How many riders can each nation select for the World Championships road race?
Great Britain, France and Italy get nine riders at the UCI World Championships road race, while Romania and Greece only get one
Generally speaking, the nations with the best riders are allowed to select more riders for the World Championships road race, but it's a season-long competition that finalises that number.
Throughout the year, riders acquire points for their nations based on their finishing positions in races. Shortly before the World Championships the nations rankings are taken into account and teams are notified if they're allowed to select nine, six, three or just one rider for the big race.
For countries such as Spain, Italy and France - the traditional powerhouses of cycling - these rankings are not so important as the bigger nations generally have enough riders to accumulate points to guarantee them the full quota of nine riders.
For smaller cycling nations, however, the rankings make things a little harder for their riders, with Switzerland - home nation of the injured Fabian Cancellara - only entitled to three riders. The same goes for Slovakia, for whom Peter Sagan is their best bet for the win.
But for Sagan, and 2013 champion Rui Costa - who's Portugal also only have three riders - the task of controlling and winning the race is all the harder for lack of support.
And spare a thought for poor Sweden, who haven't qualified for the race, while the likes of Greece, Romania and Guatemala will ride with one man.
Nine riders: Spain, Italy, France, Colombia, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Netherlands
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Six riders: Algeria, Canada, Venezuela, the United States (hosts), Iran, Slovenia, Ukraine, Russia, Denmark, Poland, Norway
Three riders: Morocco, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Japan, South Korea, Austria, Belarus, Portugal, Turkey, Lithuania, Estonia, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Costa Rica
One rider: Latvia, Tunisia, Eritrea, Chile, Guatemala, Ecuador, Azerbaijan, Greece, Romania, Serbia.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.
-
Specialized slash prices up to 50% as brands navigate post Covid turmoil
Half price savings go live on the Specialized website as industry chaos continues
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan Published
-
Was this the best women’s Classics campaign ever?
Every race seemed to go down to the wire, with little in the way of control or domination. It could hardly have been better
By Adam Becket Published
-
‘Unprecedented’ television audiences revealed for cycling Super Worlds
Fans around the world watched more than 200 million hours in August
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Team USA at Road Worlds: Are Powless and Dygert our best hopes for a medal?
Here's who we'll be watching in the rainbow battles in Glasgow, Scotland.
By Henry Lord Published
-
Glasgow UCI World Championships bags Lidl partnership
Supermarket chain becomes official fresh food partner for the championships taking place in Glasgow in August
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ukrainian cyclist disqualified from World Championships after blood sample result
Mykhaylo Kononenko's blood sample revealed the presence of the banned substance tramadol
By Tom Davidson Published
-
How many calories do you burn winning the World Championship road race?
It’s the equivalent of six margherita pizzas, according to Remco Evenepoel's Strava data
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
Don’t expect too much from Zoe Bäckstedt, says teenager’s British Cycling coach
Junior academy coach Emma Trott has warned against piling pressure on the 18-year-old
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Sky high heart rates and sleepless nights: What it's like to be the parents of a World Champion
Thousands of miles from Wollongong, the parents of Britain’s new time trial world champions battled their nerves
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Time trial world champion Tobias Foss says he was hoping for top five at best
The Norwegian stunned the race favourites and himself in Wollongong
By Tom Davidson Last updated