Gear Up for the UCI Road World Championships
Excitement is mounting as Qatar prepares to host the UCI Road World Championships.
From October 9 to 16, Doha becomes the first Middle East country to host the competition and anticipation is near the ceiling with just a few weeks to go until the action begins. Hosting the World Championships is set to enhance Doha’s reputation as a destination for major sporting celebrations with other events such as the World Bowling Championships 2016, the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2018, the Athletics World Championships 2019 and the FIFA World Cup 2022 also heading there.
This year’s championship is set to be mammoth with 1000 racers arriving from 75 different countries and determined to compete for the famous rainbow jersey. The usual national federation members, delegations, technicians and journalists will be joined by some 30,000 fans to create a festive atmosphere of cycling excellence.
Usually held in September, the competition has been moved to October due to the heat and strong winds. There will be a total of 12 titles to be won, including a time trial for men under-23 and the elite men’s road race which will put riders into the desert for 151.1 kilometers.
The competition schedule
Saturday 8 October 2016 – Time Trial Training
Sunday 9 October 2016 – Women’s Team Time Trial, Men’s Team Time Trial
Monday 10 October 2016 – Women Junior Individual Time Trial, Men Under 23 Individual Time Trial
Tuesday 11 October 2016 – Men Junior Individual Time Trial, Women Elite Individual Time Trial
Wednesday 12 October 2016 – Men Elite Individual Time Trial
Thursday 13 October 2016 – Road Race Training, Men Under 23 Road Race, Junior Conference
Friday 14 October 2016 – Women Juniors Road Race, Men Juniors Road Race
Saturday 15 October 2016 – Mass Participation Event, Women Elite Road Race
Sunday 16 October 2016 – Men Elite Road Race
Challengers for the Elite Road Race
Mark Cavendish took both the overall in Qatar and the last World Cycling Championship that was contested on a flat Parcours and is the favorite at the time of writing with odds of 18/5. He’s looking to become the only Brit to take a second gold after he captured the rainbow jersey in Copenhagen in 2011.
Peter Sagan is considered one of cycling’s greatest talents, having earned many significant victories and taking his first yellow jersey earlier this year.
Marcel Kittel will be looking to put behind him last year’s disappointment at not being selected for the Tour de France and is expected to do well in this year’s Worlds after winning the Dubai Tour.
Greg Van Avermaet can be considered a dark horse as he won the individual road race in Rio this year and has two stage wins in the Tour de France.
In the men’s time trials, Fabian “Spartacus” Cancellara from Switzerland, will look to cap an amazing final season after winning his third gold medal by finishing first in Rio. Challengers to the four-time rainbow jersey winner include the likes of three-time winner Tony Martin (Germany), Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), Rohan Dennis (Australia) and current world champion Vasil Robocop’ Kiryienka (Belarus).
Linda Villumsen is the only New Zealand senior cyclist to win an individual medal at the UCI Road World Championships and is the defending champion in the women’s time trials. She’ll be up against stiff competition in the form of Lisa Brennauer (Germany), Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands) and gold-medal winner in the Rio road race Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands).
It seems likely to be a straight fight between Belgium, France, Great Britain and the USA for the title of overall UCI World Champions.
Circuits
The Tour of Qatar held earlier this year essentially acted as a tester for the final circuit of the Elite Road Races and the urban nature of the circuit means it’s going to be very different to prior racing environments. Unlike previous editions, the Parcours features no climbs of any kind and the sweltering temperatures and strong winds will provide a distinctive challenge for riders.
The Elite Road Race starts at the artificial island The Pearl-Qatar and will pass by famous locations in the city, such as Education City, which features famous international universities, the Aspire Zone with its iconic sports venues, and the sports complex of Lusail. Between the start and finish the male riders face 257.5 flat km while women endure 134.5 km. Both male and female competitors will race a 15.2 km circuit in Doha seven times following either a 151.1 km round through the desert (male) or a 28.1 km section (female) starting from the Qatar Foundation.
The route for the team time trials is the same for all competitors and features a number of sharp turns, followed by a long straight and a coiling finish, similarly taking in the scenery of the iconic Pearl-Qatar.
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Stage 3 to Oron ITT
