Cavendish shows his gold medal and rainbow jersey
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Wiggins, Froome, Cavendish, Armitstead, Pooley highlight selections
British Cycling has today announced the long list of riders from which the final team will be selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 UCI road world championships taking place in Limburg, The Netherlands from September 16-23. The Elite men’s and women’s squads will field the maximum rosters in the road races, at nine and seven respectively.
“Once again we find ourselves in a very fortunate position of having a strong pool of riders across the board from which we can select the final team nearer the time,” said Performance Director Dave Brailsford. “Brad [Wiggins] has opted out of riding the time trial at the Worlds; this year’s focus for him has been fully on the Tour de France and the Olympics, so to expect him to hold form going into the Worlds is a big ask.”
Great Britain enjoyed a remarkably successful road word championships in 2011, winning six medals, highlighted by Mark Cavendish’s gold medal in the elite men’s road race. Cavendish has made the British team’s long list for this year’s event, but the Manxman isn’t expected to vie for repeat victory on a parcours much tougher than last year’s route in Denmark.
Other medalists from 2011 making the long-list include Lucy Garner (Junior women’s road world champion), Elinor Barker (Junior women’s time trial silver medalist) and Emma Pooley (Elite women’s time trial bronze medalist and former world time trial champion). Bradley Wiggins won the silver medal in the Elite men’s time trial in 2011 but will only contest the road race in The Netherlands while Andrew Fenn, the U23 men’s road race bronze medalist, moves up to the Elite ranks for 2012.
2012 Olympic road race silver medalist Lizzie Armitstead is a long-list selection for the women’s road race as is Nicole Cooke, the 2008 road race world champion and Olympic road race gold medalist who finished fourth place in last year’s road race.
Elite Men – Road Race (9 to start)
Adam Blythe
Mark Cavendish
Steve Cummings
Alex Dowsett
Andy Fenn
Chris Froome
