September 18, 2006 (Salzburg, Austria) – The opening ceremony for the 2006 Road World Championships, this year in Salzburg, Austria, September 19-24, starts tomorrow. Salzburg, well known as the setting for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s famous Sound of Music, is feeling the buzz as the cycling world converges for another big showdown.

The “Hills are Alive” and much more as Mirabellstrasse in the heart of the town, where Julie Andrews sang ‘Do Re Mi’, has been converted into one long finishing straight, lined with grandstands and shops that are fully stocked with ‘Rad Weltmeisterschaft’ paraphernalia.

Salzburg itself has already had a bumper year celebrating the 250th birthday of its most famous citizen, Wolfgang Mozart, whose image is inescapable in the city and whose eponymous chocolates have reached record sales.

In addition to the masses of tourists it welcomes yearly, Salzburg is expecting an extra 200,000 visitors for the road worlds championships alone and has mobilized 2,300 volunteers.

After a year of almost continuous doping scandals, organizers are hoping the ‘Mozart Stadt’ will put on a show to remind everyone what a great sport cycling can be.

The build-up hasn’t been entirely trouble-free however. Organisers received numerous complaints after they placed advertisements asking for “Austria’s prettiest girls” to apply for positions as prize-givers.

Questions were then raised by local press when it emerged that Austria’s prettiest girls wouldn’t have time to kiss the winners as they stood on the podium as the riders would have to rush off to doping control as soon as their medals were slung around their necks.

More contentious was the recent news that two of Austria’s U23 team members were recently dropped from the national team for missing a doping control test. Christian Ebner and Markus Eibegger apparently disappeared shortly after a doping controller turned up at their team training camp. “We have strict rules and cannot tolerate this kind of behaviour,” said Austrian Federation general secretary, Rudolph Massak.

Despite these wobbles, Salzburg promises to host some ripping racing. The course includes a couple of testing hills over each 22-km lap as the course weaves its way through the surrounding countryside before heading back into the city centre.

The road racing route is not suited to sprinters and most pundits predict the races will come down to a gallop between small groups.

Belgian super-star, Tom Boonen, has been touted as obvious favourite for the men’s 265-km race and as defending road world champion will want to do well. He has rediscovered his knack for victory after a mediocre Tour de France and the Salzburg course isn’t entirely different from last year’s circuit in Spain where he captured the title.

Leading the resistance will be the Italians who scoped out the course last month, Paolo Bettini declaring “this course is for me!” The team have had issues trying to bond with each other in the past but this year manager Franco Ballerini says, “We want the road world championship title. It doesn’t matter which rider gets it.”

Whether Bettini and his Squadra Azzurra, which also includes Danilo Di Luca, hold to that belief remains to be seen.

Local knowledge and home support always goes a long way and currently host nation Austria boasts a number of top professionals. T-Mobile team member Bernhard Kohl has apparently recovered from a nasty crash in the Vuelta and the team also boasts a couple of useful sprinters in the form of Benhard Eisel and Rene Haselbacher.

Never to be discounted are the Australians and in the unlikely event of a mass sprint, could put Robbie McEwan on the podium’s top step. Dutch rider Michael ‘the Boogie-man’ Boogard will be relishing the prospect of a Classics-style race, and although without former world champion Oscar Friere, the Spanish with Alejandro Valverde have a strong looking outfit.

In the women’s 132-km race the hot tip has to be Nicole Cooke. After a season where she has rediscovered her best form, the Welshwoman is flying but she is a marked rider and the Australian and German teams are packed with assets who are all capable of winning.

Cooke’s main rival during the 2006 season, Ina Teutenberg of Germany, is a specialist sprinter but has shown she can get over a few hills when she needs to and Aussie Oenone Wood is an accomplished one-day rider.

In the time-trials Britain’s David Miller will be closely watched. His comeback from a two-year ban for EPO, which also resulted in the stripping of his 2003 world championship time-trial victory, has been greeted with as much scepticism as optimism.

An outside bet would be Alexander Vinokourov. The Kazak has just triumphed in the Vuelta Espana winning a time-trial stage on the way to taking the overall win, and is evidently in tip-top form. The Americans will want to shine at this event and with Dave Zabriskie, they have serious chance.

Team Canada

On the Canadian side, look for the sole entrant Ryder Hesjedal to try and turn a few heads in the elite men’s road race. The Victoria, B.C. native quit the 2006 Vuelta in the final week citing fatigue, but he should be prepared and rested enough for a possible good showing in Austria. But as only one rider qualified for Canada in the elite men’s race, expectations on Hesjedal can’t be over the mark without the support of more Team Canada riders on the start line.

On the women’s side, there is tremendous hope for Canada’s biggest phenom, Alex Wrubleski from Saskatchewan. The 22-year-old came out of nowhere to take two National titles in Quebec City, and had a good ride to make the podium at The Tour of Altoona. Is she at the level which could see her fare well with the top international field? She’ll be supported by her occasional trade team-mate Anne Samplonius, a veteran racer who is having the season of her life (Wrubleski was a guest rider for Biovail during the second half of 2006 -ed). Watch out for newly married Erinne Willock as well – the Webcor rider is also hoping to turn heads in Salzburg.

The men’s U23 team is stacked with Canada’s top pro team, Symmetrics – can the up-and-comers snag a top-10, or even medal in ’06? Quebec’s David Veilleux is also having a super year winning both the Canadian U23 ITT and road titles this season. Look for the squad to support Symmetrics Cam Evans, a climber who can sprint, in the finale. Don’t forget Svein Tuft as well – the time triallist will join Hesjedal in the timed events on Thursday, September 21.

Cycling’s final big hurrah of 2006 will be underway shortly and pedalmag.com will have all the action from Salzburg including live-updates and full length race-reports.

Schedule of Events – Salzburg Road Worlds 2006

Wed. Sept 20, 2006
– 12:00h-14:00h Time Trial Elite Women
– 14:00h-16:45h Time Trial U23

Thur. Sept 21, 2006
– 13:30h-16:45h Time Trial Elite Men

Sat. Sept 23, 2006
– 09:00h-13:40h Road Race Men U23
– 14:30h-18:15h Road Race Elite Women

Sun. Sept 24, 2006
– 10:30h-17:25h Road Race Elite Men


Canada’s Road Worlds 2006 Team

Elite Men TT

1. Ryder Hesjedal – BC
2. Svein Tuft – BC
R1. Eric Wohlberg – ON

Elite Women TT

1. Alex Wrubleski – SK
2. Anne Samplonius – QC
R1. Erinne Willock – BC

U23 Men TT

1. David Veilleux – QC
2. Brad Fairall – BC
R1. Christian Meier – BC

Elite Men RR

1. Ryder Hesjedal – BC
R1. Dominique Rollin – QC
R2. Michael Barry – ON
R3. Fran̤ois Parisien РQC
R.4 Svein Tuft – BC

Elite Women RR

1. Alex Wrubleski – SK
2. Sue Palmer-Komar – ON
3. Anne Samplonius – QC
4. Erinne Willock – BC
5. Leigh Hobson – ON
6. Amy Moore – ON
R1. Gina Grain – BC
R2. Kirsten Robbins – ON
R3. Audrey Lemieux – QC

U23 Men RR

1. David Veilleux – QC
2. Christian Meier – BC
3. Cam Evans – BC
4. Brandon Crichton – ON
R1. Brad Fairall – BC
R2. Jamie Lamb – NS

Team Staff

– HP Director: Kris Westwood
– Manager: Sean O’Donnell
– Coach (women): Vincent Jourdain
– Coach (U23 men): Jacky Hardy
– Assistant: Thomas Liese
– Soigneurs: Sophie St-Jacques, Michel l’Hoest
– Mechanics: Chad Grochowina, Guillaume Sicher

For Salzburg Road Worlds 2006 site click here.