Australians in-form for home-turf Worlds
Cadel Evans will be racing the UCI Road World Championships in his home-country of Australia as the defending champion. The events will be held in Geelong and Melbourne, from September 29 to October 3.
The world champion will be entering this year’s event at a disadvantage. He hasn’t had the opportunity to prepare as well as his competitors have, since he was out-of-competition until recently due to a broken elbow from a crash in the Tour de France.
“If you're injured, your motivation grows,” said Evans. “If you can cycle again, you are more eager. Obviously I would like to repeat my performance of last year. But that's easier said than done. I have a couple of weeks until then, but I am satisfied with
my current condition.”
Last year Evans finished on the podium in third place overall at the Vuelta a Espana, but this year his BMC-Racing Team is not competing in the final Grand Tour. In the meantime, Evans travelled to Canada last weekend to race in two one-day ProTour GPs in
the province of Quebec, the inaugural North American ProTour events, and finished 12th in both.
“I like to do these races, because they are more like the Geelong course,” said Evans. “They are also hard races, which I need.”
BMC-Racing did not apply to compete in the Vuelta and Evans never planned on riding the third Grand Tour, having already competed in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France this season. However, among the past winners of the World Championships there is
a distinct pattern of having used the Vuelta as a build-up to the competition. Evans has named his former teammate Philippe Gilbert, who is riding in the three-week-long Grand Tour, as his best competition for the win. “There will be a small group racing for
the line,” said Evans to Lotto Cycling TV. “Gilbert is the man to beat.”
Australian sprinter Allan Davis is also hoping to shine on his home soil as one of the sprinters chosen for the road team. Davis, riding for Astana, is one of a number of Australians who started the Vuelta in preparation for the championships, though two
others have both left the tour already. Davis has not taken any victories so far this season, and was left out of the Astana squad for the Tour de France.
"I was a little bit disappointed, but for the Worlds, it's the best thing that I haven't done the Tour this year. In Australia, there weren't many races televised when I was a kid, so I miss the Tour, but I'm just 30 and I have plenty more years to ride
the Tour de France.”
Simon Gerrans, for Team Sky, was out after stage seven when the British-based team abandoned the event after the death of staff member Txema Gonzalez. Stuart O’Grady, for Saxo Bank, was removed from the event, along with Andy Schleck, by his team manager
Bjarne Riis in a vague disciplinary action. They will both be competing on the road team, as will Matthew Goss, who is still riding the Vuelta. The current runner-up Richie Porte, who current Vuelta leader Michael Albasini named is his best rival, will be
riding the time-trial in the World Championships, and Michael Rogers will be riding in both events.
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