Oscar Freire to spearhead Spanish team, while Dutch to travel without a sprinter
The Netherlands (KNWU) and Spanish (RFEC) Federations have both announced their nine-man teams for the upcoming World Championship road race on September 25th. Unsurprisingly, the Dutch team has a strong Rabobank flavour, with five of its line up coming from the orange and blue ProTeam, but so does the Spanish team, with four of its roster riding for the team.
The rest of the teams are both largely made up from the countries’ dominant ProTeams, with Vacansoleil-DCM providing three of the remaining four Dutchmen, and Movistar providing three of the other five Spaniards.
Despite featuring so many riders from the same team, there is a difference of opinion between the two national coaches over whether or not the race will end in a sprint. On what is regarded as the flattest course since Zolder, Belgium, in 2002, Spain will be built around the aim of securing a record fourth title for Oscar Freire; this, despite a highly disappointing season that saw him miss the Giro d’Italia and pull out of the Vuelta a España through illness.
Dutch coach Leo van Vliet evidently feels that the race will not end in a sprint, choosing to leave sprinter Theo Bos at home. While the 28-year-old is no stranger to rainbows himself, with five of his own in his wardrobe, those were all won on the track in the sprint, the kilometre and the Keirin, and there are still some doubts about whether he can perform in a race of 260km.
The Dutch team is instead made up of strong rouleurs and climbers, with good performances in the Vuelta a España rewarded. Fourth place, and points jersey winner Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) makes the team, even though the course will not suit him, as does Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM), who was threatening the top ten of the race until the final few days.
Although Freire has been officially declared the sole captain of the Spanish team, it does include two further sprinters in Spanish champion José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar) and Vicente Reynés (Omega Pharma-Lotto), the first of which has enjoyed a far better season than the three-time World champion.
Unlike the Dutch team however, Spain’s best overall performers in the Vuelta are not included, with winner Juan José Cobo (Geox-TMC) and stage winners Daniel Moreno and Joaquim Rodriguez (both Katusha) staying home.
“It was a difficult decision to leave out riders like [Cofidis’ Luis Angel] Maté or Egoi Martinez [Euskaltel-Euskaid], who rode a great Vuelta, or Koldo Fernández de Larrea [Euskalte-Euskadi], who was training well,” said Spanish coach José Luis De Santos. “But I can only take nine riders and I think I’ve selected the best, considering the circuit that we will find. Obviously this is a different type of rider from the last few years, without some cyclists that would be important in other circumstances as Samuel [Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)] or ‘Purito’ [Joaquim Rodriguez – ed], or even Cobo.”
Netherlands team for the World Championships (Elite men)
Robert Gesink, Lars Boom, Bauke Mollema, Maarten Tjallingii and Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Pim Ligthart, Wout Poels and Johnny Hoogerland (all Vacansoleil-DCM), and Niki Terpstra (Quick Step)
Spanish team for the World Championships (Elite men)
Oscar Freire, Carlos Barredo, Juan Manuel Gárate and Luis León Sánchez (all Rabobank), Imanol Erviti, Pablo Lastras and José Joaquín Rojas (all Movistar), Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky), and Vicente Reynés (Omega Pharma-Lotto)