Rohan Dennis and Amanda Spratt to headline Australian Road Worlds team
Rohan Dennis (Ineos Grenadiers) and Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) will lead Australia’s medal hopes at the upcoming Road World Championships in Imola, Italy from September 24 to 27.
Spratt, a two-time Worlds road race medalist, will lead the women’s road race line-up while Dennis will be seeking a third-straight time trial world title.
Michael Matthews (Sunweb) and Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) will headline the men’s road team, and will be ably supported by Dennis, Simon Clarke (EF Pro Cycling), Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott), Lucas Hamilton (Mitchelton-Scott), Jai Hindley (Team Sunweb) and Damien Howson (Mitchelton-Scott). Hindley and Hamilton will both make their elite World Championships debut.
In the women’s road race Spratt will be supported by Brodie Chapman (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), Lucy Kennedy (Mitchelton-Scott), Shara Marche (nee Gillow) (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), Rachel Neylan (Cronos Casa Dorada Women Cycling) and Sarah Roy (Mitchelton-Scott).
“2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, and these World Championships will be nothing like we have seen before,” said Steve Drake, CEO and managing director of Cycling Australia. “We have selected two strong teams that will provide a number of options on race day on what will prove to be testing courses.”
The men’s road race will comprise nine laps of a hilly 28.8 km circuit for nearly 5,000 metres of climbing over a 259.2 km course. The women will complete five laps for 2,750 metres of climbing in 144 km. A flat 32 km circuit will be used for both the men’s and women’s individual time trials.
The 2020 Road World Championships were originally scheduled to be held in the Aigle-Martigny region of Switzerland but were cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the Swiss government’s restrictions of large gatherings. The UCI announced last week that the championships would be relocated to Imola, Italy and reduced to just the elite categories.
Australian team for the 2020 Road Worlds
Women’s road race
– Grace Brown (Mitchelton-Scott)
– Brodie Chapman (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope)
– Lucy Kennedy (Mitchelton-Scott)
– Shara Marche (nee Gillow) (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope)
– Rachel Neylan (Cronos Casa Dorada Women Cycling)
– Sarah Roy (Mitchelton-Scott)
– Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott)
Men’s road race
– Simon Clarke (EF Pro Cycling)
– Luke Durbridge (Mitchelton-Scott)
– Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott)
– Lucas Hamilton (Mitchelton-Scott)
– Jai Hindley (Team Sunweb)
– Damien Howson (Mitchelton-Scott)
– Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb)
– Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo)
Women’s time trial
– Grace Brown (Mitchelton-Scott)
Men’s time trial
– Rohan Dennis (Ineos Grenadiers)
– Luke Durbridge (Mitchelton-Scott)
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