Wiggins to play team role for GB in Road World Championship

Published on 04/09/2012 03:12

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is set to play a team role for Great Britain at the Road World Championships later this month, for which double Olympic track champion Laura Trott is a surprise inclusion in the women’s squad.

The World Championships are to take place in Limburg, the Netherlands, from 15 to 
23 September, with Wiggins and 23-time Tour stage winner Mark Cavendish, the defending road race champion, among the 14-man squad for the road race, with nine to start.

Trott is named alongside sister Emma and Olympic road race silver medallist Lizzie Armitstead in the 12-woman squad, with seven to start.

Cavendish has been wearing the world champion’s rainbow jersey since winning in Copenhagen last September, but it is anticipated he will relinquish his crown on an undulating course.

Wiggins, meanwhile, withdrew from contention for the individual time-trial event, in which he won Olympic gold and world silver in 2011.

British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford said: “Once again we find ourselves in a very fortunate position of 
having a strong pool of riders across the board from which we can select the final team nearer the time.

“Brad has opted out of riding the time-trial at the worlds; this year’s focus for him has been fully on the Tour de France and the Olympics, so to expect him to hold form going into the worlds is a big ask.”

Wiggins, who is set to be part of Team Sky’s Tour of Britain line-up next week, is joined in the squad by Tour runner-up Chris Froome and Olympic team pursuit champions Geraint Thomas and Peter Kennaugh, but there was no place for David Millar.

Thomas, Froome and Alex Dowsett, who last weekend won the British time-trial Championships, are in contention for the two places for the race against the clock.

Wendy Houvenaghel won the women’s national title and is one of four riders named in the list for the two time-trial spots, despite leaving the Olympics in disgust after missing out on a place – and a medal – in the team pursuit.

Laura Trott won team pursuit and omnium gold in the velodrome and is more accustomed to riding on the track, but she is joined in the road race squad by Joanna Rowsell and Dani King, her fellow Olympic champions in the three-kilometre event.