2014 Worlds

rick_chasey
rick_chasey Posts: 72,927
edited October 2014 in Pro race
12-14-Worlds-Map-2-623x440.jpg

From http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/12/ ... ted_311183


The Spanish world championships next fall will not be nearly as difficult as first expected when Ponferrada, a small city of 80,000 inhabitants, was first awarded the event two years ago.

Tucked in a lush valley surrounded by steep, rugged mountains, Ponferrada was expected by many to deliver up a true climber’s course ideal for its stable of mountain goats, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, and Alejandro Valverde.

But after a first glimpse at the championships’ website on Friday, it seems the courses for the road race and the time trial do not break any new ground.

Both courses fit neatly within the formula of world championship competition over the past several editions, with a mostly flat time trial course for the time trial, and a hilly, but not overly challenging circuit course for the road races.

Instead of tackling the steep climbs ringing Ponferrada that harbor some of Europe’s last wild brown bears, the road race circuit stays well within tradition.

The 18.2km circuit features two climbs each lap, with 306 vertical meters each lap. Neither is terribly long or steep — the first climb is about 4km long with 200 vertical meters, the second 3km with another 100 vertical meters.

That adds up during the 254.8km distance, but hardly will present a chance for the peloton’s pure climbing specialists.

Still, after months of delays and even doubts about its validity, the organizers of the 2014 world championships are getting their act together.

Despite missing out on the traditional presentation for the next year’s world championships, which typically coincides with the current worlds, in this case Tuscany, the Ponferrada worlds look to be on track.

Last month, with the support of the Spanish cycling federation, former MARCA cycling journalist Josu Garai took the reins of the organizing committee.

On Friday, the race organization unveiled its website, and provided the first detailed look at how the road and time trial courses will look for the weeklong event September 21-28.

Road race

The 254.8km elite men’s course features 14 laps on the 18.2km circuit, which loops out to a dam and short climb at Bárcena, setting up a duel between attackers and the strong teams.

The course is not nearly as difficult as initially expected when Ponferrada was awarded the worlds.

Time trial

Rumors that a climbing time trial would be on the menu were shot down when UCI officials visited Ponferrada last month, insisting that the time trial end on the same finishing straight as the road races.

The time trial course follows part of the road race circuit, with the opening 30km flat. The course includes a climb to the Bárcena dam, which will provide a challenge for the pure specialists late in the race. At 47.1km for the elite men, the route includes 458 meters of climbing, with one ramp as steep as 10 percent.

Team time trial

The team time trial course is largely flat, with a short but steep climb at the Villafranca de El Bierzo castle. The 57.1km TTT course opens the competition just a week after the conclusion of the Vuelta a España in nearby Galicia.


Given the Vuelta start lists are being decided, is always worth looking at who's going for training, and who's going for the Vuelta....
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Comments

  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,879
    Despite the first write up I would say over 4,200m of climbing is pretty challenging. Did they really expect some kind of mountain circuit? In terms of distance and climbing it's very similar to L-B-L.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,927
    Nowhere near as steep though.
    _
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,273
    If it was tomorrow Valverde would be unchallenged... end of September different story...
    left the forum March 2023
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    GVA suggesting he's up for it.
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    cancellara yet again said he is aiming for the RR, hard to imagine he will go his whole career without ever winning it, sounds like it could be a course for him
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Boonen fancied it after a recce
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    FJS wrote:
    Boonen fancied it after a recce

    Really? The course must be a lot easier than the original proposed circuit.

    But then, it's the worlds, it'll be brutal regardless.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    iainf72 wrote:
    FJS wrote:
    Boonen fancied it after a recce

    Really? The course must be a lot easier than the original proposed circuit.

    But then, it's the worlds, it'll be brutal regardless.
    And he hasnt changed his mind since, considering he's doing the Vuelta (which he doesnt really have any other reason to do)
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,927
    Cancellara's hungry for it too.
    _
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    Joelsim wrote:
    GVA suggesting he's up for it.

    his name is all over it, second place that is... shame really as he has been very very good this year. great animator of races.
  • whoami
    whoami Posts: 13
    Chavanel will finally get his day
  • andrew_s
    andrew_s Posts: 2,511
    Hmm - climbing = 306m per lap, descending = 324m per lap, so they finish each lap 18m lower than where they started it.
    How do they manage that - start up a tower and finish in a tunnel, or what?
  • oneof1982
    oneof1982 Posts: 703
    The official "song".

    http://www.mundialciclismoponferrada.co ... -KsCONdWSo


    (this forum has never had enough music on it)
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    So, who with a shout at the win on a parcours like this is not doing the Vuelta (suggesting not overly bothered)
    Costa
    Kristoff
    Nibali
    Kwiatkowski
    Terpstra
    Van Avermaet
    Gerrans
    Chavanel
    Vanmarcke
    Thomas
    Meersman
    Slagter
    Boom
    Langeveld
    Roelandts
    Albasini
    Visconti
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Riding the Vuelta isn't essential for people targeting the Worlds (who isn't), and there's a few decent races around the same time. Rui Costa didn't ride it last year, although riders who look good in the final week of the Vuelta usually do pretty well.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Milton50 wrote:
    Riding the Vuelta isn't essential for people targeting the Worlds (who isn't), and there's a few decent races around the same time. Rui Costa didn't ride it last year, although riders who look good in the final week of the Vuelta usually do pretty well.
    Costa was an exception though. It does tend to help. There's no other reason Boonen, Gilbert, Martin or Cancellara are riding the Vuelta
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,927
    Milton50 wrote:
    Riding the Vuelta isn't essential for people targeting the Worlds (who isn't), and there's a few decent races around the same time. Rui Costa didn't ride it last year, although riders who look good in the final week of the Vuelta usually do pretty well.

    He broke an otherwise fairly good rule that if you don't ride the Vuelta you don't win the Worlds.
    _
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,665
    Where does Cav rank on this chart, given that he rode the Vuelta but got his form from the Tour of Britain?

    The TOB is touting itself as a Worlds prep race, with stages over 200km on lumpy terrain
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,957
    Men’s elite road race (eight will ride)

    Steve Cummings
    Alex Dowsett
    Andy Fenn
    Chris Froome
    Peter Kennaugh
    David Millar
    Luke Rowe
    Ian Stannard
    Ben Swift
    Geraint Thomas
    Scott Thwaites
    Bradley Wiggins
    Adam Yates
    Simon Yates

    Men’s elite time trial (two will ride)

    Steve Cummings
    Alex Dowsett
    Geraint Thomas
    Bradley Wiggins

    Women’s elite road race (six will ride)

    Lizzie Armitstead
    Alice Barnes
    Hannah Barnes
    Anna Christian
    Lucy Coldwell
    Lucy Garner
    Nikki Harris
    Annie Last
    Sharon Laws

    Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/09/ ... 3TO0J2x.99
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • dsoutar
    dsoutar Posts: 1,746
    French pre-selection

    gggg.png
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,174
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Men’s elite road race (eight will ride)
    Nine will ride, not eight.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,142
    I think you're wrong Rich, GB have only qualified 8 riders.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,174
    andyp wrote:
    I think you're wrong Rich, GB have only qualified 8 riders.
    The UCI think it's nine.

    (Page 13) http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/News ... nglish.pdf
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • dsoutar
    dsoutar Posts: 1,746
    Team Skippy pre-selection:

    Nine from

    Simon Clarke, Luke Durbridge, Simon Gerrans, Matthew Hayman, Michael Hepburn, Michael Matthews, Cameron Meyer, Rohan Dennis, Cadel Evans, Nathan Earle, Richie Porte, Jay McCarthy, Rory Sutherland, Zakkari Dempster, Nathan Haas, Adam Hansen, Heinrich Haussler, David Tanner.
  • Roberto di Velo
    Roberto di Velo Posts: 127
    No Cav then. Having not seen anything of him since his comeback from injury, I don't really know if this is controversial. Bit surprised though.

    I'm not sure what Andy Fenn has done this year, whilst I thought Steve Cummings was injured.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,174
    Roberto di Velo wrote:
    No Cav then. Having not seen anything of him since his comeback from injury, I don't really know if this is controversial. Bit surprised though.

    I'm not sure what Andy Fenn has done this year, whilst I thought Steve Cummings was injured.
    Cummings has been riding quite well of late. 6th in Eneco TT, 4th in Tour du Poitou Charentes.

    I doubt Cavendish being left out is controversial. It's probably him who made the choice. There's no way they'd just leave him off the long list.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,957
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Men’s elite road race (eight will ride)
    Nine will ride, not eight.

    I just cut and paste from the article.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,142
    RichN95 wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    I think you're wrong Rich, GB have only qualified 8 riders.
    The UCI think it's nine.

    (Page 13) http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/News ... nglish.pdf

    We do this every year. :D

    By rights GB qualify 9 riders, as they are ranked in the top 14 nations in the World Tour, but we can only enter the number of riders who've scored WT points, which this season is 8.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,174
    andyp wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    I think you're wrong Rich, GB have only qualified 8 riders.
    The UCI think it's nine.

    (Page 13) http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/News ... nglish.pdf

    We do this every year. :D

    By rights GB qualify 9 riders, as they are ranked in the top 14 nations in the World Tour, but we can only enter the number of riders who've scored WT points, which this season is 8.
    They changed the rules this year. If you have less than nine you can top it up with riders that you would have qualified from their continental tour points. When Adam Blythe won in London it took GB up to 14th - and the top 14 get spots. So GB went up to nine. An assessment supported by the official UCI document saying who qualified for what.

    Here's the rules in full:
    The 10 first nations in UCI WorldTour classification by nation on 15 August 2014: each nation may enter 14 riders, with 9 to start.

    However, a nation with fewer than 9 riders classified in the individual UCI WorldTour ranking on 15 August 2014 shall start with the number of riders that are classified.

    A nation with 6 or less riders classified in the individual UCI WorldTour ranking can never the less start 6 riders.

    The nations that have fewer than 9 riders classified in the individual UCI WorldTour can complete their remaining athlete quota, by adding the places it would have received through their respective continental circuit – the UCI Africa Tour, UCI America Tour, UCI Asia Tour, UCI Europe Tour and the UCI Oceania Tour – but must not, however, exceed the athlete quota of 14 riders with 9 to start obtained in the UCI WorldTour classification by nation.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,174
    Mark Cavendish ‏@MarkCavendish 5m
    For clarification, I requested NOT to be considered for this years World Champs, With the current GB riders, there's better guys for the job
    Twitter: @RichN95

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