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Irish Mens team named as expected. Roche, Martin, Dunbar, Dunne, Bennett & Mullen.
With it being most likely too hard for Bennett and not hard enough for out of form Martin I really hope they at least make themselves seen and try something as opposed the being anonymous like most years. Maybe Dunbar could try hang in and give a go on the last hill. Better to die with your boots on
With it being most likely too hard for Bennett and not hard enough for out of form Martin I really hope they at least make themselves seen and try something as opposed the being anonymous like most years. Maybe Dunbar could try hang in and give a go on the last hill. Better to die with your boots on
I don’t think he will ultimately get a big result but I can see Eddie Dunbar figuring prominently in the breakaway moves in the final third of the race.
I agree. I just hope he at least tries something. It often feels like Ireland are lacking when it comes to a plan even in the years where Martin had a shot it has felt like it was a case of stick em on the plane and job done
Bettiol is injured and Formolo had to abandon the Vuelta after crashing hard. I'm curious about their recovery because if they're not good to go you really don't have many options to play with.
Colbrelli has had a rough season, I'll give you that, but he's still a very consistent rider on hilly terrain and he's looked better during the Deutschland tour. I see no problem in giving him some freedom on the Harrogate route. And let's be honest: is Trentin much more likely to win this race? How many one day WT races has he won?
This is yet another parcours where Italy should go with no clear leader and an attacking mindset. Hopefully Bettiol, Moscon and Formolo are healthy and in shape. Being in every move in the last 50 km should be the top priority.
With all that being said, I would never leave Nibali at home unless he has specifically said he doesn't want to ride.
Yes for Italy, going with no preordained leader seems sensible. Maybe protect Trentin in the early stages I.e. drop a rider back to pace him up in the event of a mechanical issue, but in the second half of the race they should try to send two riders forward to cover or initiate every move.
I agree that if Nibali wants to take part it would be foolish to leave him at home. Even if his chance to win is limited the road captain aspect will be of immense value in reading the race as it unfolds.
I agree that if Nibali wants to take part it would be foolish to leave him at home. Even if his chance to win is limited the road captain aspect will be of immense value in reading the race as it unfolds.
Too easy for Ulissi to be of some use but he'll be very important next year in both Olympics and Worlds.
Regarding de Marchi I don't think he'll be able to ride otherwise he would have been a given.
The problem with Colbrelly is that there isn't a situation in which he could have even a remote chance at this level, already the fact that he's the leader of a WT team in WT races is a non sense IMHO, his level should be 1.1/1.HC races where there aren't much WT riders, like a Cocquard.
Anyway I don't think they'll go for a sprint, the route it's too easy for Trentin to wait for a sprint because there will be for sure riders faster than him, I'm pretty sure they'll try to launch him like last year in the European Championship hoping there won't be faster riders in the attack or that in a very reduced sprint everything could happen again like last year in the European Championship.
Regarding Nibali I think he was the one that decided to not go, he never liked to go to easy edition where he had no chance like Richmond and he even faked an injury to not go in Bergen, if it was for Cassani probably he would have taken him even in Doha.
I don't quite know what you mean by too easy, when it's got too much climbing for the sprinters.
I'd think Ulissi was a given as one of the leaders on that route, just like I expect the french to ride for Alaphilippe and the danes for Fuglsang.
As far as I have understood the route, it's for the Ardennes riders, though with slightly easier climbs.
The problem for Ulissi is not how hard the route is. It's the level of competition. If this was an Italian .1 race he'd be the overwhelming favorite. Against the VdP and Alaphilippe of this world not so much.
Well the particular topic of debate is the italian team selection, so how he rates against Alaphilippe or anyone else not in contention for the italian team, is besides the point
Ulissi would definitely be a good wild card for the Italians to play if it does turn in to a slog and comes down to a very reduced front group.
Moscon is the strongest Italian rider on this course. He is a world beater in the making. Trentin is faster in a sprint than him obviously, and I don't see anyone other than those 2 getting a win or podium.
Moscon and Ulissi are probably Italy's highest finishers here. However, while I see Moscon and Ulissi as more likely to make the final selections, I think that Trentin is more likely to win if he does last.
Hope that makes sense
It’s very between-2-stools for Ireland. It’d be nice if Bennett could be protected all the way to the finish, but unlikely. And it’d be nice if Dunbar or Martin could have a go late on, but again, unlikely. And of course Dunne will probably be in the break for the first half.
He hasn't beaten many worlds the last couple of years and seems to have regressed significantly. Combined with his appalling personality, I'm not sure I would even pick him if my name was Davide Cassani.
To me, Trentin is a much better option. His classics results from this year don't fully show how strong he was, and his win in the Tour was highly impressive. Also, him beating Mathieu and Wout in a three-up sprint in the Euros last year should speak volumes.
I think it's way easier than an Ardennes classic, there are a couple of longer climbs before the circuit but useless so far from the finish, then the circuit looks very similar to Edinburgh one from last year European Championship, van Avermaet compared it to Richmond but a bit easier. I think it's a route for durable sprinters, if it wasn't for the uphill sprint i would have picked Kristoff as the bigger favourite, with that i think it's between van der Poel and Sagan if he can show up in a shape better than the one seen in the last year or so, Alaphilippe has his chances and has won a similar uphill sprint in the Tirreno this spring but it's far from a route for him, Fuglsang i don't think has anything to do with such route.
From what I saw of the route at Tour of Yorkshire, and from what I have read, it seems pretty similar to Amstel, the climbs may be slightly easier, but it's a longer race and probably more windy.
Yes, MvdP and Sagan will be in the mix, but so will Alaphilippe and Fuglsang...... and thus so should Ulissi and De Marchi, which was my initial point
This Worlds course still reminds me a lot of the Richmond Worlds. I think the type of riders who were good there would be good here. So I do think Amstel is a good regular race to compare it to.
Based on some of the preview videos I’ve watched of the route (gcn, sigma sports) it looks like there isnt much flat ground, and the corners come thick and fast. The hills aren’t big on the finishing circuit, but there aren’t any flat straights to recover from them in between, as there were in Richmond. I think this course might e a lot tougher in reality than it appears to be on the profiles and maps that have been sent out.
Amstel is harder, but I think Harrogate is going to be somewhere in between those two races, so riders who do well in either of them would do well here. I think, like Richmond, this is a very open race for who could end up winning it.
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