after another Italian Alessandro Ballan scooted away in the closing kilometers to take a solo victory and deny Cunego a hometown victory in Varese. In a recent interview, Cunego reported that he had never had such good form for Worlds, and indeed, the Italian won two mountain stages of the recent Vuelta a España, his first grand tour stage wins since 2004. Cunego is a past winner of the Amstel Gold Race and has placed well at Liège-Bastogen-Liège, though a win at La Doyenne has so far eluded him. He also has three wins in the hilly Giro di Lombardia to his credit. The short climbs should suit his punchy style and he has speed to spare if the finish comes down to sprint. Cunego came from around 20th wheel to finish second to Filippo Pozzato in the mass sprint at the Italian National Championship road race in June. Though there is always the possibility of Drama with the Italian team, in recent years, they have ridden as a team in support of their captain. This time around it’s Cunego’s turn to lead on a course that suits him nearly to perfection. Other Italians: Alessandro Ballan, Filippo Pozzato, Luca Paolini, Stefano Garzelli.

Samuel Sánchez, that demon descender, and Alejandro Valverde lead the Spanish team for Worlds and both have the magic combination of climbing, descending, and accelerating that this year’s course requires. Sánchez won the hilly Beijing road race last year, in part on the strength of his descending skills. He also has a win to his credit from the now-defunct Zurich World Cup race, which followed a hilly course around the Swiss city before descending to a flat finish. Valverde, meanwhile, has won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, though this year, he rode a surprisingly lackluster campaign in the Ardennes. Perhaps he was saving it all for the Vuelta a España, which he won earlier this month. Both Valverde and Sánchez come to Mendrisio directly from the Vuelta and both fought for the overall victory until the bitter end. Though the Mendrisio course suits them, they may have left their legs on the road in Spain. If so, Joaquím Rodríguez has turned into a handy one-day rider over the last few seasons, and could shine on this course. Rodríguez finished on the podium at Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year, and has a number of top five finishes at Ardennes monument. Though the three “bigs” on the Spanish team are all good riders for this year’s World Championships, there doesn’t seem to be a clear leader here, and the Vuelta may rule out a strong Spanish challenge to the recent Italian dominance at Worlds.

The Mendrisio course with its tricky descent and punchy climbs will make it difficult for the teams to control. That dynamic may offer an opportunity for an attacking rider like Philippe Gilbert. Gilbert never saw an attack he didn’t like, and in this respect, Gilbert’s strength is also his weakness. At Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he attacked solo before the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons and flayed himself in the wind for a number of kilometers. Despite his unsuccessful attack, Gilbert still finished fourth at the finish, a perfect match to his fourth place finish the previous week at the Amstel Gold Race. The Belgian rode the Vuelta as preparation for the Mendrisio race and looked to have good legs when he attacked from the breakaway on the road to Ávila. That move ended with a flat tire, so it’s not clear if Gilbert could have finished with a stage win. All the same, with his high finishes in the Ardennes classics this year, Gilbert has established his credentials for the hilly classics and he has a nice turn of speed should the race come down to a group finish.

The Belgian team is also bringing Tom Boonen to the party in Mendrisio. Boonen has increasingly abandoned the bunch sprints and turned more to the one day classics. After pre-riding the course at Mendrisio, Boonen sounded optimistic about his chances. Boonen has a win at the hilly Ronde van Vlaanderen to his credit, but the climbing on this Mendrisio course seems rather heavy for the Belgian strongman. The Magic Eight Ball, which never lies, rates Boonen a long-shot.

Considerably less of a long-shot is this year’s winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Andy Schleck. Schleck rode away on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons and never looked back. A solo win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège is not your everyday feat, and Schleck backed it up with a second place finish in Paris at the Tour de France. A talented climber, Schleck can not match Cunego or Valverde in finishing speed. If he wins this Worlds, it will have to be with a solo attack well ahead of the finish. Though he descends better than his disaster-prone brother Fränk, Andy is not stellar when the road turns downhill. Unless he can dance away on the climbs, Andy Schleck will find it difficult to win on this course. The younger Schleck also left the Vuelta earlier than planned after falling ill with a stomach virus. Schleck has a knack for finding form when he needs it most, and he could well suffer no ill-effects from the lack of racing days. Look for Andy Schleck to place well at this race. At the same time, it’s difficult to see him placing ahead of the other favorites who will also have stronger teams at their command.

Local boy Fabian Cancellara has called his shot: He wants to win the World Championship road race in his home country. Now, when Cancellara picks a race, it’s worth paying attention. A multi-talented rider, he has a knack for making good on his promises. Cancellara finished third on the hilly course in Beijing and in recent seasons, he has shown considerably more affinity for climbing than in the past. Cancellara remains nearly unbeatable against the watch and will ride also ride the crono in Mendrisio. Cancellara’s mad descending skills will serve him well on this course, but it’s hard to imagine him matching small, quick riders like Cunego, Sánchez, and Valverde on the climbs. The climb to the finish is more difficult at Mendrisio than the finishing climb was in Beijing. Like Boonen, Cancellara is one of the big talents of cycling, and it’s difficult to count either of these riders out of the running. But both riders will be pushing the outside limits of their talent to succeed on this hilly course. Cancellara may place, but a win is too much to ask even of the talented Swiss rider.

Long-Shot Shout-outs

Looking beyond the obvious favorites, this Worlds start-list boasts some talented riders. How about some long-shot shout-outs?

Not known for his one day racing, Cadel Evans comes to the World Championship race after a frustrating Vuelta a España where he placed third behind Valverde and Sánchez. Evans has the legs for the climbs and won’t lose the plot on the descents. Missing ingredient? Speed. Evans is a stage racer with a stage racer’s endurance and a stage racer’s diesel engine. He will struggle to follow the speed of punchier riders like Cunego and Gilbert on this course. Look for Evans near the front of the bike race and among the riders who make the final selection, but his lack of hops will shut him out of the win. Other Australians: All-arounder Simon Gerrans (last year, dnf), climber Matthew Lloyd, Michael Rogers, Stuart O'Grady.

Robert Gesink also comes to the Worlds from the Vuelta, where the young Dutch climber suffered a crash which led him to sink down the overall standings. Gesink climbs brilliantly, and finished tenth at the road races in both Beijing and Varese. Like Evans, he is not known for his one day racing and thrives in the high mountains of the grand tours. The hilly course in Mendrisio puts him in with a chance at a high finish, but his stage racer characteristics place him among long-shots for victory. Lars Boom, meanwhile, has all the characteristics of a future world champion, and already claims an U23 World Championship title in the crono and an elite World Championship title in cyclocross. As yet, Boom is unproven in races of this length and the climbing may prove too heavy for the lanky Dutch rider. On talent alone, Boom deserves mention, and he comes to Mendrisio after a solo stage victory at the Vuelta a España. Also from the Netherlands: Karsten Kroon, Sebastian Langevelde, and breakaway specialists Johnny Hoogerland and Lieuwe Westra.

Five other long-shot shout-outs: Sylvain Chavanel, Jakob Fuglsang, Chris Anker Sörensen, Roman Kreuziger, and Dan Martin. These five are all talented riders, but none is noted for his one day racing results at this level. A top ten finish for any of these riders would be a great day out, though any one of them could finish the deal if he found himself in the breakaway that got away.

The Sprinters: Oscar Freire, Matti Breschel, Gerald Ciolek, Tyler Farrar, Edvald Boasson-Hagen, and Thor Hushovd will all start the road race in Mendrisio. Should the course prove less difficult than anticipated, these riders have the speed to bolt to the line. Breschel finished third on last year’s hilly Varese course, and could surprise in Mendrisio. Ciolek won the U23 road race in Salzburg on a course that was billed as a classics riders’ course. Freire has three Rainbow Shirts in his closet, already, and no doubt would love to make it four. Edvald Boasson-Hagen has racked up an impressive list of victories in his young career, and sprinted to victory on a mountainous stage of the Giro d’Italia. Still, these riders will have to withstand the determined efforts of the Azurri to make this race as selective as possible. I’ll be surprised to see this race come down to a sprint or to see any of the sprinters make the final selection, but stranger things have happened. Bike racing has never been known for its predictability. — Gavia

Can anyone break the Italian-Spanish stranglehold? velonews
Mens RR Startlist (interactive)xs4all.nl