Falls during the Strade Bianche, the Flèche Brabançonne and especially Liège-Bastogne-Liège (pneumothorax, broken ribs and shoulder blade), not selected for the Tour de France, affected by Covid-19 and injured a shoulder on the Vuelta, last week… So many adventures that left the suspense hanging over Julian Alaphilippe’s participation in the road race of the World Championships, on September 25 in Wollongong (Australia).
But, on Tuesday, the reigning double world champion is indeed part of the France team for the Worlds. Thomas Voeckler, the coach, announced a group of nine names. Alaphilippe will be accompanied by Romain Bardet, Christophe Laporte, Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher, Florian Sénéchal, Pavel Sivakov, Rémi Cavagna and Bruno Armirail. The latter two will also compete in the time trial.
Gaudu, Cosnefroy, Démare and Pinot absent
Among the main absentees are David Gaudu, fourth in the Tour de France this summer, Benoît Cosnefroy, winner of the Quebec GP last Friday, sprinter Arnaud Démare, Guillaume Martin and Thibaut Pinot.
Among the women, Aude Biannic, Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Coralie Demay, Juliette Labous, Marie Le Net, Evita Muzic and Gladys Verhulst have been selected for the online event which will take place on September 24. Labous and Le Net will also compete in the time trial. Initially planned, Cordon-Ragot, French champion of the specialty, last year, is replaced for medical reasons.
