Australia has named a team with few surprises in the lead-up to what is expected to be an open world championships in Yorkshire.
"These world championships will be unique, not like what we have seen in the past,” said Brad McGee, Cycling Australia Technical Director, Road. “There are a lot of unknowns, and I expect these races to be very open and very dynamic.
“Our athletes will need to be very adaptable, well-aligned strategically and technically, with endurance set to be a big factor.
“[Michael] Matthews and Simon Clarke have proven themselves in one-day races across similar terrain, and Spratty [Amanda Spratt] again has had an outstanding year performing multiple roles.
“While our under 23s are a dynamic group of athletes, boasting muscle, strength and experience which provides a unique opportunity,” McGee added.
The tough and technical finishing circuit will test riders fully and offers a chance for all types of riders, though perhaps the non-selection of Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) and Chloe Hosking (Ale Cipollini) reflects the thinking that it will be too hard for pure sprinters.
The Elite Men's world championships road race course for 2019 Source: UCI
The biggest omission is Gracie Elvin (Mitchelton-Scott) who would normally count a course in the style of the Yorkshire road circuit as perfect for her combative style of racing. Elvin accepted the decision in a post on Twitter, indicating that she'll be unlikely to challenge the decision in the same manner as previous world championships selections of recent seasons.
"There is a growing depth of talent in Australian cycling at the moment," said Elvin on Twitter, "and it is a strong squad going to this year’s world champs. I wish them all the best and am excited to see what they can do. Time for me to recalibrate and get excited for some new goals!"
Rohan Dennis (Bahrain Merida) has been named to defend the rainbow bands in the time trial, though the 2018 champion is yet to return to racing since pulling out of the Tour de France in mysterious circumstances.
In the under-23 men Kaden Groves (SEG Racing Academy) looks to be the presumptive leader after coming off a stellar few seasons in Asian and European racing with rumours that he is World Tour-bound next season. He will be joined by current Under-23 national champions in the road race and time trial, Nicholas White (Team BridgeLane) and Liam Magennis (Drapac-Cannondale Holistic Development Team).
2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AUSTRALIAN TEAM
WOMEN
Grace Brown (Mitchelton-Scott)
Brodie Chapman (Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank)
Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon–SRAM)
Lucy Kennedy (Mitchelton-Scott)
Lauren Kitchen (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope)
Sarah Roy (Mitchelton-Scott)
Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott)
MEN
Simon Clarke (EF Education First)
Rohan Dennis (Bahrain Merida)
Mitchell Docker (EF Education First)
Luke Durbridge (Mitchelton-Scott)
Nathan Haas (Team Katusha Alpecin)
Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott)
Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb)
Rory Sutherland (UAE-Team Emirates)
U23 MEN
Kaden Groves (SEG Racing Academy)
Samuel Jenner (Team Wiggins Le Col)
Liam Magennis (Drapac-Cannondale Holistic Development Team)
Harry Sweeney (EvoPro Racing)
Nicholas White (Team BridgeLane)
