Bauer, Villumsen in Spanish mission
Standout Commonwealth Games riders chase similar results at world champs.
Commonwealth Games medallists Jack Bauer and Linda Villumsen will lead a 10-strong New Zealand team to the road cycling world championships in Spain this month.
The team will contest championships in the small Spanish city of Ponferrada from September 21-28.
Bauer will be joined by fellow World Tour professionals George Bennett and Greg Henderson for the men’s road race, while Jesse Sergent will contest the men’s time trial.
James Oram and Dion Smith will contest the under-23 time trial and road races.
Villumsen leads the women’s team after winning gold in the time trial in Glasgow, and will be joined by Emily Collins, Reta Trotman and United States-based Joanne Kiesanowski in the road race.
‘‘Overall, it’s a select team of quality professionals who have made themselves available for what is a course which suits a specific rider who can handle the distance,’’ said BikeNZ high-performance director Mark Elliott.
‘‘Like in Glasgow, we have riders going there in support of Jack Bauer and Linda Villumsen. I am delighted that Greg Henderson has put his hand up.
‘‘We expect that George [Bennett] will be ideally suited to this course and also be in contention at the sharp end of the race. We had a strong plan under Craig Geater at the Commonwealth Games and we will be looking for a similar approach at the worlds but, of course, we will have all of the best riders in the world. Both Linda and Jesse have excellent credentials in the time trial where the course appears to be challenging and more technical than last year.’’
Sprinter Henderson is keen to help support Bauer in the road race while the climbing talent of Bennett, who pushed into the top-10 overall during the first week at the Tour of Spain, will provide good all-round support for New Zealand’s top medal hope.
Villumsen enjoyed a breakthrough effort by winning gold in Glasgow, and is hoping to secure gold in the time trial at the world championships after a second-place finish in 2013 and 2011.
The men’s road race is 255km with 14 laps and 28 climbs, and the women’s race is 127km with seven laps and 14 climbs. The week begins with the team time trial on September 21, followed by three days of racing in time trials and three days of road racing.
Team: Jack Bauer, Greg Henderson, George Bennett, Jesse Sergent, Dion Smith, James Oram, Linda Villumsen, Reta Trotman, Emily Collins, Joanne Kiesanowski.
Commonwealth Games time trial champion Linda Villumsen hopes to top the podium again at this month’s road cycling world championships in Spain. Photo: Fairfax NZ