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Australian cycling’s world championships dream team will be a nightmare call for selectors.
Richie Porte, Cadel Evans, Michael Rogers and Simon Gerrans are frontrunners to make the team for the September 29 men’s elite road race in Florence.
The tough 272.5km road race is said to feature as much total climbing as a Tour de France mountain stage.
Australia will most likely qualify a full team of nine riders for the men’s road race.
Brad McGee, the new men’s road coordinator for Cycling Australia, said it will be hard to decide who misses out.
“It’s probably a selector’s dream this year with the right riders presenting themselves in the right way,” McGee told the cyclingnews website.
“Of course it’s going to be difficult because we do have more than a full compliment of could-be riders.
“It’s just a great showing of the support that the pros give to the national team.”
Evans won the 2009 world road title over a hilly course in Mendrisio, Italy.
He is known to be keen on contending again this year, but it will depend on how well the 2011 Tour de France winner pulls up from his racing program.
Evans was third in May at the Giro d’Italia, but struggled badly last month at the Tour de France.
Porte continued to impress with an outstanding Tour, where he rode in support of winner Chris Froome.
Gerrans won a Tour stage and wore the yellow jersey, while Rogers was the highest-placed Australian at 16th.
Last year was the first time since 2008 that the Australian men’s elite team had not won a medal at the worlds road race.
Following Evans’ 2009 triumph, Allan Davis took bronze at Geelong in 2010 and Matthew Goss won silver two years ago in Copenhagen.
Davis was the best-placed Australian last year in sixth as Belgian star Philippe Gilbert won.
McGee was appointed to the part-time men’s coordinator role earlier this year, following the dismissal of confessed doper Matt White.
McGee is an Olympic track cycling gold medallist and the first Australian to wear the leader’s jersey in all three Grand Tours – the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
Meanwhile, newly-crowned BMX world champion Caroline Buchanan will be in the Australian team for the August 26-September 1 mountain bike world championships in South Africa.
Buchanan will ride the women’s elite downhill and four-cross events.
London Olympians Dan McConnell and Rebecca Henderson are also in the team.
Henderson will ride in the under-23 cross-country event.
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