Cycling: The cycling world championship is just around the corner! In Innsbruck, the women and men will be fighting for gold, silver and bronze in the coming days. We look at the three competitions and name our favourites.
23.09.: The last team time trial at a road world championship for the time being
The teams will kick off the 2018 Road World Championships. The following applies: Ladies first! On Sunday at 12 noon the last women's team will arrive in Innsbruck after 54,5 kilometers and 152 meters in altitude. As with the men, the start will be in Ötztal. However, the men have to cover 62,8 kilometers and, thanks to the mountain from Kematen to Axams, 427 meters in altitude. The last team is expected to arrive at the finish line around 17 p.m.
In both competitions, the Sunweb team is the defending champion. Last year, the German (men) and Dutch (women) team surprisingly won the team time trial. The goals are therefore clear: Title defense! But it shouldn't be easy, since the BMC team in particular is extremely strong in the men's category.
- Velomotion tip: 1st BMC / 2nd Mitchelton-Scott / 3rd Sunweb
Who do you think will take the first gold medals of this year's World Championships? Will Team Sunweb 🇩🇪 be able to defend their men's and women's team trial titles on Sunday? #WorldChampWednesday
©bettiniphoto pic.twitter.com/E5ehyo7bLP— Innsbruck-Tyrol 2018 (@ibk_tirol2018) September 19, 2018
26.09/XNUMX: Can Tony Martin fight for gold again in the individual time trial?
Tony Martin has already been world champion in the individual time trial four times, most recently in 2016. While the course didn't suit him last season, the German in Innsbruck definitely has a chance of a medal: “The final is demanding. But before that, there are around 30 flat kilometers to drive, which suit me.” Exactly after 30 kilometers it goes from Fritzens up to the Gnadenwald. An incline that should mess up the classification again. The men have to master a total of 52,5 kilometers and 654 meters in altitude - quite feasible for the starters from the German-speaking nations. One day before the elite men, the elite women and the juniors fight for gold. The U23 is already on September 24.09th. active. All of them can do without the hard mountain, have to complete 27,8 kilometers with 262 meters in altitude and start in Wattens.
The forest of grace knows no mercy. Therefore, the chances of gold for Tony Martin are not particularly good in our eyes. The competition between Dutchman Tom Dumoulin and Australian Rohan Dennis is too strong. Together with the Belarusian Vasil Kiryienka and the Swiss Stefan Küng, the German starters Tony Martin and Maximilian Schachmann can fight for third place.
- Velomotion tip: 1. Rohan Dennis / 2. Tom Dumoulin / 3. Vasil Kiryienka
- German top driver: Tony Martin
- Swiss top riders: Stefan Kung
- Austrian top driver: Georg preidler
Hard, pressing and a maximum gradient of 14% - this is the Men Elite Individual Time Trial with start in Rattenberg and finish in Innsbruck - Tyrol (Austria). Have a look yourself 👇 https://t.co/17fKcEDwDS
— Innsbruck-Tyrol 2018 (@ibk_tirol2018) September 16, 2018
30.09.: Cycling is looking for Peter Sagan's successor
Many fans who have joined cycling in the past three years only know one road world champion: Peter Sagan! The Slovak won in both Richmond, and Doha To put away. In Innsbruck, however, this is now over. Although many pundits give the hat-trick world champion a shot at defending his title, we're counting on a new world champion. The 258,5 kilometer long course with 4.670 meters of altitude difference from Kufstein to Innsbruck has to suit him perfectly. Eight steep climbs stand in the way. It's also up and down for the women the day before, for the U23 on September 28th and for the juniors on September 27th.
The nations of Spain, Colombia, the Netherlands and France are expected to be particularly strong among the elite men. These teams can fall back on several top climbers at the same time and thus not only make the race attractive with attacks, but also determine it through their pace work in the peloton. However, it will not be easy to take control, as the drivers have to do without the radio and the constant ups and downs invite attacks. The aim of all nations will be to outperform Spain's Alejandro Valverde and France's Julian Alaphilippe. If you arrive in Innsbruck together with these two fast-paced climbers, the gold has already been awarded. The British Yates twins Simon and Adam in particular will dare to attack, as will the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, the Pole Michal Kwiatkowski, the Italian Gianni Moscon and the Irishman Daniel Martin. In the end, however, we see the big nations ahead - the superiority of the numerous climbers is too strong.
- Velomotion tip: 1. Julian Alaphilippe / 2. Alejandro Valverde / 3. Wout Poels
- German top driver: Emmanuel Buchman
- Swiss top drivers: Matthias Frank
- Austrian top driver: Patrick Conrad
The best of luck to our local heroes 🇦🇹 ahead of their home world championships: Felix Großschartner, Lukas Pöstlberger, Patrick Konrad, Gregor Mühlberger, Michael Gogl
© Peter Maurer pic.twitter.com/8iI0GDxGGl— Innsbruck-Tyrol 2018 (@ibk_tirol2018) September 21, 2018