Dumoulin, Van Vleuten headline Dutch team for Innsbruck World Championships
'We will do everything to keep the world titles in the Netherlands' says national team coach
Tom Dumoulin and Annemiek van Vleuten will headline the Dutch national team that will participate in the time trials and road races at the UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, from September 23 to 30.
National federation coaches Thorwald Veneberg, Peter Zijerveld and Loes Gunnewijk announced on Tuesday the selection of 35 riders that will compete across all events.
"We have an excellent season with both the elite men and the elite women, with three world champions making the Netherlands the favorite in many areas," Veneberg said.
"The selective course that the World Championship organization has drawn up fits the selection that goes to Austria. We will do everything to keep the world titles in the Netherlands."
Dumoulin and Van Vleuten will lead the team in the time trials - 54.2km for men and 28.5km for women - as the defending champions for the elite men's and men's events, respectively.
Joining Van Vleuten in the time trial are Lucinda Brand, Ellen Van Dijk and Anna van der Breggen, while Dylan van Baarle and Wilco Keldermann will race the men's time trial.
Van Vleuten had a successful season with victories at the Giro Rosa, La Course and Boels Ladies Tour, and will line up as the favourite for the women's road race in Innsbruck. The team will also include defending champion Chantal Blaak, Van der Breggen, Van Dijk, Brand, Amy Pieters, Sabrina Stultiens and Janneke Ensing. Multiple-time world champion Marianne Vos will not be competing this year.
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The elite women's road race will start in Kufstein and head west to finish in Innsbruck-Rennweg, for a total of 156.7km. They will race a 90km loop followed by three shorter circuits of 23.9km each. The course has 2,413 metres of elevation gain.
The men's team will field Dumoulin, Van Baarle and Keldermann along with a strong team of climbers that include Sam Oomen, Steven Kruijswijk, Wout Poels, Bauke Mollema, Antwan Tolhoek and Pieter Weening.
The men will race 265 kilometres featuring close to 5,000 metres of climbing and the decisive 'Highway to Höll' ascent located near the end of the race.
Netherlands for the 2018 UCI Road World Championships
Elite women
Time trial: 27.8 km (Tuesday, September 25)
Lucinda Brand
Anna van der Breggen
Ellen van Dijk
Annemiek van Vleuten
Road race: 156.2 km (Saturday, September 29)
Ellen van Dijk
Annemiek van Vleuten
Anna van der Breggen
Lucinda Brand
Amy Pieters
Chantal Blaak
Sabrina Stultiens
Janneke Ensing
Elite men
Time Trial: 52.5 km (Wednesday 26 September)
Tom Dumoulin
Dylan van Baarle
Wilco Kelderman
Road race: 258.5 km (Sunday 30 September)
Tom Dumoulin
Wilco Kelderman
Sam Oomen
Steven Kruijswijk
Wout Poels
Bauke Mollema
Antwan Tolhoek
Pieter Weening
Under-23 men
Time trial: 27.8 km (Monday, September 24)
Pascal Eenkhoorn
Julius van den Berg
Road race: 179.9 km (Friday, September 28)
Pascal Eenkhoorn
Jan Maas
Thymen Arensman
Ide Schelling
Julius van den Berg
Junior men
Time trial: 27.8 km (Tuesday, September 25)
Enzo Leijnse
Manuel Michielsen
Road race: 132.4 km (Thursday 27 September)
Enzo Leijnse
Casper van Uden
Rick Pluimers
Wessel Krul
Axel van der Tuuk
Bas van Belle
Junior women
Time trial: 20 km (Monday, September 24)
Rosemary Ammerlaan
Britt Knaven
Road race: 71.7 km (Thursday 27 September)
Rosemary Ammerlaan
Sylvie Swinkels
Silke Smulders
Femke Gerritse
Eva Jonkers