Team Australia announced its final squad for the UCI Road World Championships
Last month, Australian selectors released a long list of cyclists for the 2012 UCI Road World Championships scheduled in Limburg, Netherlands next month.
However, the final squad for the September 16 event has been announced today and Simon Gerrans will be seen in the leadership role for the road race event.
Gerrans is having an outstanding season and his recent victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec has made the job lot easier for the management.
He will be supported by Allan Davis who will try his luck if the race is to be decided by a sprint.
Davis is coming fresh after a convincing Vuelta a Espana where he comes close to a stage victory on several occasions.
Cycling Australia National Performance Director, Kevin Tabotta was delighted with the selection and briefed that the Limburg track will play an important role and only the best men suited to the Dutch parcours have been selected.
"It's a solid world championship course," he noted.
"The 16.5km road circuit contains two climbs each lap including the famed 1200 metre long Cauberg that boasts a six percent gradient”.
"The elite men's event also covers a hilly 100km loop prior to reaching the finishing circuits around Valkenberg so a tough day in the saddle is expected”.
"We have athletes listed in the long teams for men, women and U23 men who have shown form in recent selective races and we believe we can compete with the best nations for results in both road and time trial events".
The final squad for the coming event is as below,
Elite men road race: Simon Clarke, Allan Davis, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge), Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol), Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Sharp), Michael Matthews (Rabobank), Richie Porte, Michael Rogers (Sky), David Tanner (Saxo Bank - Tinkoff
Bank).
Elite men time trial: Luke Durbridge, Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge).
Elite women road race: Tiffany Cromwell, Shara Gillow, Amanda Spratt (Orica-AIS), Gracie Elvin, Jessie Maclean (Jayco-AIS), Rachel Neylan ABUS Nutrixxion), Loren Rowney (Specialized-Lululemon).
Elite women time trial: Shara Gillow (Orica-GreenEdge).
U23 men road race: Nick Aitken, Rohan Dennis, Michael Freiberg, Damien Howson, Jay McCarthy (Team Jayco AIS), Adam Phelan (Drapac Professional Cycling).
U23 men time trial: Rohan Dennis, Damien Howson (Team Jayco AIS).
Junior men road race: Caleb Ewen, Bradley Linfield, Robert Jon-McCarthy, Nicholas Schultz.
Junior men time trial: Alex Morgan.
Junior women road race: Georgia Baker, Jessica Mundy, Allison Rice, Emily Roper.
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