One year after finishing joint third in the 2010 worlds, Guillaume Boivin returns to the championships believing he can win the race. The other three riders – the winner Michael Matthews, runner-up John Degenkolb and the rider he finished in a dead heat with, Taylor Phinney, have all gone to the pro ranks and are ineligible to enter today’s event.
He’s therefore the best-placed in the lineup of those who rode last year, although that logic alone won’t win him gold.
Boivin has had a difficult season due to injuries. He said the worlds has been a big motivation for him in that time, and kept him working hard. “The 23rd of September has been circled on my calendar for nearly a year. After finishing third last year in Australia, a day hasn’t gone by without thinking of the 2011 world championships,” he wrote in his team Spidertech blog yesterday. “Thinking of becoming U23 world champion has helped me get through all the tough times in recent months. Each time, I was able to motivate myself to continue in the hope of being selected for this race.”
Boivin had a knee problem early this season, and only began racing at the Canadian nationals at the end of June. He was however forced to pull out of that race when the joint flared up. He then crashed and suffered a concussion in July, necessitating more time off the bike, then returned to racing in the Sparkassen Giro Bochum on July 31st.
That marked the real beginning to his season and 27th there showed his condition was solid. He was then twelfth on a stage of the Tour de l’Ain, eleventh on a stage of the Tour du Limousin and, one month ago, sixteenth in the GP Stad Zottegem.
He’s the sold Canadian rider in action today but even without team support, believes that he’s in with a chance. “It’s true that my preparation hasn’t been ideal, but I feel ready to fight for the title. The course suits me to a T, my Gallium Pro [team bike - ed.] has been prepped like a Formula 1 car, and my legs feel ready for the battle,” he said. “All that remains is to close my eyes for the night before gunning for 5 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2011, and doing what I love more than anything else in the world: Winning a bike race.”
This afternoon will show if that dream does indeed come true and, one year after sharing bronze, if he can take home the rainbow jersey.