2017 - WK (interview & quotes)

"Het team spreekt echt voor zichzelf. Alle renners zijn formeel bovenaan, en ik heb de verwachting dat we een belangrijke rol in de cursus zullen spelen. De kapiteinrollen zijn nog steeds in Valgren en Cort, maar Søren Kragh Andersen heeft een vrije rol in de finale gewonnen met een grote Vuelta, "zegt Anders Lund in een persbericht.

De natuurlijke rivaal is Michael Valgren, die sinds de Tour relatief makkelijk lopende programma heeft gehad. Toch vertoonde hij veelbelovende vorm in de BinckBank Tour, en met World Cup en Denmark Rundt als laatste doel van het seizoen moet men ervan uitgaan dat hij de topvorm nadert. Valgren won vorig jaar in Vejle, en er is alle reden om aan te nemen dat hij weer zal lopen voor de overwinning op Kiddesvej, en hij met de kracht die hij toonde in Holland-België in augustus en de Ronde van Vlaanderen en de E3 lente, zal waarschijnlijk tijd winnen op de nog vrij sterke Pedersen. Zijn probleem is dat, ondanks zijn solide vermogen in de strijd tegen de klok, hij geen specialist is, en het is twijfelachtig of hij in de 4e etappe met zijn landgenoot kan passen. Omgekeerd is hij zo sterker bij de line-ups dat hij waarschijnlijk alle rivalen onder druk kan zetten, vooral in het licht van de moeilijke omstandigheden. Als hij in grote vorm is, is hij sterk genoeg om zoveel tijd te winnen dat hij het gemakkelijk kan verdedigen zoals verwacht wordt in de strijd tegen de klok, hoewel hij nauwelijks de single start.

Following the TTT, Durbridge's attention will be solely focused on helping Michael Matthews to the rainbow jersey in the road race. Durbridge was a key rider for Matthews when the latter won the U23 gold medal in 2010. With a handful of elite Worlds appearances now under his belt, Durbridge is hoping his former Orica teammate can add a senior rainbow jersey to his palmarés

"I have done the Worlds the last three or four years and it is one of my favourite times of the year. Riding for your country is such a special thing and it's always been amazing for me to pull on the Aussie jersey," he said. "I really respect it and I think everyone who comes to the Worlds in the last couple of years has respected it like that and that means we all ride for each other.

"Matthews has been prepping for this for a long time, I know personally the Worlds is one of Matthews' biggest races that he ever thinks or dreams about. When he is portraying that energy, we all bounce off it that and want to support it. I definitely think we can support him in a way that he can arrive in the best opportunity to wear the rainbow jersey. We've been working for three or four years now with Bergen, so fingers crossed it all comes out well."

At the last two Worlds, Peter Sagan has proven to be the man to beat with Matthews claiming second and fourth. The Slovakian has shown no sign of handing over his rainbow jersey without a fight and will start the race as the man to beat. So how does Australia and Matthews beat Sagan? An early move could be the trick as Durbridge suggests.

"Hopefully it's a pretty solid race then it might have to be that chance that rather than waiting back for it to be a small reduced bunch sprint where Sagan is going to win, Matthews might have to use initiative and move," he said. "Obviously, when the team all gets together, we'll discuss tactics and work it all out. There are a lot of other good riders besides Sagan that we have to worry about."

Belgian champion Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) will take confidence gained form his performances last weekend in Canada at the GPs de Quebec and Montreal into Friday's Championship of Flanders and then on to Bergen, Norway, next week for the UCI Road World Championships. The 26-year-old Belgian finished 16th and 17th in the pair of one-day WorldTour races after dropping out of the Bretagne Classic with illness.

"The Grands Prix Cyclistes Québec and Montréal reassured me about my condition," Naesen said. "I was sick before Brittany Classic but now I realize that I was able to regain my fitness very quickly. I think I will be able to be in form right in time for the World Championships in Bergen. On Friday I will participate in the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen. I am happy to return to racing in Belgium and on a circuit course, which is a format that I like. This is not necessarily my sort of parcours, but we will have a strong team for the race."

Kwiatkowski is high up the bookmakers’ list of favourites for Norway – Sagan, of course, is top – but that would probably be the case most years. Few riders are as versatile as the Pole, who can seemingly win races of all ilk, from the largely flat to the very hilly, and from one-day to week-long. He has beaten Sagan in sprints but can also shred a Tour de France peloton down to ten on a hors-catégorie mountain ascent.

The course in Bergen is punchy, first picking its way across the fjords before hitting Bergen for 12 laps of a finishing loop that contains three climbs, the last of which is 1.4km long at 6.5 per cent and tops out 8km from the line. The length, as always with the Worlds, at 267.5km, only adds to the unpredictability.

“It can be a really hard course, but you never know how it’s going to be raced,” says Kwiatkowski.

“There are lots of sprinters, and they might have a chance, especially if the weather is ok. We don’t know how the weather will look, or how the race is going to go, who will try and control. We just have to have the eyes open during the entire race, and adapt to the tactics. I know I’ll have good support. Maybe not as good as Ponferrada, because we had a full team [of nine], and this time we have just six riders.

“It’s really difficult to predict because who will be in the mix as there are not many races beforehand where all the contenders can race together. For sure the Belgian guys have a really strong squad. There’s [Edvald] Boasson Hagen and [Alexander] Kristoff as well. And of course Peter..."

A long season

Perhaps the biggest unknown is Kwiatkowski’s form. There are parallels with 2014 in that his approach to the Worlds has been preceded by a season’s worth of remarkable performances, and by a similar race programme – Tour de France, GP Plouay, Tour of Britain.

However, while he rested considerably after the 2014 Tour, this year he hung onto his form to win San Sebastián, and it wasn’t long before he was in Livigno for a three-week altitude camp.

“In 2014 I didn’t have a great Tour de France, and I felt a lot of fatigue after the Tour, so I took straight away recovery, and Worlds was a big goal, a big motivation,” he says. “This year it’s been a bit different, ending up with really good legs at Tour, then aiming for San Sebastián one week later. Maybe that’s just one week but maybe that one week can make the difference.

“You have to find this balance between resting and going back out training, doing efforts or volume. I think I rested enough. If it’s too much or not enough, we will see later in September.”

A useful indicator might be the Tour of Britain. Kwiatkowski won a stage and finished second overall in 2014. This year, Cyclingnews spoke to him shortly before he finished seventh in the 10-mile time trial and then fifth overall.

“At the Tour of Britain for sure I have different form, different legs than I did in 2014. I didn’t have the best feeling in Plouay [August 28] but I’ve been feeling better day-by-day here,” he says.

“It’s been a long season, but I’ve got the feeling I’m still on the way up, so that’s a good thing with still two and a half weeks to go. I'm pretty relaxed. I feel if the condition is there, I know how to race, and that gives me a lot of confidence."

Taking into account his domestique performance at the Tour de France, it’s not a stretch to include Kwiatkowski alongside the likes of Greg Van Avermaet, Alejandro Valverde, Philippe Gilbert, Chris Froome, and indeed Sagan, as riders who can reasonably lay claim to being the standout rider of of 2017.

The World Championships might just be the clincher.

“After a really difficult year last year, this year has just been amazing from the start,” he says. “And I hope until the end.”

ll Sanchez
Langeveld

ploegdynamieken?

Beiden top 15 MSR

Blessure amador?

Pöstlberger!

"I'm definitely proud to be selected again," said Bookwalter, who spoke to Cyclingnews by phone from Spain, where he is recovering from a crash in the Tour of Britain in which he collided with a car parked along the course. "I never take selection for Worlds for granted, especially these days with quite a few Americans in the WorldTour. We may not have the Peter Sagan superstar in the US right now, but we have a lot of good, talented, well-rounded guys."

This year's 267.5km route in Norway actually starts in Kollsnes for a short ride to the 19.1km Bergen circuit, which includes three punchy climbs on each of the 12 laps. Unlike Doha's relatively flat parcours, the Bergen course is a lot more like Richmond's challenging route. The three climbs come close together, with the 700-metre Løbergsveien reaching gradients of 5 percent. Just a few kilometres later the peloton will tackle another 1km climb at 4.8 per cent. A flat kilometre leads to the bottom of Salmon Hill, which averages 6.4 percent gradient for 1.5km. A technical descent into Bergen leaves another 8.1km to the line, the last 2.7 of which are flat.

"I haven't seen the course firsthand, but profile-wise there's a lot of accumulated climbing, and technical-wise it's similar to Richmond," Bookwalter said. "I think the last kilometre at Richmond, from what I understand, is more demanding than the one in Bergen, which will definitely play in. I anticipate more of a kind of Richmond outcome without Sagan going away, but with him, who knows. He's shown that anything is possible. But on paper it looks to be a reduced bunch sprint."

That kind of course could once again favour Howes, who recently won stages at the Colorado Classic and tour of Alberta, or Reijnen, who has been doing the yeoman's work of a domestique in his second season with Trek-Segafredo. The competition in Bergen, however, will obviously be top notch, and the US riders have to be realistic about what they can accomplish there.

"Well, again, we don't have a Sagan or a Van Avermaet or a Boasson Hagen, who looks to be flying right now, but I think most of us have also been to Worlds at this point, and Alex and myself have done the rides and slotted into the top-20, top-15 result, so obviously we are capable of that," Bookwalter said. "But I'd like to see us play a little more active role in the race, maybe gamble a little more and not be worried about finishing all the guys or finishing in the top 20, but just play a little more active and present role in the race."

As Bookwalter implied, the best option for the US riders could be to try and shake up the race before the finish, but that's a tall order with many bigger, more powerful teams hoping to line things up for their designated sprinters.

"That's always a long shot because it's so long," Bookwalter said. "You know, there's not too many times during the year or in your career that you ever race that long. It's not mountainous, but I think the total climbing metres are still comparable to an all-mountain stage in a GrandTour.

"It's demanding, and then as everyone is talking about, the weather will be pretty influential, cold and likely wet," he said. "It'll be a battle of attrition, and I think a battle of keeping the head and the body in the game until those last moments."

Although they may be outgunned by the bigger names and bigger teams, Bookwalter said the US squad will take a lot of motivation into the race, if for no other reason than to represent the country's colours well and be a factor in the race. Although World Championships as of late have been somewhat predictable, it's still cycling, and anything can happen.

"I've got two BMC teammates there and three other guys who I haven't been on a trade team with in the past, but I have definitely raced with them, maybe not Nate, but Kiel and Alex with the national team," Bookwalter said.

"They're good guys, guys that I live in Girona with and train with, like-minded guys who are red-white-and-blue-hearted American dudes who are all equally passionate about it. There's no one who's on the team by just sort of default or filling a spot. I think everyone is really passionate and motivated."

La Fédération suisse a dévoilé le nom des coureurs qui participeront au Mondiaux de Bergen (17-24 septembre). Ils seront 6 pour la course en ligne, et le leader devrait être Michael Albasini, qui vient de remporter la Coppa Agostoni. Les expérimentés Gregory Rast et Michael Schär sont sélectionnés, tout comme les jeunes Stefan Küng, Silvan Dillier et Fabian Lienhard. Martin Elmiger et Reto Hollenstein seront remplaçants. Pour le chrono, le sélectionneur a choisi de miser sur Hollenstein et surtout Stefan Küng, qui à 23 ans sera l'un des favoris à la victoire finale.

Malgré un nombre de coureurs limités par rapport aux grandes nations mondiales, l'équipe de Slovénie aura fière allure lors des Mondiaux de Bergen (17-24 septembre). Si Luka Mezgec aura sa carte à jouer en cas d'arrivée au sprint, les regards seront aussi tournés vers Primoz Roglic, vainqueur d'étape sur le Tour de France, et Matej Mohoric, qui a récemment remporté une étape sur La Vuelta. Jan Polanc, Jan Tratnik et Luka Pibernic complètent la sélection pour la course en ligne, alors que Roglic et Tratnik seront aussi alignés sur le contre-la-montre.

WK niet in gevaar
Van Baarle zelf hield aan een val in de slotrit van de Tour of Britain gebroken ribben over. Het WK stond daardoor eventjes op de tocht, maar normaal gesproken kan hij daar in actie komen. Bondscoach Thorwald Veneberg laat aan WielerFlits weten dat de definitieve beslissing dit weekend valt. “Alles kan nog. Maar het ziet er voor Dylan wel goed uit”, aldus de bondscoach. Mocht Veneberg alsnog een vervanger oproepen, dan komen Wilco Kelderman, Sam Oomen, Tom-Jelte Slagter of Danny van Poppel in aanmerking. Zij zijn als reserve aangewezen voor de wegrit.

Championnat du Monde : la sélection de la Colombie

Première des nations à annoncer sa sélection pour le Mondial de Bergen (Norvège), la Colombie vient d'adapter sa sélection initiale. Carlos Betancur avait déjà été remplacé par Jhonatan Restrepo. Deux autres coureurs viennent de disparaître de la liste en la personne de Miguel Angel Lopez et d'Esteban Chaves.

Le sélectionneur national, Carlos Mario Jaramillo, vient de les remplacer par Nelson Andrés Soto Martínez (Coldeportes Zenú) et Sebastián Molano Benavides (Team Manzana Postobón)

La sélection définitive :

1.- Fernando Gaviria Rendón (Quick Step Floors)

2.- Rigoberto Urán Urán (Cannondale Drapac)

3.- Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Team Sky)

4.- Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Movistar Team)

5.- Sebastián Henao Gómez (Team Sky)

6.- Járlinson Pantano Gómez (Trek Segafredo)

7.- Jhonatan Restrepo Valencia (Team Katusha)

8.- Sebastián Molano Benavides (Team Manzana Postobón)

9.- Nelson Andrés Soto Martínez (Coldeportes Zenú Claro)

Boivin geselecteerd voor Canada.  Kanshebber selectieve aankomst - opvulling

Coppa Bernocchi voorbeeld van Italiaanse waardeverhoudingen? Zwaardere wedstrijd, regen, "maar" 200 km. Sprint eerder door de klassieke types zoals Colbrelli, abasini, Modolo. Viviani kon enkel "volgen" in de sprint.

Interview Degenkolb?

Valgren OK... Rol Pedersen? Deense ploeg algemeen?

SK Andersen
Valgren
Mads Pedersen
Cort Nielsen

Weinig ploegen houden het bijeen?

België wil alles uit mekaar rijden.
Italië gaat niet op kop rijden (zie boven)
Slowakije te weinig volk
Duitsland? Vertrouwen Degenkolb?
Nederland : geen sprinter - Dumoulin, Terpstra
Frankrijk : geen sprinter - Alaphilippe
GB : geen sprinter - Swift
Colombië : hebben wel een sprinter, maar vertrouwen groot genoeg?
Polen : wil geen sprint
Noorwegen : gaat ook niet passief blijven tot de laatste ronde met Bo Hagen.

Matthews over voorbereiding :

"My ideal preparation was here or Britain," he said. "When you see the stages at the Vuelta this year, I think there were only three or four opportunities for riders like us to go for a stage and there's 21 stages. It's mainly uphill finishes, mountain finishes, so it wasn't really an option for me. And also too with the weather normally being really hot every single day in the Vuelta to then go and race the Worlds in the freezing cold rain, it's the total opposite. So it's a risky move going to the Vuelta.

Michael Matthews (Sunweb) made his final pre-Worlds starts last weekend in Canada at the GPs Québec and Montréal, and he proved his form for Bergen with top 10s in both, including a third-place finish in Quebec City.

"It was another good preparation here in Canada. It's a similar course to what the Worlds will be with a climb and a circuit. Though Norway is quite a bit longer, so I'm assuming I'll be better than in the shorter race," Matthews said after his second career podium performance in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. He agreed with an assessment by Québec runner-up Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) that he, Sagan and Van Avermaet were all likely to be going head to head at the business end of the Worlds road race.

"Hopefully like Greg said this is the podium but in a different order. I think each one of us wants to be on the top step, but I think it will be a good show to see who will be on that top step."

Claiming a pair of stage wins and the points jersey at the Tour de France to go with wins in the Vuelta al País Vasco and the Tour de Suisse, Matthews has enjoyed one of his strongest years as a pro. He joined Sunweb at the start of the season after four years with various iterations of Orica, and has slotted in to a void left by John Degenkolb, who jumped to Trek-Segafredo for 2017.

Turning a sharp Classics skill set and strong career results into actual victories has been a challenge for Matthews thus far, however. He has delivered impressive performances in top-tier one-day races throughout the calendar, with seven top 10s in WorldTour one-day races this season, but has never taken a victory in a one-day event at the WorldTour level. Ahead of his biggest one-day race objective of the year, then, the Canadian GPs were a valuable piece of his tune-up puzzle.

While the Vuelta a España has been the classic Worlds build-up event in the past, things have changed in recent years. Three of the last four World Championship road races have gone to riders that eschewed the Spanish Grand Tour for alternative late-season tune-ups, and Matthews is hoping to join that list this year. A pair of rolling circuit races in a cooler clime had obvious benefits for a rider eyeing success on the lumpy road course in Bergen.

"My ideal preparation was here or Britain," he said. "When you see the stages at the Vuelta this year, I think there were only three or four opportunities for riders like us to go for a stage and there's 21 stages. It's mainly uphill finishes, mountain finishes, so it wasn't really an option for me. And also too with the weather normally being really hot every single day in the Vuelta to then go and race the Worlds in the freezing cold rain, it's the total opposite. So it's a risky move going to the Vuelta.

"Either here or Britain was going to be my preparation. Also Britain is pretty bad weather like Norway so I think that would have been pretty good preparation too, but with the one-day races, here in Canada, it's also one-day racing at the Worlds, so it's nice to get that one-day racing in before the Worlds instead of stage racing."

As is the case each year, the upcoming Worlds road race was a central topic of conversation at every pre- and post-race press conference for the Canadian GPs. While plenty of riders who made the trek did target one or both of the races a major late-season objective, Matthews was clear after his strong ride in Quebec City what he was there for, and he also noted that everything was going to plan to that point.

"Everything from after the Tour until now has just been a stepping stone to be at my best at the Worlds," he said. "That's been the goal since the Tour de France. I had a nice little rest after that, and these are the stepping stones I need to be doing to be at my best for the Worlds. Everything is going into that at the moment. But I think it's going in the right direction, and I think I should be at my best for the Worlds, physically and mentally."