Cycling World Cup: Geisenhofer et al. Launched in Australia

Giessenhofer finished fifth in the time trial at the European Championships and after his excellent performance at the Vuelta, a top ten finish can be predicted. The Olympic champion is one of the favorites in the Road Race and Time Trial World Championships 17. But not the previous year. They are led by World Champion Ellen van Dijk (NED) and European Champion Marlon Riesser (SUI).

“I’m going into the race relaxed, without my usual pressure of perfection,” says Geisenhofer, who doesn’t want to set a goal. Either way, she coped well with the Vuelta and subsequent attempts at travel, including jet lag.

“You grow with challenges”

According to the 31-year-old, the route still gives her a bit of a headache. “As expected, very technical, with a lot of corners and some ups and downs. Usually I like ‘easy’ courses, where you have to pedal, but you grow with the challenges, so I’m looking positively at Sunday’s challenge. “The expectation is huge,” stressed Tyrolean ahead of his first three appearances. .

Filippo Canna is the defending champion in the men’s race over a similar 34km course with a 300m elevation difference. The Italian has not always been promising this season. Accordingly, the race for newly crowned Vuelta winner Remco Evenepoel is raising hopes of recapturing the rainbow jersey as the 2020 and 2021 world champion.

A road race without Geisenhofer

The final highlight of the title fights is the street races on the final weekend. Geisenhofer is no more, but he is still competing in the mixed team time trial on Wednesday. In the road race, 164 kilometers and 2,400 meters of elevation await the women.

The win will lead to Annemiek van Vleuten again. The 2019 Dutch world champion won all three major tours this year: the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta. The three ÖRV participants are Christina and Kathryn Schweinberger and Karina Schremp.

Great competition among men

A grueling elimination race of 267 km and nearly 4,000 meters of elevation gain is planned for the men. Belgium’s all-rounder Vaud van Aert, Slovenia’s former Tour champion Tataj Bokar and Dutch Classic hunter Mathieu van der Boel are considered hot gold tips in the expected exchange of blows on the final street circuit with the twelve-run Mount Pleasant. . “I think I’ve already proven that I’m very strong on climbs like this,” Van Aert said confidently.

It remains to be seen whether reigning champion Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) can get back into action after a Vuelta crash with a dislocated shoulder. In his Australian homeland, Giro d’Italia winner Jay Hindley, who tested positive for the coronavirus according to his team Bora, is worried about starting. Austrians Lukas Pöstlberger, Sebastian Schönberger, Felix Gall and Tobias Bayer are outsiders in the Concert of Great Nations.