Fifteen-time Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish will aim for the rainbow jersey on October 3rd with the support of the promising young rider Geraint Thomas and the experienced competitor Jeremy Hunt. The line-up for the various British teams to compete in Melbourne and Geelong were confirmed today by British Cycling, with other anticipated riders also set to take part.
National champion Emma Pooley, Olympic champion Nicole Cooke and under 23 title holder Lizzie Armitstead will compete in the women’s road race, and should also be in the fight for medals. They will be backed by Katie Colclough, Sharon Laws, Lucy Martin and Catherine Williamson.
Pooley is also a likely starter in the women’s time trial, with the other place to be made up of either Cooke, Laws or Emma Trott. David Millar will be the sole entrant in the Elite men’s time trial, as Bradley Wiggins has decided not to head to the worlds.
The under 23 time trial and road race squads will see the current European TT champion Alex Dowsett will represent Great Britain in both events. He will be joined in the latter by Andy Fenn, Jonny McEvoy and Luke Rowe.
Cavendish will have hoped to have had more team-mates but it became apparent in recent weeks that British Cycling’s male riders had not amassed enough points to secure a bigger allocation of places. Cavendish will be disadvantaged when the team size is compared to the nine man squads of teams like USA and Australia, but his ability to position himself well and his blistering finish could yet secure the rainbow jersey if the race comes down to a bunch sprint.
British Cycling’s Performance Director Dave Brailsford said that he is the logical leader of the team. “It’s no surprise that we’ve built the men’s road team around Mark this year,” he stated. “Both Mark and the coaching staff believe that, of the pool of talent we had to choose from, Geraint and Jeremy would provide the best support to Mark on this course.”
Pooley has had an outstanding season, taking races such as La Flèche Wallonne, the Tour de l'Aude, the Giro del Trentino and the recent GP de Plouay-Bretagne World Cup race. Armitstead has won stages in the Tour de l’Aude and the Route de France, and is making strong progression as she gets older.
Cooke has had an uncharacteristically quiet season, but has vast experience and won the women’s road race in 2008. If she can find her top form, she too will be a big contender.
“The women’s team is looking strong this year,” said Brailsford. “There are a few medal contenders in there, which puts us in a good position as we can see nearer the time which rider the team will support. I’m really pleased to see Academy riders Lucy Martin and Katie Colclough back on form after their accident in Belgium earlier this year.”
Cavendish will start the Vuelta a España on Saturday, using the Spanish Tour to build form for his big season objective.
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Elite Men’s Road Race:
Mark Cavendish
Jeremy Hunt
Geraint Thomas
Elite Men’s Time Trial:
David Millar
Elite Women’s Road Race:
Lizzie Armitstead
Katie Colclough
Nicole Cooke
Sharon Laws
Lucy Martin
Emma Pooley
Catherine Williamson
Elite Women’s Time Trial (four nominated, two to ride):
Nicole Cooke
Sharon Laws
Emma Pooley
Emma Trott
Under 23 Men’s Road Race:
Alex Dowsett
Andy Fenn
Jonny McEvoy
Luke Rowe
Under 23 Men’s Time Trial:
Alex Dowsett