Italian head coach Paolo Bettini has announced the eleven riders that will make up the nine-man team, and two reserves, that will make up the Squadra Azzura at the World Championships in Copenhagen later this month. Thanks to a new rule introduced by the Italian federation (FCI) earlier in the year, no rider that has served a doping ban of more than six months can be selected. Consequently, the team will be without top sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD), despite all predictions pointing to the race ending in a sprint.
The team will therefore be built around the speed of Daniele Bennati (Leopard Trek), who won stage twenty of the Vuelta a España at the weekend, although there are plenty of other sprint options in Bettini’s selection. Given equal status to Bennati will be Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF Inox); the 24-year-old recently finished second to Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish in the London Surrey Cycle Classic, then won the Coppa Agostini, and two stages each of the Settimana Lombarda and Giro di Padania.
Also included is the Liquigas-Cannondale duo of Daniel Oss and Elia Viviani, which was so devastatingly successful in the recent USA Pro Cycling Challenge with three stages between them.
In such a young squad, the senior rider will be 37-year-old Matteo Tosatto (Saxo Bank-SunGard), but 34-year-old Luca Paolini (Katusha), the 2004 bronze medallist will also be present.
Giorgia Bronzini leads women’s team in title defence
Reigning champion Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita-Forno d’Asolo) will lead the Italian women’s team in defence of her title. The nucleus of the team will be the same as that of the previous few years, with 2009 champion Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini-Giambenini) and bronze medallist Noemi Cantele (Garmin-Cervélo), the national road and time trial champion, along with double national champion Monia Baccaille (MCipollini-Giambenini).
The Italian team has won the World championships in three of the past four editions, having got the defeat of overwhelming favourite Marianne Vos of the Netherlands into a fine art. The slightly uphill sprint should suit the talents of Bronzini, and Baccaille will also like her own chances, but the team also contains plenty of attacking talent.
Italian team for the World championships road race (Elite men):
Manuel Belletti and Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF Inox), Daniele Bennati (Leopard Trek), Oscar Gatto and Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri-Sottoli), Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre-ISD), Daniel Oss and Elia Viviani (Liquigas Cannondale), Luca Paolini (Team Katusha), Manuel Quinziato (BMC Racing), Matteo Tosatto (Saxo Bank-SunGard)
Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) and Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) will ride the time trial.
Italian team for the World championships road race (Elite women):
Monia Baccaille and Tatiana Guderzo (Mcipollini-Giambenini), Giorgia Bronzini and Elena Cecchini (Colavita-Forno d’Asolo), Noemi Cantele (Garmin Cervelo), Elisa Longo Borghini (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) and Valentina Scandolara (Gauss-Rdz-Ormu)
The eighth rider and two reserves will be selected from the following four riders:
Elena Berlato (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo), Rossella Callovi and Marta Tagliaferro (Mcipollini-Giambenini) and Alessandra D’Ettorre (Colavita Forno d’Asolo)
Cantele and Longo Borghini will also ride the time trial.