Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team’s cyclists compete in the women’s team time trial event as part of the 2016 UCI Road World Championships.
Doha: Racing will kick off today with Men’s Junior Individual Time Trial, a race where prospects yearn to shine.
Men’s Junior Individual Time Trial
Today: 9:00
The Pearl, 28.9 km
The future stars of male road cycling will have their first showdown of the week today morning. It just takes a quick look at this race’s palmares to understand its dimension. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) or Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) earned their first rainbow jersey in this event before going on to become Elite Road World Champions. Other top riders such as Germany’s Marcel Kittel and Luxembourg’s Bob Jungels also began their run in this Men’s Junior ITT.
The circuit at The Pearl, even with its curvy nature, should make for a competition suited for powerful engines. Those with good legs and the ability to pace themselves should excel.
Defending Champion
Leo Appelt took victory last year in Richmond, Virginia (USA), with an amazing performance under the pouring rain, to beat crowd favourites, Adrien Costa and Brandon McNulty from the US.
Both Appelt and Costa, both 19-years-old now, have been promoted to the Under 23 category. McNulty, 18, is still competing with the Juniors and seems like the main favourite in Doha, after continuously proving his quality. Indeed, he has won every UCI registered ITT he has taken part in this season!
Who to look out for
The biggest challenger to McNulty’s dominance is Norway’s Iver Knotten, a powerhouse that has already won three ITTs in 2016 despite being only 17 years old. He didn’t manage to win the European Championships, though. He finished thrird in a race where France’s Alexey Brunel, one of the most exciting prospects in road cycling, was the winner. Two riders from Switzerland, Marc Hirschi and Stefan Bissegger, placed 2nd and 4th at the European Championships in Plumelec, confirmed a season-long show of strength.
The last two Men’s Junior ITT UCI World Champions have been Germans. Bastian Flicke (pictured below) will try to extend his country’s streak.
