A strong and diverse 32-rider Great Britain Cycling Team squad is set to contest the 2014 UCI Road World Championships from 21 to 28 September in Ponferrada, Spain.
The Great Britain squad includes Tour de France winners, Olympic and world champions together with a strong contingent of proven under-23 and junior athletes.
Tour de France winners Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome feature in the elite men’s squad, captained for the final time by David Millar, while UCI Women’s Road World Cup champion Lizzie Armitstead headlines an elite women’s squad that draws from the country’s top road and off-road riders.
The venue
Ponferrada in the Castile y Leon region of north-west Spain is the venue for the 2014 UCI Road World Championships. Surrounded by mountains and renowned for its Templar castle, the ancient city and its hinterland is a suitably dramatic background for what will prove to be an exciting week of racing.
On the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, the city will become a nexus for the road racing faithful, with the road and time trial routes in all finishing on the Avenue de Asturias, named after Ponferrada’s founders.
Day-by-day guide
Monday 22 September
Junior women’s time trial – Start time: 9:00am | Map and Profile
Grace Garner
Mel Lowther
The junior women’s time trial is contested on a 13.9-kilometre clockwise loop to the north of Ponferrada. The course is largely flat, with a 100-metre climb with three kilometres to go. With a maximum grade of 7% it will be enough to disrupt the rhythm, before a steep descent and a flat run to the finish.
Making her world championships debut in Spain, 17-year-old Grace Garner will compete in both the time trial and Friday’s road race. Garner has enjoyed success already in 2014 on the international stage, winning silver in the omnium at the UEC European Under-23 and Junior Track Championships.
Melissa Lowther also makes her world championships debut but the 18-year-old Olympic Development Programme rider is no stranger to international competition and races on the road and track for Matrix Fitness – Vulpine.
Under-23 men’s time trial – Start time: 1:00pm | Map and Profile
Scott Davies
Jon Dibben
The 18 to 23-year-old men will tackle a 36.15-kilometre circuit looping west on mostly flat roads from Ponferrada before heading back to east to tackle the same seven-percent climb as the junior women earlier in the day.
British under-23 time trial champion Scott Davies will join Jon Dibben in representing Great Britain. Davies took the British title in Monmouthshire earlier in the year on a challenging course and competed for the Great Britain team in the UCI Under 23 Nations’ Cup campaign.
Jon Dibben returns to international road duties for the worlds after competing in the 2013 event in Tuscany, the 20-year-old from Southampton having recovering from a broken elbow that marred his 2014 season.
Tuesday 23 September
Junior men’s time trial – Start time: 9:00am | Map and Profile
Matt Gibson
The junior men will contest the world title on a shortened version of the men’s under-23 circuit, 29.5-kilometres in length punctuated with a short, sharp climb close to the finish.
Matt Gibson will be Great Britain’s sole representative in the junior men’s event, the 18-year-old finishing fifth in the 2013 world championships in Italy and winning the time trial in the illustrious Course de la Paix junior race in May 2014.
Wednesday 24 September
Elite men’s time trial – Start time: 12:30pm | Map and Profile
Alex Dowsett
Sir Bradley Wiggins
The elite men’s time trial field will face a 47.1-kilometre course figure of eight course starting and finishing in Ponferrada. Very much a course of two halves, the figure-of-eight circuit heads west on fairly flat terrain before looping back to the city and entering its hilly second half to the east, with the climbs of Confederacion and Mirador before a fast downhill finish in Ponferrada.
Sir Bradley Wiggins and Alex Dowsett will represent Great Britain. Wiggins has indicated that a tilt at the world title remains a major career goal on the road, before his impending switch back to track racing ahead of Rio 2016.
Wiggins, who took silver last year behind Tony Martin, showed his recent form winning the Tour of Britain time trial and his ability to maintain pace on the hills will be a key advantage.
Alex Dowsett comes into event in superlative form, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist was ultra-combative in the Tour of Britain and will want to end his season on a high.
Friday 26 September
Junior women’s road race – Start time: 8:00am | Map and Profile
Megan Barker
Grace Garner
Beth Hayward
Mel Lowther
The junior women battle it out for the world title over four laps of an 18.2-kilometre circuit that will be used for all categories.
The circuit features two climbs that are likely to be the catalyst for race-defining moves. The first climb at Confederacion comes midway through the lap, closely followed by the ascent of Mirador before a fast descent to the finish in Ponferrada.
A four-rider Great Britain squad will contest the junior women’s event. Megan Barker and Grace Garner will be used to working together, half of the 2014 European junior team pursuit-winning squad. Barker and Garner will be joined by Melissa Lowther and Bethany Hayward, teammates on the Matrix Fitness – Vulpine road outfit.
Under-23 men’s road race – Start time: 12 noon | Map and Profile
Scott Davies
Owain Doull
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Dan McLay
Alex Peters
The under-23 men will use the same course as the junior women in the morning, with ten circuits of the 18.2-kilometre circuit deciding the destination of the world title.
Great Britain’s squad comprises Scott Davies, who competes in his first worlds at under-23 level having finished seventh in the 2013 junior men’s event in Italy. Davies is joined by Owain Doull who finished fourth in prestigious under-23 Tour of Flanders and Dan McLay, who produced an impressive performance in the Tour de l’Avenir, sprinting to victory on stage three.
Tao Geoghegan Hart showed his form and ability at the Tour of Britain, the 19-year-old finishing 15th overall, while Alex Peters impressed in the British Cycling Elite Road Series, the Madison Genesis rider winning the opening round and finishing third overall.
Saturday 27 September
Junior men’s road race – Start time: 8:00am | Map and Profile
Gabriel Cullaigh
Nathan Draper
Matt Gibson
James Shaw
Steve Williams
The junior men face seven laps of the Ponferrada course with a total race distance of 127.4-kilometres and 2142-metres of climbing.
The Great Britain quintet contains the core the unit that catapulted Matt Gibson to sixth place overall in the Course de la Paix earlier in the season, with the addition of Nathan Draper, silver medallist at the British Cycling National Junior Road Championships and Steve Williams, the NFTO rider who finished second overall in the Ras de Cymru.
Women’s elite road race – Start time: 1:00pm | Map and Profile
Lizzie Armitstead
Alice Barnes
Hannah Barnes
Anna Christian
Lucy Garner
Annie Last
The elite women will contest the world title over the same distance as the junior men, the two climbs on the 18.2-kilometre course providing the key race-defining points.
UCI Women’s Road World Cup overall winner Lizzie Armitstead will lead a team composed of Great Britain’s top road and mountain bikers. Alice Barnes moves from cross-country mountain biking, her climbing skills key on a course featuring over 2000-metres of ascent. Barnes finished a superb fifth in the Commonwealth Games cross-country and seventh in the under-23 event at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships earlier in September.
Alice will be joined by elder sister Hannah Barnes, the 2013 British circuit race champion who now rides for the US-based United Healthcare squad.
Giant-Shimano pro Lucy Garner will add further firepower to the women’s squad, the 19-year-old double junior world champion renowned for her formidable sprint.
Great Britain’s top female cross-country mountain biker Annie Last will make a rare appearance on the road, Last returning from long term injury to finish fourth in the Commonwealth Games cross-country and 12th in the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Last’s climbing abilities will provide key support to Armitstead on the ramps of Confederacion and Mirador.
Further support will come from Anna Christian, 2013 British junior road champion, who moved up to the under-23 ranks in 2014, placed second overall at the Three Days of Bedford stage race and achieved a top twenty result in the Commonwealth Games road race, riding for the Isle of Man.
Men’s elite road race – Start time: 9:00am | Map and Profile
Steve Cummings
Chris Froome
Pete Kennaugh
David Millar
Luke Rowe
Ben Swift
Geraint Thomas
Adam Yates
Simon Yates
The elite men will face 254.8 gruelling kilometres, with 14 laps of the 18.2-kilometre course and over 4000-metres of climbing.
The Great Britain squad will be led by David Millar, the 37-year-old who captained Mark Cavendish’s memorable title bid in 2011 fulfilling the role for the final time before retirement.
Following his second place in the Vuelta a Espana, Chris Froome is in superb form and his climbing talents will be put to good use on the ascents of Confederacion and Mirador.
Ben Swift has highlighted that the world championships is a key goal for him, with parcours favouring a sprinter who can climb. Swift’s Team Sky squad-mate and 2014 British champion Pete Kennaugh has also had a superb 2014, winning the British road title in June and the Tour of Austria in July.
Geraint Thomas produced some compelling performances in 2014, seventh in Paris-Roubaix, winning the Bayern Rundfahrt in June and producing gritty performances in the classics-inspired stages of the Tour de France. Classics specialist Thomas topped off his season with Commonwealth Games road race gold in Glasgow and with the world title race course reminiscent of a classics course in length and severity, Thomas is sure to thrive.
Steve Cummings will provide the engine room of the nine-man Great Britain team. An essential part of Cavendish’s Copenhagen win, the BMC pro impressed at the Tour of Britain, placing second behind Wiggins in the time trial.
The dynamic duo of Simon and Adam Yates give Great Britain further options. Both riders signed pro contracts with Orica GreenEdge at the end of 2013, Adam opening his pro account with a win in the Tour of Turkey before getting his first Grand Tour ride at the Vuelta a Espana.
Simon broke his collarbone in the same race and missed much of the mid-season, returning to take bronze in the British championships before a surprise selection for the Tour de France, which saw the 21-year-old from Bury animate the race on stage eight as part of a five-man breakaway.
The team is completed by Luke Rowe, the 24-year-old Team Sky fresh from supporting Chris Froome at the Vuelta following a sixth place finish at the Commonwealth Games road race.
Coverage
Website
British Cycling will provide daily reports from all events with Great Britain representation.
You can follow the event on Twitter on @Ponferrada2014
Watch
The BBC will be providing comprehensive coverage of the elite men's and women's events as follows:
- Tuesday 23 September - Elite women's individual time trial - whole event live on red button, connected TV and BBC Sport website
- Wednesday 24 September - Elite men's individual time trial - whole event live on red button, connected TV and BBC Sport website
- Saturday 27 September - Elite women's road race - live on the red button from 1:00pm to 2:30pm UK time. Whole race live on connected TV and BBC Sport website. Last three hours of race replayed in full on red button 6:00pm to 9:00pm UK time. BBC1 and BBC2 programme including highlights of women's time trial and closing stages of women's road race live – BBC1 2:00pm to 4:00pm UK time then BBC2 4:00pm to 5:00pm UK time.
- Sunday 28 September - Elite men's road race - live on the red button 9:00am to 2:00pm UK time, whole race live on connected TV and BBC Sport website. BBC2 programme including highlights of men's individual time trial and closing stages of elite men's road race live – BBC2 1:20pm to 4:00pm UK time.
