September 22, 2009 (Mendrisio Switzerland) – All eyes are on Canada’s Svein Tuft to see if the hard man from Langley, BC can repeat his magical time trial ride at last year’s Road World Championships in Varese, Italy and defend his silver medal on the challenging 3 x 16.5 km 2009 course in Mendrisio Switzerland on Thurs, Sept. 24. While not overly technical the course features a short steep climb.

On paper the course should suit Tuft, but he’ll be hard pressed to match his incredible feat as he’s been hampered all year by injuries sustained in crashes. Despite defending his National Time Trial title this year, he’s yet to find the form that carried him to the world’s podium last year. That said, the enigmatic Tuft is not one to back down from a challenge and his form has benefited from riding two thirds of the Vuelta in preparation for the Road Worlds. He will be Canada’s sole representative in the time trial.

Defending World Champion Bert Grabsh is another rider who will be challenged to repeat last year’s performance for the win as this year’s course is the home turf of quite possibly the most accomplished time trialist in the world – Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland. Other riders to watch include Tour revelation Brad Wiggins and American David Zabriskie.

The Time Trial competitions kick off on Wed., Sept. 23 with U23 Men at 9:30am local time followed by the Elite Women at 2pm. Two of the biggest contenders in the women’s race will be American’s Kristin Armstrong and Amber Neben – both rumoured to be in their final year of international competition. Another rider to watch for on the abbreviated 2 x 13km lap women’s course will be Montreal World Cup winner Emma Pooley, who may be able to use the courses tough climb and easy descending (bike handling is not Pooley’s greatest asset) to her advantage.

Tara Whitten will be the Canadian to watch as she rides her first Road World Championships. Whitten is unlikely to be affected by pre-competition jitters however as she has extensive international experience on the track and on cross-country skis. Julie Beveridge will also compete in the time trial, and is up for a good ride if she’s been able to put some of the lingering injuries sustained at a nasty crash at the Tour de L’Aude behind her.

The espoir men will face two laps of the men’s 16.5 km course and will see Kelly Benefits teammates David Veilleux and Ryan Anderson represent Canada. American’s Tejay Van Garderen and Peter Stetina are both coming off superb rides at the Tour de L’Avenir and could contend also for medals.

2009 Road Worlds Schedule

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Time Trial Men Under 23 – 9:30am-12:45pm local time (3:30am-6:45am EST)
Time Trial Women Elite – 2pm-5:15pm local time (8am – 11:15am EST)

Thursday September 24, 2009
Time Trial Men Elite – 11:30am-5pm local time (5:30am-11am EST)

Saturday September 26, 2009
Road Race Women Elite – 9am-12:30pm local time (3am-6:30am EST)
Road Race Men Under 23 – 1:30pm 6:15pm local time (7:30am – 12:15pm EST)

Sunday September 27, 2009
Road Race Men Elite – 10:30am-5:30pm local time (4:30am – 11:30 am EST)