Is this the British squad for the men’s elite road race at Yorkshire 2019 World Championships?

Clues about the British squad racing the men’s Yorkshire 2019 World Championships road race could be gleamed from the start list of a small Belgian one-day event.

The Kampioenshcap van Vlaanderen, a 1.1-level criterium in Flanders, takes place on Friday (September 20) and features a Great Britain team with seven riders from the Yorkshire Worlds long-list.

Earlier this month, British Cycling published the names of 15 riders who were still in the running to represent the Union Jack in the men’s road race next week.

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The British squad being fielded in the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen on Friday may offer insight into who will take on the 285km race from Leeds to Harrogate.

Riders confirmed for the Belgian race are Adam Yates, Ben Swift, Matt Holmes, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Ian Stannard, Owain Doull and Chris Lawless.

The British team are only able to enter six out of a possible eight riders in this year’s elite men’s Worlds road race however, after slipping out of the top-10 of the UCI nation rankings last month, which means one of the seven riders in the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen will not be making the final selection for the Yorkshire Worlds. 

Matt Holmes, sixth in the overall of the Tour de Yorkshire 2019, is unlikely to make the cut, while British Cycling still has the option to bring in other riders from the long list at this stage which includes the likes of Simon Yates, Geraint Thomas and Adam Blythe.

In the men’s time trial, Alex Dowsett, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Geraint Thomas were included on the long-list.

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British Cycling has already unveiled the team for the women’s road race.

Former world champion Lizzie Deignan will headline the GB squad alongside British road race and time trial champion Alice Barnes.

Other riders making the selection for the road race include Hannah Barnes and Lizzy Banks. The women’s time trial will be contested by Alice Barnes and Hayley Simmonds.

- This story originally said Luke Rowe was in the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen squad and has been updated.