I'm thinking the Aussies could do well in the men's team pursuit again.
Three members of the 2016 World Champs team have been named to
their squadra...Porter, C.Scotson and Welsford. (Welsford rode all three
rounds, Porter the qualifying, and Scotson the finals @ the 2016 Worlds.)
Two 2015 World Jnr. t.p. champions- Kelland O'Brien and Rohan Wight-
have also been added to the team. The legend that is Cam Meyer is
another member of the AUS endurance team for the 2017 Worlds.
Last week at the Nationals up in Brissie, the WA state team of Meyer,
Welsford, Freiburg and Hall rode 3.55.988 to beat SA's team of Porter,
Wight, Harrison and Sayer that clocked a 3.58.423. (i.e. each team had
one defending World champ and one other rider that will be going to
the 2017 Worlds.)
Back in December at the Oceanias in Melbourne an Australian team of
(I think) Porter, C.Scotson, Welsford and O'Brien won with a 3:54.598.
(Also, Shame...France did a 3.57.594 @ the Euros in October...in case
that might help your handicapping/predictions, but I've no idea who
of that foursome might be riding at the Worlds.
At the Asian Championships in New Delhi early last month China beat
Korea in a pretty close final 4.01.084 to 4.01.835.
Colombia won the Pan-Ams with a 3.55.362 at altitude in Aguascalientes.
It will be very difficult to predict the outcome at these Worlds. Some years
(esp. years with no Olympic qualifying points) some athletes and/or some
countries in some events might peak to win a Continental title rather than
peak to place fourth, fifth or sixth at the Worlds. note: I'm not saying that
any specific nation is doing this in 2017, or agreeing or disagreeing with the
practice...just saying that it has happened in the past, and considering the
cost of sending a team to the Worlds I am not surprised that it has.)