Orica GreenEdge sport director sees Belgium as the strongest team for Richmond
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Simon Gerrans was looking for the stage win today(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Simon Gerrans (Australia) collects his first ever Worlds medal, a silver(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland and Simon Gerrans (Australia) shake hands on the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) in the maglia rosa(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Orica-GreenEdge sports director Matt White at the Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans (Australia) may have won a medal in last year's World Championships but the Australian goes into this year's men's road race as a complete unknown due to an injury-hit season.
Gerrans crashed out of the Classics earlier this spring and then suffered a similar fate at the Tour de France in July. The former Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner managed to make it through the Vuelta a Espana but his form is still a relative unknown – especially compared to last year when he dominated the two Canadian WorldTour races.
"He goes into the Worlds as a bit of an unknown really," Matt White, his trade team manager at Orica GreenEdge told Cyclingnews.
"He got through the Vuelta but he had a few health problems at the end. Where he is at when it comes to the Worlds is a bit of an unknown. I'm not part of the national team's preparation and plans but he can still be a factor.
Although there is a question of Gerrans' condition there is far less concern over the form of Michael Matthews, who has had a hugely successful season and is finding his form at a crucial point in the year. The course in Richmond also suits the rider.
"Michael comes in, like Simon, with a different preparation, but the course suits him," said White.
"As for the course, I've been here for ten days so I've seen it. It's a fast course and the three climbs come in quick succession. Positioning is going to be crucial but I think that the Belgian team are going to be the strongest here. It's going to be a really aggressive race because there will be a lot f guys left with a couple of laps to go."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
