Most British pros set for Worlds long-list as confusion reigns
Swiss event cancellation puts plans back to square one, reports Vern Pitt
British Cycling is drawing up a “substantially” expanded long-list for the road World Championships as uncertainty hangs over the event after the Swiss authorities banned it from being held there.
Last week Swiss authorities extended a ban on sports gatherings of more than 1,000 people that had been expected to be lifted at the end of August, well before the start of the Worlds on 20 September. Such events are now banned until 1 October in response to a rise in coronavirus cases in the country.
Grégory Devaud and Alexandre Debons, co-chairs of the event’s organising committee, said: “We are sad and disappointed.
“We have worked hard for almost two years to deliver a magnificent event on an extraordinary course.”
The UCI said it now intends to find an alternative European location to hold the Worlds, with a similar climbing profile to the scheduled race in Switzerland. But whether that will be possible remains to be seen. The hilly Italian region of Emilia Romagna is among those that have been linked with the event.
British Cycling had high hopes of getting medals at the Swiss event with good prospects for the time trial in Alex Dowsett, who has done a lot of aero testing this year in an ongoing quest to improve; and the Yates brothers and Geraint Thomas in the road race. The women’s squad also had strong contender on the Swiss course in Lizzie Deignan. And in the U23 race they arguably had the strongest squad headed by Tom Pidcock.
Speaking to CW on Monday GB men’s coach Matt Brammeier said the Swiss cancellation had put plans back to square one. “They’re saying they’re going to try and make it as compatible as possible but we’re just preparing for anything to be honest.
“Emilia Romagna has been linked with the event”
“We’ve got a huge long-list, which we’re going to select this week. We’ve had to extend it by quite a substantial amount of people actually just to make sure we’ve got enough riders on that list for any course.” Almost all British riders in the pro-ranks were set to be put on notice.
Brammeier added that riders that are hoping to target the Worlds had mostly taken the news well. “Everyone’s starting to just adapt to it and get used to just resetting and refocusing on something else. So it’s just another one of those things.”
Where it may hamper GB’S hopes of a road race medal is in getting commitment from the entire squad of riders. After last year’s Worlds in Yorkshire, where the team rode for Ben Swift who finished in the main pack in 31st, Brammeier had been frustrated at what he saw as a lack of commitment from the riders. “We need to see each and every one of the riders commit like Swifty, these last few weeks, these last few months, really. I think until every one of us does that we ain’t ever going to be world champions,” he said in a wet cold Harrogate.
Speaking to CW just two weeks ago, he was again keen to stress that commitment was key to success. “I don’t really want to put any cards on the table for a result, it’s more about the performance for me, to be honest. It’s about just making sure that every single one of the riders comes in with absolute motivation to do everything they can to get into the team and then to play their role within the team.
“What does that look like? It looks like every one of them falling off their bikes [exhausted] after their job is done.”
Asked whether he worried about getting that if the character of the race changes substantially and GB is represented by a different set of riders from those that would have gone to race on a hilly Swiss course, he was sanguine. “Everything has been reset and that buy-in has as well because we just don’t know anymore. We just have to start again with everything. Just having all these chats all over again with the riders and working out who is all in and is committed to the race,” said Brammeier a little wearily.
A decision on where the Worlds will be held, if at all, is expected before 1 September.