Finally, after months and months of await, the moment is approaching. The moment in which we'll finally know the name of the 2010 World champion. The moment in which we'll know whether Melbourne's parcours was more suitable to sprinters or to finisseurs. The moment in which we'll discover whereas Bettini's team choices were right or wrong. The moment in which me, tomorrow morning at 5 am, will somehow find the strength to wake up, draw herself to the kitchen, turn on the tv, prepare a hot coffee, eat a mint sweet (one of those who make you almost cry because of their taste) and enjoy some hours of some good cycling. After what happened in the last days, I really need it.
As far as the race is concerned, Gilbert is considered the favourite almost by everyone. Personally, I'd suggest you paying a lot of attention also to don Oscar Freire and to mr. Matti Breschel. As well as that, look out for guys like Sagan, Hushovd, Kolobnev and Cancellara.
The Italian team is going to face this race with a team formed by Bruseghin, Gavazzi, Nibali, Oss, Paolini, Pozzato, Tonti, Tosatto and Visconti. I haven't found an explanation for Pinotti's rapid exclusion yet (and I'm sure that nor Marco has), but that's the team and I can't do anything about it. Paolini is a storic rider for our National, just like Tonti, Tosatto and Bruseghin. Visconti is pretty experienced and he's a Gilbert-style rider who could be very dangerous. Nibali has just won the Vuelta and I'm not sure he'll be in a great form tomorrow. Oss and Gavazzi then are talented riders, but are they ready to face such a tough parcours? Let's hope so. As far as Pozzato is concerned, the idea of him winning the Worlds simply frighten me. But still, I can't admit he's one of the favourites of the race (let's just hope he won't lose the 'magic moment' as he usually does in other races).
Between the main adversaries of la Squadra there will be the team of the Australians. The Aussies who are taking part in the home Worlds are Evans, Cooke, Davis, Gerrans, Goss, Hayman, O'Grady, Sulzberger and Rogers. Cooke, Davis, Goss and Gerrans are all very fast and resistant rider and, if the race ends in a sprint, they could do something very good.Also O'Grady is a fast and resistant rider, so let's expect something goodalso from him.
Also the Spaniards, as usual, will have a very good team, formed by guys like Barredo, Erviti, Garate, Plaza, Samu Sanchez, Ventoso, Zubeldia and, dulcis in fundo, Freire. Personally, I consider Freire the favourite of tomorrow's race (athough I hope an Italian-not Pozzatolocks please!-will win), since he's strong, he's experienced, he's fast and he can stand pressure very well.
Belgium's team will be formed by Aerts, Bakelandts, De Weert, Hoste, Leukemans, Roelandts, Van Avermaet, Willems and Gilbert. Philippe is always in a great form at the end of the year, but I think he needs to drop Freire to win tomorrow's race. One thing is sure: if he flies like he did at la Vuelta, Gilbert will be a tough opponent for everyone. I'm very happy to see that in this team there is also Leukemans and I think that adversaries would better pay some attention also to Van Avermaet, a very fast rider.
United States will have Tyler Farrar as captain and he'll be helped in the race by E. King, Lewis, McCartney, Pate, Peterson. Van Garderen, Vandevelde and Zabriskie. The team is very good and it's interesting to see that in it there are experienced guys like Zabriskie, Vandevelde and McCartney as well as young guys like Lewis and Van Garderen. Tyler Farrar is one of the best sprinters of the world and I think that, if the parcours isn't as hard as they say, he may get a medal.
The Dutch team will be formed by Boom, De Kort, Kroon, Kruijswijk, Langeveld (yay!), Moerenhout, Poels, Terpstra and Van Emden. Boom will probably be the captain, since he's fast and resistant.
The Germans will have a very good team, especially if the race ends up in a massive sprint. Die Deutschen in fact will race with Grabsch, Greipel, Hondo, Klemme, Knees, Martens, Martin, Sieberg and Wegmann. In spite of the absences of Jens Voigt and Linus Gerdemann, I consider this team very good. Greipel is a very strong sprinter (just look at his thighs) and on his side there will be his teammates Martin, Grabsch and Sieberg and a good sprinter like Hondo.
Luxembourg will be present with just 3 riders: Didier, Gastauer and Frank Schleck. Unfortunately the parcours doesn't seem to suit the characteristic of Didier and Frank, since they're very good climbers but they actually aren't sprinters. Gastauer is very young (22) and he'll surely do his best in tomorrow's race.
Russia's riders will be Brutt, Gusev, Karpets, Kolobnev, Ovechkin, Porsev, Silin, Trofimov and Vorganov. Look out for Kolobnev: the Worlds definitely are his race (2 medals over the last 3 years).
Also Edvald Boasson Hagen will race tomorrow, together with his Norwegian fellows Hushovd and Kristoff. Both Edvald and Thor are very fast and resistant riders, but I'm not sure of their form and, moreover, they have just one teammate to rely on.
The Swiss team will obviously have Cancellara as captain and together with Fabian there will be good workers like Albasini, Elmiger, Kohler, Morabito, D. Wyss and Rast. Probably Fabu will show us some good attack on the main descent of the parcours or in the last uphill meters of race.
Kazakhstan won't have Vinokourov to rpresent the nation, so the hopes of the country are in Bazayev, Dyachenko, Fofonov,Renev and V.Iglinsky's legs.
Slovenia has some good riders like Bole, Bozic, Brajkovic, Koren, Spilak and Stangelj. They're all very young, but I think they can give us a good show. After all, they've got nothing to lose in this race.
France will have the national hero Sylvain Chavanel riding together with Bonnet, R.Feillu, Gauthier, Hinault, Geslin and Offredo ( Chavanel is so going to attack).
Canada will have Meier, Rollin and Tuft, while Great Britain will have Cavendish, Hunt and David Millar. Cav is the best sprinter in the world, but everyone will try to drop him tomorrow and he'll have just two other riders on his side. So, I don't think he's ll win.
Colombia will have Serpa Perez and Tamayo Martinez, while Poland's riders will be Bodnar, Golas, Huzarski, Niemec (yay!!) and the young and fast Jaroslaw Marycz.
Venezuela will have Ochoa and Jackson Rodriguez, Morocco will have 6 (6!!) riders (Chaoufi, Elammoury, Jelloul, Lahsaini, Saadoune,Aarbia), Japan will have the magic couple Arashiro-Beppu plus Doi.
South Africa will have Impey, Lill and Thomson, Portugal will have Broco,Caldeira, Costa, Cardoso n.1 and Cardoso n.2. Ukraine will have Grivko (I'm 99% sure he'll enter a breakaway),Kostyuk, Kvachuk, Metlushenko and Sheydyk.
Denmark will have a very good team formed by Bak, Breschel, Lund, Morkov + Rasmussen and by just one Sorensen, Chris Anker. According to the latter, Matti Breschel is in a great form right now, so I think (hope) he'll manage to get a top 3 placement.
Lithuania will have the good time trialist Konovalovas, while the Czechs will be represented by Konig and Bencick. New Zealand will have 3 sprinters like Dean, Henderson and Roulston, Croatia will have Kvasina, Miholjevic and Rogina, Brasil will have Fisher, Estonia will have Kangert and Kriit (allez Kalle!!!).
Argentina will be formed by los hermano Haedo and by Medici, while the Irish will be Brammeier,McCann and Roche.
To my sister's shock, Sweden will be represented by Larsson and Ljungbald, while Lovkvist has probably remained in Europe to train for the last races of the year.
Austria will have the good Eisel and Wrolich, Serbia Der and Hasanovic, while Slovakia will be represented by los Velits twins and by the wonderkid Peter Sagan (look out for him!!). Chile will be represented by Guinez, while the Belarusians will be Hutarovich and Siutsou.
So, these are 178 riders who are taking part ion the Worlds tonight, ehm, today.My official podium prediction is: Gilbert, Freire and Breschel (not necessarily in this order). Other hot favourites of mine are Cancellara, Hushovd, Kolobnev, Sagan, Bole, Visconti and Pozzato.
That's all for now- have a good evening and, dear European readers, remember you won't be alone when you wake up tomorrow morning at 5 am (or even earlier).
You were right! Look out for Thor and pay attention to Matti..
RispondiEliminaI must admit that I only read the beginning of this posts since the race had already been raced.
I think Thor is a little bit like Cadel last year. They were always good riders but did not win a lot. Remember the TdF with Thor's battle against Tyler and Cav? and Cadel's endless wheelsucking which never brought him a big win? Kinda funny :) I hope this means Matti will win next year! Do you agree?
Don't worry if you've read just the beginning of this post: I realise that start lists are usually pretty boring.
RispondiEliminaI agree with you about Thor. He's always been a good rider, but I never considered him a phenomenon like, say, Freire or Boonen. And the same worths for Evans.
Perhaps now Thor will have a season like the one that Cadel had this year. If so, I think Cancellara and Boonen will have to give him a lot of attention next year at Roubaix!!
I'm very sorry for Matti. When I saw his jersey in front of everyone in the last meters I started to scream like mad although it was just 7.40 am, but when I realised that Thor was actually faster than him I felt very sorry for Matti. Btw next year the Worlds head to Copenhagen and I'm sure Matti will be up there again, for the fourth time in 4 years :)