Worlds?No thanks.

[ergmonkey]

This excuse won't work for every rider this year, but you have to remember that the Worlds is a pretty different race each year as it moves around the globe. So, turning it down one year shouldn't automatically be seen as a problem for future national team representation. Cav has no place if the Worlds return to the Colombia '95 course; no place for Gesink at Zolder; etc.

This year's Worlds course may not be a pure sprint course, but it's not the Giro di Lombardia, either. There are plenty of Lombardia contenders who are not really Worlds contenders; after a brief, exhausting antipodean expedition, they may no longer be Lombardia contenders, either. That's a sensible reason for skipping the Worlds, I think.

So, for some, the "choosing Lombardia over Worlds" line is a false choice to begin with. You're only giving something up if you (or at least a cherished teammate) might actually have won the Worlds in the first place.

Also, you can't fake motivation. By the time October rolls around, it's probably best to let a motivated countryman take the place of a reluctant star on a long journey to do a very long race where no one cares about anything except the podium--and even that gets forgotten pretty quickly. Riding the Worlds with anything less than great form and motivation is a complete waste of time.

Think fast: who finished fourth and fifth at Worlds from 1999-2009?

 

[Spare Tyre]

Next year the Worlds are in Denmark in late September. I think we might then be better able to tell whether the reluctance to participate in this year's worlds reflects a trend in the valuing of the worlds themselves, the timing of them, or whether this year's level of disinterest has a lot to do with the bother of flying for up to 24 hours to get here.

 

[simo1733]

its a joke, a play on the fact that i said there was no point turning up unless your name begins with F and ends with CANCELLARA. And not wanting to be a spelling geek but its Spartacus. Clearly my humour is either not funny, or just too subtle. I fear the former.

At least you didn't call me ***.

 

[Spare Tyre]

At least you didn't call me ***.

LOL, my partner and I often talk about internet forums and interactive games as being one big wild west in which the most common form of exchange is a slanging match consisting of "You tard!" "You tard!" "You tard!"

Thankfully most of the time CN forums are more civilised, particularly recently.

 

[Anonymous]

At least you didn't call me ***.

Nah, i dont like that word. And besides, i know a couple of genuinly mentally handicapped people, and when I tell them about this place they find it tremendously re-assuring to know there are people in the world even more stupid than they are

thats not aimed at you btw

 

[auscyclefan94]

I seriously doubt Gesink could have done something in the worlds but we'll see.

He has enough chances to win them (starting with Valkenburg in 2012 for instance), so for now let's just let him win Lombardia

I think he would of done better than the rest of the team going to melb.

 

[brianf7]

We used to have a lot of late season racing in Australia where riders could pick up UCI points to improve their ranking for next year but since the Pro Tour they are now national events.
Now the only chance of a few p[oints is a place at the worlds.
The lead up race to the worlds on 26th Sept looks good with a few nasty hills near the end.
The racing is still there for them who want it The herrald sun Tour the Warrnambool and the list goes on but no UCI points now.

 

[theswordsman]

We used to have a lot of late season racing in Australia where riders could pick up UCI points to improve their ranking for next year but since the Pro Tour they are now national events.
Now the only chance of a few p[oints is a place at the worlds.
The lead up race to the worlds on 26th Sept looks good with a few nasty hills near the end.
The racing is still there for them who want it The herrald sun Tour the Warrnambool and the list goes on but no UCI points now.

There are no UCI points for Worlds. It's down to the Vuelta and Giro di Lombardia.

 

[simo1733]

There are no UCI points for Worlds. It's down to the Vuelta and Giro di Lombardia.

I wonder why there are no points at the worlds?It is the UCI's party, and they are the ones spoiling it.