Portugal and Sweden announce Worlds teams, British Cycling team for Tour of Britain, Battaglin and Craddock to LottoNL-Jumbo?
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Stefan Küng (BMC)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS)
Nelson Oliveira (Lampre-Merida)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rui Costa is the Portuguese national champion(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Emila Fahlin (Wiggle Honda) leads the bunch(Image credit: Emory Ball/Cyclingnews.com)
Hugh Carthy (Caja Rural) collects another best young rider jesey
Tour de Romandie stage winner Stefan Küng will join Taylor Phinney on BMC Racing’s six-rider roster for the upcoming Tour of Britain, which starts Sunday in Beaumaris, Anglesey.
Küng, who continues his return from a fractured vertebrae that sidelined the 21-year-old Swiss rider for three months, won the Volta Limburg in April and a stage at the Tour de Romandie in May before injuring his back in a crash during the Giro d’Italia’s 12th stage.
BMC previously announced that Phinney, who recently won a stage of USA Pro Challenge and led the overall for a day in one of his first races back following his own 14-month recovery, will compete in Britain. Joining them is Dylan Teuns, who finished 10th overall at least year's Tour of Britain. Swiss national road champion Danilo Wyss, Tour of Austria stage winner Rick Zabel and stagiaire Floris Gerts round out the roster for the eight-day race.
BMC for Tour of Britain: Floris Gerts, Stefan Küng, Taylor Phinney, Dylan Teuns, Danilo Wyss, Rick Zabel.
Portugal and Sweden announce Worlds teams
Portugal have announced its five-rider team for the Richmond World Championships with two riders to be cut before the September 20 start. 2013 champion Rui Costa and Lampre-Merida teammate Nelson Oliveira have both been named for the road race with support to come from André Cardoso (Cannondale-Garmin), José Gonçalves (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), José Mendes (Bora-Argon 18).
Costa's 2013 win was the best result Portugal have recorded at the world championships. The 28-year-old won a stage at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June and claimed the national road race later that month but was then forced to withdraw from the Tour de France due to lingering issues from a crash. Costa will be hoping he can improve upon his 23rd place at last year's race.
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Portugal have qualified four riders for the U23 men's race and will trim its six rider long list accordingly before the championships. Those six riders are César Martingil and Luís Gomes (Liberty Seguros/Carglass), João Rodrigues (Team Tavira), Nuno Bico (Rádio Popular-Boavista), Rúben Guerreiro (Axeon) and Rui Carvalho (Anicolor).
Daniela Reis (DN17 Poitou Charentes) will be the sole women's representative for Portugal at the Worlds.
Emma Johansson will lead the Swedish women's team at the Richmond World Championships later this month while Gustav Larsson leads the men's team. Johansson has finished on the Worlds podium three times in the road race and once in the time trial. The 31-year-old most recently tasted success at the Internationale Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen and her pre-Worlds form with second place at the GP de Plouay-Bretagne last weekend. Emilia Fahlin, Johansson's teammate next season, has also been selected for the Worlds along with Sara Mustonen and Hanna Nilsson.
Gustav Larsson, who unsuccessfully attempted the Hour Record earlier this year, is one of two riders in the men's road race with Giant-Alpecin's Tobias Ludvigsson. Sweden failed to qualify a rider for the time trial, an event in which Larsson finished runner up to Fabian Cancellara in 2009.
British Cycling announce national team for Tour of Britain
Team Sky stagiaires Alex Peters and Tao Geoghegan Hart will headline the Great Britain national team for the Tour of Britain thats starts on Sunday. Fresh from finishing ninth overall at the USA Pro Challenge, Hugh Carthy adds climbing talent to the six rider roster.
Team manager Keith Lambert explained he expects his riders will gain invaluable experience from the race
"Tao and Hugh showed some great performances at the USA Pro Challenge recently with them finishing first and second respectively in the Best Young Rider Standings," Lambert said. "Riding in a team with them plus Alex who, along with Tao, has recently been signed as a stagiaire for Team Sky will be a real boost for the Academy riders and a good learning opportunity for them. I’m looking forward to seeing how they get on against the professional riders in the race."
Geoghegan Hart is the only returning member from last year's team although the majority of the team have been riding for the national squad throughout the season.
Great Britain Cycling Team for Tour of Britain: Hugh Carthy, Gabz Cullaigh, Scott Davies, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Alex Peters and Ollie Wood
Enrico Battaglin and Lawson Craddock to LottoNL-Jumbo?
According to a report in De Telegraafthe Dutch LottoNL-Jumbo team is after an American and Italian rider for next season having extended its bike deal with Bianchi. George Bennett (New Zealand) and Robert Wagner (Germany) are currently the only non-Dutch or Belgian riders on the team and it believed the Italian bicycle company is interested in the team signing Battaglin (Bardiani-CSF) for commercial reasons. Likewise, having American Craddock on the team would help sell Bianchi's in one of the world's largest cycling markets
