Perras makes last-minute World's trip

In a last-minute call-up, the Canadian Cycling Association announced that Dominique Perras of the Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada Professional Cycling Team will take part in Sunday's elite men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships, filling in for Michael Barry (Discovery Channel).

Originally selected as the first reserve, Perras made the trip to Madrid on Friday, to join Francois Parisien and Ryder Hesjedal (Discovery Channel) after Barry withdrew his entry due to illness. This will be the third World's appearance as a professional for Perras, who represented Canada in Plouay, France in 2000 and Hamilton, Ontario in 2003.

"It's not really my course, but a lot of guys who've ridden it say it's harder than it looks," Perras said of the course, adding that "there's always a chance that a group could go early, so I'll try to be aggressive in the early moves. I'm excited."

The 2003 Canadian National Champion, Perras was the highest-placed Canadian in 2005 at the three biggest races in the U.S. - the Dodge Tour de Georgia (28th overall), the Wachovia USPRO Championships in Philadelphia (18th), and the Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix SF (10th). His trip to Spain will have be a brief one, however; his wedding is on October 1.