UCI Road World Championships 2009
Live Video, Preview, Map, Profile, Results and Photos
Mendrisio, Switzerland, September 23-27, 2009
 Elite Men RR Photos — edward madden 16 Big Photos from the Elite Men RR — sirotti and ed madden |
|
||
| U | Wed Sept 23 at 09:30 - 12:45 CET | 33 km |
| Under 23 Men Time Trial | TT | |
| profile | map | preview | live | results | photos | video | ||
| W | Wed Sept 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 | ||
2010 UCI Road Cyclng World Championships News and Updates
The Official 2010 Worlds Site — melbourne2010.au2009 UCI Road Cyclng World Championships News and Updates
Also follow steephill on Twitter for the latest race info and video updates.
|
Elite Men RR Links
September 27 update:Evans becomes road World Champion in Mendrisio — cyclingnewsEvans solos to world road crown — velonewsCadel Evans rijdt naar de regenboogtrui — sporza.be
Elite Men RR Last Km (02:02 flemish) —sporza.be Graham Watson's Elite Men RR photos — grahamwatsonEvans crowned world champ — sbs.au Elite Men RR Photos — edward madden
Cadel Evans post-worlds interview — sbs.auOfficial Results — uci.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-playEvans’ victory reconfirms Vuelta-worlds link
— velonews 16 Big Photos from the Elite Men RR — sirotti and ed maddenElite Women and Under-23 Men RR Links
September 26 update:Guderzo wins Worlds with solo attack
— cyclingnewsItaly's Guderzo wins women's road title; Armstrong fourth in women’s road race — velonewsPooley disappointed with ride in women's road race — cyclingweekly.co.ukSicard wins world Under 23 road title — cyclingnews 9 Big Photos from the Elite Women RR — sirotti 9 Big Photos from the Under 23 Men RR — sirottiGraham Watson's Elite Women RR photos — grahamwatsonSicard powers into history at U23 race — velonews 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 Interview — player.sbs.au
Pre-Race Links
September 21 update:Official Site — mendrisio09.ch Course Preview — mendrisio09.chDetailed Course Map (PDF) — mendrisio09.chPreview: Cunego Worlds favourite on Mendrisio's climbers' course — cyclingnewsWhy the Vuelta is key to the worlds — velonewsSpain brings a powerful threesome to worlds (even without Contador): Valverde, Freire and Sanchez — velonewsU.S. releases complete worlds roster — velonewsHesjedal leads Canadian Worlds team — cyclingnewsMillar to lead Britain at Worlds — cyclingnewsEvans pleased with Vuelta podium place, now Worlds — cyclingnews
Mens TT Startlist — cyclingstartlistsMens RR Startlist — cyclingstartlistsMens RR Startlist (interactive) — xs4all.nlAbout Mendrisio, Switzerland — en.wikipedia.orgElite Men Time Trial Preview — steephill.tvLive Video Streaming and TV Coverage
| media source | tv or internet | comments/restrictions |
|---|---|---|
 |
live video (english/U.S.) live video (unrestricted) live video (unrestricted) tv schedule (see comments) |
U.S. only; Live or Same Day coverage |
 |
live video (english) live video (french) live audio (english) tv schedulelive ticker
|
Europe; live daily coverage and rebroadcasts in 59 countries
Audio languages: |
 |
live video |
Worldwide except the U.S.; subscription required; live, as-live and highlights; |
 |
live video
(swedish) tv schedule |
Sweden; live, unrestricted coverage |
 |
live video
(flemish) tv schedule |
Belgium; Sporza live coverage |
 |
live video (dutch) tv schedule |
Netherlands; Dutch |
 |
live text updates |
English |
 |
 steephill text updates #mendrisio group |
short text updates from any and everyone | check back at race time for more and updated links;  send a comment or a new live link |
2009 World Championships - Mendrisio
Elite Men’s Road Race Preview
Click here for Elite Women Road Race Preview — steephill.tvMendrisio, 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?
— velonewsMens RR Startlist (interactive) — xs4all.nl