Road World Championships 2009: Cycling Weekly's full coverage
The 2009 UCI Road World Championships take place over September 23-27 in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
The championships are split into two disciplines: road race and time trial. For each of these there are three categories: men, women and under-23 men, giving six events in all.
Time trials are individual efforts against the clock, with each rider timed over a set distance. The winner is the one that completes the course in the least amount of time.
Each of the road races has a mass start, the winner being the one who crosses the line first!
The winner of each of the six categories earns the right to wear the coveted world champion's rainbow jersey every time they race in that discipline for a year. Gold, silver and bronze medals are also awarded to the top three finishers in each category.
British interest in this year's world championships will be sky high, with a realistic chance of a medal in each of the four senior categories.
Nicole Cooke will be out to defend the title she won last year (2008) in Varese, Italy, in the women's road race, she's backed by a strong squad that includes two other riders who could medal - Emma Pooley and Lizzie Armitstead.
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David Millar is the leader of Team GB's nine-man road race squad, and has an outside chance of a medal particularly given his blistering form at the end of the Vuelta a Espana, where he won the penultimate stage.
Olympic TT silver medallist Emma Pooley will be the one to watch in the women's time trial and 2009 Tour de France fourth place finisher Bradley Wiggins will be going all out for the men's title against the clock.
Cycling Weekly will be covering the women's and men's time trials on Wednesday (September 23) and Thursday (September 24) with live text coverage. We will also be posting up reports and photos right after each event here on www.cyclingweekly.com.
Schedule of events
All times are local time
Wednesday, September 23
09:30-12:45: Individual time trial - Under-23 men, 33.2km: Report>>
14:00-17:15: Individual time trial - Elite women, 26.8km: Report>>
Thursday, September 24
11:30-17:00: Individual time trial - Elite men, 49.8km Report>>
Saturday, September 26
09:00-12:30: Road race - Elite women, 124.2km Report>>
13:30-18:00: Road race - Under-23 men, 179.4km Report>>
Sunday, September 27
10:30-17:30: Road race - Elite men, 262.2km Report>>
Defending World Champions (2008)
Road race men: Alessandro Ballan (Italy)
Road race women: Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
Road race under-23 men: Fabio Andres Duarte (Colombia)
Time trial men: Bert Grabsch (Germany)
Time trial women: Amber Neben (USA)
Time trial under-23 men: Adriano Malori (Italy)
Course information: Road race
Start/finish: Mendrisio, Switzerland
Circuit length: 13.8km
Climbing: 245m
Laps for men: 19
Laps for women: 9
Laps for under-23 men: 13
Course information: Time trial
Elite and under-23 men
Start/finish: Mendrisio, Switzerland
Circuit length: 16.6km
Climbing: 120m
Laps for men: 3
Laps for under-23 men: 2
Women
Start/finish: Mendrisio, Switzerland
Circuit length: 13.4km
Climbing: 110m
Laps for women: 2
Team Great Britain
Elite Men's Road Race
Stephen Cummings
Russell Downing
Christopher Froome
Roger Hammond
Daniel Lloyd
David Millar
Ian Stannard
Ben Swift
Geraint Thomas
Elite Men's Time Trial
Chris Froome
Bradley Wiggins
Elite Women's Road Race
Lizzie Armitstead
Katie Colclough
Nicole Cooke (defending world champion)
Nikki Harris
Sharon Laws
Lucy Martin
Emma Pooley
Elite Women's Time Trial
Wendy Houvenaghel
Emma Pooley
Under 23 Men's Road Race
Mark Christian
Peter Kennaugh
Jonny McEvoy
Luke Rowe
Erick Rowsell
Under 23 Men's Time Trial
Alex Dowsett
Andy Fenn
Television coverage
All UK times.
BBC
Wednesday, September 23
13:00-16:45 Women's TT on BBC Interactive Service.
Thursday, September 24
10:30-16:00 Men's TT on BBC Interactive Service.
Friday, September 25
13:30-14:30 Highlights package of women's and men's TT events on BBC2
Saturday, September 26
08:00-11:30 Women's Road Race on BBC Interactive Service.
13:00-14:00 Highlights of the women's RR on BBC1.
Sunday, September 27
09:30-16:30 Men's Road Race on BBC Interactive Service.
17:00-17:45 Highlights of the men's RR on BBC2.
British Eurosport
Wednesday, September 23
08:15-11:45: Live cycling (U23 TT)
12:40-16:15: Live cycling (Women's TT)
16:15-17:00: Cycling highlights
Thursday, September 24
10:30-16:00: Live cycling (Men's TT)
21:00-22:00: Cycling highlights
Saturday, September 26
07:45-11:50: Live cycling (U23/Women's RR)
Sunday, September 27
09:00-16:30: Live cycling (Men's RR)
23:00-00:00: Cycling highlights
Road World Championships 2009: Related links
News
Brits look to learn from difficult day in Mendrisio
Kennaugh proud of gutsy fourth place performance
Pooley disappointed with ride in women's road race
Cooke to fight back in women's road race after difficulat season
Millar ready to take command of Worlds team
Kennaugh ready for under-23 road race
Wiggins accepts time trial defeat
Cancellara says TT victory was 'most beautiful ever'
Men's time trial start list
Pooley disappointed with 11th in time trial
Ellingworth explains Cavendish withdrawal from Worlds
Dowsett happy with world-class ride in under-23 TT
Manning praises Dowsett after Worlds TT ride
It's Cavendish or Stannard for final worlds place
Great Britain names world championships team
Millar won't ride worlds time trial despite Vuelta win
Wiggins quits Tour of Britain to focus on worlds TT
Out of sorts Cooke abandons Tour de l'Ardeche
Cavendish keen to ride worlds despite illness
Millar set to lead GB road race team at the Worlds
Brits head home to fight for worlds places
Reports
Evans wins World Champs road race
Kennaugh notches up fourth for GB in U23 road race
Guderzo solos to victory in women's road race
Cancellara blasts to third Worlds time trial title
Men's time trial as it happened
Armstrong repeats 2006 world champs win for USA
Under-23 Men Time Trial
Women's and under-23 men's time trials as they happened
Photos
Men's road race by Graham Watson
Men's time trial gallery by Graham Watson
Women's time trial gallery by Graham Watson
Under-23 men time trial gallery by Graham Watson
External links
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