Nibali puts his helmet on for his training ride(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Italian mechanics work on the bikes(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Italian national champion Giovanni Visconti(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nibali and Pozzato show off the Italian jersey(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Look how steep the climb is!(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Out of the saddle on the climb(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Visconti and Nibali lead ther azzurri(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The roads are quiet(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
It's early spring down under(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
It is pretty steep(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Italian check out the climbs on the Geelong circuit(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
How many Italians can you get on an Australian sofa?(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Visconti and Nibali lead the ride(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Time for some bars and gels(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Italians are ready to roll out(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nibali shows off some deep section wheels(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Vincenzo Nibali leads on the climb(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Keep on the left ragazzi(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rinaldi Nocentini in the 2010 Italia kit(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Geelong is that way(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Filippo Pozzato and Giovanni Visconti(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Francesco Gavazzi(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The riders head out to study the course in Geelong(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Daniel Oss looks worried before the ride(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Noemi Cantele is ready for the cold weather (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Warning. Cyclists out training (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
It says it on the jersey: Italia(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Coach Paolo Bettini and Filippo Pozzato (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Are they lost or studying the opening section of the road race course?(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Italia! Italia!(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Watch out for kangaroos!(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Italians hope this is how their rivals will see them on race day(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Giovanni Visconti, Filippo Pozzato and Vincenzo Nibali(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Filippo Pozzato gets dressed for the cold(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Italian team trains on home roads before leaving for Australia.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Vuelta a Espana winner Vincenzo Nibali is not one of the team leaders in the Italian team for the world championships but is set to play the vital role of late attacker as Italy hopes to eliminate the sprinters and split the field before the finish.
Italian national coach Paolo Bettini has come under fire for not including a sprinter in his team but after a second day of training on the course in Geelong, the Italian team seems designed for an aggressive race on the short climbs of the finishing circuit in Geelong.
As winner of the Vuelta, Nibali could have expected a protected role in almost any national team. However he is not a fast sprinter and so is ready to work for his Italian teammates Filippo Pozzato, Giovanni Visconti and Luca Paolini.
"In the end it'll be testing course, especially if it's windy and nervous on the first part of the race (from Melbourne to Geelong). It reminds me of the world championships in Salzburg, where Bettini won his first of two world titles."
Nibali's role will be to split the peloton with strong attacks on the short, steep climbs, and get rid of riders such as Mark Cavendish, Oscar Freire and Thor Hushovd. Ideally he would drag a small group clear that includes a fast finishing teammate.
"Perhaps I could try a solo attack but there would be a huge risk of taking a small group clear and then getting beaten in the sprint," he explained.
"It'd make more sense to attack with another rider, some one like Visconti, who is fast in a sprint and offers more guarantees of success."
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Nibali has been racing since January but insists he is not burnt out after a long season.
"I started my season with the idea of going all the way to the world championships. I came out of the Vuelta on cloud nine and I've recovered well. Now I'm 100% focused on the worlds," he said.
"I've always tried to leave my mark on each season and I feel like I'm an instinctively aggressive rider. I wanted to ride the world championships because I've never been part of the full Italian team as a professional."
"I think I can play a key supporting role in the Italian team. We've got fast riders like Pozzato, Visconti and Paolini who can finish the job off. I'm happy to do the job I'm asked to do by Bettini."
Nibali and the rest of the Italian team will test their form on Sunday in the 130km Herald Sun World Cycling Classic race in Ballarat.
Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara has also confirmed he will now ride, as will Australia's Simon Gerrans and Stuart O'Grady, Belgium's, Philippe Gilbert, Thor Hushovd and Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway.
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
